It depends on the type of results you're hoping to see in the short term versus the long term. I started Stronglifts back in November, 2014 at just below 190 lbs (started losing weight because better nutrition before joined gym even). I hadn't lifted in many years plus had never done some of the lifts before. I started light and the progression in the weights went well in those first 12 weeks following the program. It was great having that non-scale aspect, being able to lift more.

However, I'm going to guess you're looking more towards the visual as in body changes and weight. Part of that will depend on other variables beyond the 5x5/gym. If you maintain a deficit, then the scale should go down over time. There are also other ways to track, like taking measurements of waist, hips, legs, etc. I do that once a month (some do more frequently) just to track progress and see how things are going. Whether you see the changes in yourself or not is a different story. Some say you notice the changes before others but for me, it has always been the opposite. People commented about my weight loss before I really noticed much of a change, and even now it's that way as I get comments about how small I'm getting even when the scale hasn't moved at all. Progress pictures help too in that.

Lifting weights, from what I have seen myself, does have benefits during a deficit to help with body shape. I mean, arms for example. I still do have some fat and skin that hang due to gravity, aka bingo wings and whatever silly name people have for them. However, I also have a little bicep muscle peeking out, and it's kind of fun.

Check out the progress picture post when you have time or the "Help, lifting made me bulkah" post over in the success story forums. Most of the progress takes time but even the little things are there and will be as you keep pushing forward, meeting more goals and having many victories on the scale and beyond it.

for me it depended on what i was looking at. i might also not be comparable to you because i'm 50 and started lifting for the first time ever at 49, when i was already within ten pounds of my goal weight. i also deficited and cardio'd aggressively for the first six months or so, so my results are sort of blurred in my mind now between the weight loss and the lifting results.

little things showed up within a few weeks though. there were subtle localized changes in my shape, that are hard to describe. i never felt like my global outline changed much (my measurements seem like they never do change, whatever i weigh and whatever i lift). but for instance i'd be looking at my legs and get fixated by this new pretty line where your knee turns into the lower part of your thigh. or i grew these pretty trapezius muscles and my collarbones were blending in instead of sticking out, because there was muscle above and below them . . . little things of that kind. it depends how you look and what you look at. i think those things happened for me within the first couple of months.

in my first year, i also made a lot of mistakes as i was just lifting blind. once i addressed some of the problems i'd caused for myself (shoulder impingement, prepatellar tendonitis), my posture shifted a little as well and that has had its effect too.

it seems like taking 'before' pictures is one of the best ways to keep track of what's changing. otherwise, if you don't the changes are so global and yet so subtle that you get used to them before you realise that you ARE changing yourself.

I think it took about six months to see changes, and I'm now a year in. I'm not sure they're visible to anyone else, although recently two different people commented on how good my posture looks these days (I'm a lifelong sloucher), and I'm pretty sure that's from lifting. I felt better almost immediately--being strong makes everything (walking, standing, sitting) a little easier. Definitely take photos!