Getting sad

So today makes 3 weeks I have been working out, and I've lost 15 lbs and 2 inches off my bust, 2 inches off my waist, and 9 on my hips,but when I take pictures I don't see a physical difference.

Its very depressing because I see people who look different within 2 weeks and here I am on week 3 and I can't see any physical changes.

When did you guys start to see a difference? And how often do you take pics?

Replies

  • momofamadhouse
    momofamadhouse Posts: 197 Member
    First of all, congrats on your losses in 3 weeks! It took me 3 weeks to lose my first 4 pounds. I didn't start to see a physical difference until I had lost about 20 pounds, and even then it was slight. Other people started noticing at around 40 pounds. Of course that's probably because I was so over weight. The more weight you have to lose, the longer it takes to be able to see a difference. That being said, I've lost 70 now and sometimes I still see the same reflection I did 70 pounds ago.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Well it's only been 3 weeks. And if you're losing overall body fat, it's from all over meaning that you're a SMALLER version of yourself. You can't CHANGE your shape. You can enhance it with some physical fitness, but people don't see big changes on themselves in just 3 weeks. Patience.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • kaybabii08
    kaybabii08 Posts: 31 Member
    First of all, congrats on your losses in 3 weeks! It took me 3 weeks to lose my first 4 pounds. I didn't start to see a physical difference until I had lost about 20 pounds, and even then it was slight. Other people started noticing at around 40 pounds. Of course that's probably because I was so over weight. The more weight you have to lose, the longer it takes to be able to see a difference. That being said, I've lost 70 now and sometimes I still see the same reflection I did 70 pounds ago.

    Thank you! Congrats on yours as well! I'm trying to lose that much! I was just thinking 15lbs is a lot and I should be seeing it somewhere. And the way that I carry my weight, I'm taller, so I don't look as heavy as I am. As of today, I'm 245.8 I started at 260 so I'm proud of what I've lost so far I just want to be able to SEE it.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    I was down about 20 pounds before I really noticed in the mirror. I don't take many pictures, but now that I've lost all I need to lose, the difference is amazing. Your progress is great, but 5 pounds/week is an unrealistic goal, unless you have lots of weight to lose. Keep up the good work, stay positive, this will work for you!
  • kaybabii08
    kaybabii08 Posts: 31 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Well it's only been 3 weeks. And if you're losing overall body fat, it's from all over meaning that you're a SMALLER version of yourself. You can't CHANGE your shape. You can enhance it with some physical fitness, but people don't see big changes on themselves in just 3 weeks. Patience.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    Its so hard to be patient lol cause my workouts kill me and I guess I'm expecting to just wake up and look smaller the next day, even though I know that's not how it works, it would keep me motivated to keep going. Seeing the scale go down and the inches go down I know its working I just wish I could see it on myself
  • kaybabii08
    kaybabii08 Posts: 31 Member
    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    I was down about 20 pounds before I really noticed in the mirror. I don't take many pictures, but now that I've lost all I need to lose, the difference is amazing. Your progress is great, but 5 pounds/week is an unrealistic goal, unless you have lots of weight to lose. Keep up the good work, stay positive, this will work for you!

    I'm not trying to lose 5 lbs a week. I lost 12 in the first week...1.2 in the second and then I just weighed in today and myfitnesspal said I was a total of 15lbs down. I workout really hard and burn more calories than I take in! I don't eat after 6 if I get hungry I just drink water and go to bed. I just don't want anybody to think I'm killing,myself or doing anything unsafe lol

    But thank you for your insight!i guess I won't take anymore pictures until I'm 20lbs down. So once a month maybe ill take pictures its just so hard not to look because I'm so excited.
  • tsrolloffs
    tsrolloffs Posts: 8 Member
    You are doing tremendous! Everyone will have their own time frame to which they weigh and take photos. I wouldn't weigh over once every other day, and wouldn't take over one photo a week if you are using them as a guide to how you are doing. It's really hard to be your own judge of how you are looking because you see yourself on a constant basis. A better judge would be to see how people react that haven't seen you in awhile. For me I rely more on how my clothes fit than what I see in the mirror. All of us are on a journey, view it as a lifestyle change so you don't have the pressure of constantly thinking is my diet working. Sounds like you are doing great, enjoy the journey and quit focusing on when you will arrive. Good luck!
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    kaybabii08 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Well it's only been 3 weeks. And if you're losing overall body fat, it's from all over meaning that you're a SMALLER version of yourself. You can't CHANGE your shape. You can enhance it with some physical fitness, but people don't see big changes on themselves in just 3 weeks. Patience.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    Its so hard to be patient lol cause my workouts kill me and I guess I'm expecting to just wake up and look smaller the next day, even though I know that's not how it works, it would keep me motivated to keep going. Seeing the scale go down and the inches go down I know its working I just wish I could see it on myself

    Your mental state is the hardest part of this journey you are on. I have been a serial dieter all my life because I never could quite get my mind on board with what was happening with my body. This time I just feel different. Deep down I knew I had to do it and could do it. That determination has made this a success and also convinced me I will never be overweight again. I have donated all my clothes to Goodwill so I don't have several different sizes to fall back on when those pounds try to sneak their way back into my life. As a young woman, you have a chance to make this a lifelong change. Don't yo yo your way to your 60's and wonder why you didn't do this in your 20's. That's my only regret.
  • kaybabii08
    kaybabii08 Posts: 31 Member
    I guess I'm just stressing over it because my husband is away (army) and we won't see each other again until November and I want to look different when he sees me!

    I'm going to keep going and just try to avoid stressing over it
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    kaybabii08 wrote: »
    I guess I'm just stressing over it because my husband is away (army) and we won't see each other again until November and I want to look different when he sees me!

    I'm going to keep going and just try to avoid stressing over it

    You are going to look different to him. You see yourself every day, which makes it hard to notice incremental changes. Right now, he sees you (in his mind and in pictures) the way you looked when he left. When he gets home he will be expecting to see the same kaybabii08 so when you show up looking like kaybabii08 2.0, trust me, he will notice :)
  • MarkaStone
    MarkaStone Posts: 55 Member
    Remember it's not just about the number on the scales. Take your measurements and then take them again in a month. I bet they'll be a lot different
  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
    9 inches off your hips in 3 weeks? I would kill for that

    Just stick to what you're doing :] it's hard to notice the changes because you look at yourself every day, so all the changes your body goes through can go unnoticed for weeks, even months. Maybe take progress photos, and check back in another 3-4 weeks on those pics and you'll see a difference ^^
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
    You may not see them, but your husband will. You see yourself every day. Honestly, your numbers look amazing for three weeks and it may even slow down a little more as you go forward, but the big thing is you are making progress. I bet you can do far more in your workouts now than you could when you started as well.
  • Raptor2763
    Raptor2763 Posts: 387 Member
    Others will see the changes before you do. If you're really curious, take selfies every now and again, noting the date. I've seen this tons of times when I was in the Army as a Drill Sergeant. You're progressing well - keep on keepin' on.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    The higher your starting weight the longer it takes to notice differences. Given that you started close to 250 it's going to take a bit of time. There have been a lot of similar discussions here about clothing sizes, too. Many women who start out larger have said that it takes 20-30 pounds before they'll drop a clothing size whereas someone who is 130 might drop a size or two when they reach 120 pounds.

    Congrats on your success so far. You have plenty of time to shrink enough to be noticeable before your husband comes home so try not to stress about it too much. Keep using the measuring tape to judge progress because that's what he's going to notice, not the number on the scale.
  • kaybabii08
    kaybabii08 Posts: 31 Member
    Raptor2763 wrote: »
    Others will see the changes before you do. If you're really curious, take selfies every now and again, noting the date. I've seen this tons of times when I was in the Army as a Drill Sergeant. You're progressing well - keep on keepin' on.

    My husband is at drill sergeant school right now lol how ironic! And thank you for your,kind words :)
  • kaybabii08
    kaybabii08 Posts: 31 Member
    Thank you all so much for your kind words! Truly motivational! I'm going to keep going! I sent my pictures to my mother and she says she can see a little difference so like you guys said its probably just me cause I see myself,everyday. But my workout clothes did fit a little differently when I put them on today so that made me feel good.

    Sidenote: I really like this group because the responses are a lot nicer than the other groups!

  • Sara1791
    Sara1791 Posts: 760 Member
    I remember being down twelve pounds and I was starting to fit into some clothes that hadn't fit in a while, but I still couldn't really see a difference and worse, no one else could either.

    Now, I'm down about forty and people think I've lost a lot more.

    Photographs make it a little easier to see changes than the mirror does.

    I think you're doing great, btw.
  • kaybabii08
    kaybabii08 Posts: 31 Member
    Sara1791 wrote: »
    I remember being down twelve pounds and I was starting to fit into some clothes that hadn't fit in a while, but I still couldn't really see a difference and worse, no one else could either.

    Now, I'm down about forty and people think I've lost a lot more.

    Photographs make it a little easier to see changes than the mirror does.

    I think you're doing great, btw.

    Thank you! And yeah I put on,some clothes today and noticed the difference then. So I think ill just pull out and old pair of jeans and try them on every 2 weeks until I can get in them. And stay away from the scale for a while.
  • 6502programmer
    6502programmer Posts: 515 Member
    I had people noticing it in me after two months and ten pounds. It took me a year and 35 pounds down from 230 for ME to really see it. Don't sweat that you're not seeing it yet. Things are moving in the right direction, and you have huge numbers lost!
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    I remember this feeling. I couldn't see a difference and nor could anyone else
    You are doing well, keep at it.
    Remember you lose from everywhere even bits you can't see or don't think about.
    Good luck
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
    9 inches off your hips! That's great.

    All of a sudden, you will find your entire wardrobe isn't yours. Truly.

    Just keep moving and counting....
  • kaybabii08
    kaybabii08 Posts: 31 Member
    Thank you to everyone for your replies! They have been more than helpful! I decided to put my scale in the closet, and not take it out until weigh day, which is every Friday.

    I've been trying on different clothes and taking pictures in them so every week, i'll try on the same outfit and take a picture and FEEL the difference in how they fit.

    My doctor motivated me to keep going today also because she said she saw a difference in me and she was proud of me for making the decision to live and be healthier for my kids and my husband! I have 68 more pounds to lose before I'm in a healthy weight class, and i don't plan on stopping until I reach that goal because I don't want to die and leave my kids without a mother. And I want to live a long and healthy life.

    Thank you all again !
  • ClareGxxx
    ClareGxxx Posts: 18 Member
    Wow keep on trucking girl u r doing amazing.