About how long does it take to see a change?

kminjee
kminjee Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm still new to eating super healthy and working out a ton - I just know that results are right away but about average is when weight loss or any significant differences shows?? I know it's different on every person, but an estimate?

Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    I saw scale loss, when I first started losing, fairly quickly, but it took awhile to see changes in my body. And, I swear, the first 8 pounds all came from my face! I would say give it 4-6 weeks before expect any noticeable changes.
  • reddeament
    reddeament Posts: 51 Member
    I saw a difference in the scale a week after I started calorie counting and exercising. In terms of a "visual" difference, I haven't noticed one yet. My clothes are looser, but when I look at myself in the mirror with just underwear on, the main difference is that my thighs have much less cellulite now than they did 3 months ago (I've lost 5.3kg since October 1)
  • kminjee
    kminjee Posts: 49 Member
    JenMc14 wrote: »
    I saw scale loss, when I first started losing, fairly quickly, but it took awhile to see changes in my body. And, I swear, the first 8 pounds all came from my face! I would say give it 4-6 weeks before expect any noticeable changes.

    Thank you! I would love to lose some weight on my face!! i've heard thats usually the first sign.
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    I think that is takes a long time to actually "see it", especially since the weight loss is relatively slow. I began to feel it in my clothes and energy level pretty quickly though, and that is what really felt best. I also see the scale move at a relatively reliable rate. I didn't notice a huge change in the mirror until I lost about 30 pounds (180-150). Now I see things change a little more quickly since I have less to lose, but the mirror is not that reliable.
  • SyllyReth
    SyllyReth Posts: 59 Member
    The scale has already started moving, but the last time I really got behind this, I couldn't notice a change in the mirror until about 20-25 pounds (about 6 weeks in or so) when I saw my favorite shirt fit a little differently. It looked nicer. At that time, only my mother and my closest, closest friends commented on noticing a difference. I take my measurements at the first of every month, as well for another frame of reference.
  • maroonmango211
    maroonmango211 Posts: 908 Member
    I began to feel different after a couple weeks, clothes fit better and i felt stronger but I didn't really SEE it until I started having to buy new clothes. Seeing my new body in old clothes just didn't cut it. It's also mostly in pictures that I see it and rarely in the mirror, probably because its gradual enough that from day to day it just looks the same. My advice would be to take lots of pictures along the way and even if you want to stretch most of your wardrobe to fit for longer, still buy a couple great pieces to look fabulous in to show off the change.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    When I started it took about 3 weeks before the scale moved. It took almost 2 months to see a real change in my body.
  • kminjee
    kminjee Posts: 49 Member
    BioQueen wrote: »
    I think that is takes a long time to actually "see it", especially since the weight loss is relatively slow. I began to feel it in my clothes and energy level pretty quickly though, and that is what really felt best. I also see the scale move at a relatively reliable rate. I didn't notice a huge change in the mirror until I lost about 30 pounds (180-150). Now I see things change a little more quickly since I have less to lose, but the mirror is not that reliable.

    Well i've only been eating clean for less than a week and i actually dont feel bloated! Obviously it's such a short time but i dont feel as "groggy" but i am still a bit tired, but perhaps that is attributed from working out haha
  • kminjee
    kminjee Posts: 49 Member
    SyllyReth wrote: »
    The scale has already started moving, but the last time I really got behind this, I couldn't notice a change in the mirror until about 20-25 pounds (about 6 weeks in or so) when I saw my favorite shirt fit a little differently. It looked nicer. At that time, only my mother and my closest, closest friends commented on noticing a difference. I take my measurements at the first of every month, as well for another frame of reference.

    I cant wait to fit into my clothes better! I think i am going to measure myself once a month instead of every day.
  • kminjee
    kminjee Posts: 49 Member
    maroonmango211 wrote: »
    I began to feel different after a couple weeks, clothes fit better and i felt stronger but I didn't really SEE it until I started having to buy new clothes. Seeing my new body in old clothes just didn't cut it. It's also mostly in pictures that I see it and rarely in the mirror, probably because its gradual enough that from day to day it just looks the same. My advice would be to take lots of pictures along the way and even if you want to stretch most of your wardrobe to fit for longer, still buy a couple great pieces to look fabulous in to show off the change.

    yeah when i look at myself day to day I dont see ANY change, but i dont feel as bloated as i did before and groggy so that is a good sign!
  • kminjee
    kminjee Posts: 49 Member
    strong_curves wrote: »
    When I started it took about 3 weeks before the scale moved. It took almost 2 months to see a real change in my body.

    good for you to keep going!!!
  • HutchA12
    HutchA12 Posts: 279 Member
    edited January 2016
    According to you last post it's only been like 3 days. You also conflict saying you're a lifter (implying you regularly lifted prior to weightloss) to now being new.

    You have a lot of time. Take it steady. Worrying about speed, changes, measuring everyday won't do anything but discourage you when it's not what you want.

    Give change time. Weekly measurements sure. Monthly progress pics, get after it. Daily scaling with a weekly average to see a trend maybe. There will be stalls and mistakes. Relax and play the long game.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    The heavier you start out, the more pounds you need to lose to make a noticeable change. On the other hand, typically the heavier you start out, the faster you are able to lose those pounds.

    In general, it seems that it becomes noticeable to you around 10% of body weight lost, and to others when you've lost around 20%. But in reality it's highly individual, mostly because people don't lose fat in the same places or proportions. If you lose first from a highly visible place, like your face, it should just take very little loss to see a difference. If you lose fat all over, it takes more pounds lost for it to be noticeable.
  • SeanNJ
    SeanNJ Posts: 153 Member
    Somewhere from 25 to 35 minutes, I think.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    I started getting compliments on my weight loss about a month into doing CICO.
  • kminjee
    kminjee Posts: 49 Member
    HutchA12 wrote: »
    According to you last post it's only been like 3 days. You also conflict saying you're a lifter (implying you regularly lifted prior to weightloss) to now being new.

    You have a lot of time. Take it steady. Worrying about speed, changes, measuring everyday won't do anything but discourage you when it's not what you want.

    Give change time. Weekly measurements sure. Monthly progress pics, get after it. Daily scaling with a weekly average to see a trend maybe. There will be stalls and mistakes. Relax and play the long game.

    thanks!
  • kminjee
    kminjee Posts: 49 Member
    stealthq wrote: »
    The heavier you start out, the more pounds you need to lose to make a noticeable change. On the other hand, typically the heavier you start out, the faster you are able to lose those pounds.

    In general, it seems that it becomes noticeable to you around 10% of body weight lost, and to others when you've lost around 20%. But in reality it's highly individual, mostly because people don't lose fat in the same places or proportions. If you lose first from a highly visible place, like your face, it should just take very little loss to see a difference. If you lose fat all over, it takes more pounds lost for it to be noticeable.

    Roger, thank you!
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I usually follow the rule of 3 when seeking results...3 days - insignificant changes like water weight fluctuations...3 weeks - minor changes to weight/measurements...3 months - now you really should see some results of your diet/activity changes, if not, it's time to rethink things...
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Everyone is different of course, but I started getting comments @ -40 pounds, but I had a lot to lose. That was at 8 weeks.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It is difficult to even provide an estimate. The heavier you are and more you need to lose, the longer it would take to see a noticeable change. It also depends on where you lose your weight from...my first 10 or so Lbs came off of my extremities which isn't really noticeable unless someone was really paying attention to my wrist size, neck size, fingers, etc.

    I was down a good 20 Lbs before you could start to see the weight loss in my face. At 30 Lbs down, I looked kind of funny because I looked pretty lean everywhere except I had a gut. At 40 Lbs down, the gut finally went away. At 45 Lbs down I had a nice, flat stomach and visible abs.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    For me, others noticed the changes before I noticed them myself.

    A lot of it is psychological, as well. I was always of the mindset "Oh, I will never look smaller." - even if there was a drop in the scale.

    My co-workers noticed the changes before I could really see them. Maybe take a 'before' picture and then do progress pictures every other month or so to see the changes.

    You see yourself everyday, it is harder to see changes then.

    It really wasn't until I went shopping and tried on a dress in my usual size, only to find out it was much too big, that I realized my body had changed.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    I only had about 14 pounds to lose (currently 7 pounds down), so not really that much and I started to notice a difference about 5 pounds down. My thighs don't touch as much anymore, and my upper body seems a bit smaller.
  • mandykent111
    mandykent111 Posts: 81 Member
    Don't bother looking at the scale - too variable and its mostly just water weight. In my case, I lost my first real 5 pounds after 3 weeks. (pounds that did not come back). I think a combination of photographs, measurements and weigh-ins are the best way to track your progress.

    Keep at it, once the weight starts coming off you'll get hooked. It WILL happen - especially if you're exercising, adding muscle mass and maintaining a calorie deficit. in my case, I added a supplement called Liporidex (which I still take for the energy) which made the process much faster and easier - as i stopped dreaming about afternoon snacks.

    The key is to never overdo anything. Its a real lifestyle change after all and simply "working out a ton" is not sustainable long term. If you can get a good workout in addition to clean eating for a month, you'll probably become unable to do without a great workout, it happened to me. Slow and steady wins this race.

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