200lbs when will the weightloss be noticeable?

Tricky question, but it's one I've eagerly studied. My completely non-scientific theory is 20% of your weight. People will notice your energy and maybe few physical clues (skin, hair, even your gait) rather quickly, though few will mention it. And if you lose a few pounds, an acquaintance whom hasn't seen you in a while might notice. But family and coworkers will likely not notice -- like watching grass or children grow. I swear, the day I hit my 50# loss (over two years, without letting anyone but my wife know that I was actively losing weight), I got a lot of "did you lose weight" comments. Checking around a bit, I found that people seem to notice -- it's something in the face, I think.

I started heavier- around 240. It was 30 pounds before anyone said anything, and 50 before it was consistent. To be fair, my clothing size didn't change much between then either. It took me more than 30 lbs just to lose a pants size. People were definitely cautious. While I lost weight slowly, people were still careful to preface their thoughts with a hope that I wasn't ill.

Its definitely tricky to figure out what to say. I'll only say things to people who I know are trying. I avoid statements about looking good (ie, you didn't look good before) and stick with compliments and awe about how hard they've been working.

Ninkyou wrote: »

I started out at 211 lbs. I got my first comment at 28 lbs lost and then at 30 lbs, everyone was commenting.

It's different for everyone though.

This is about the same as my experience (and starting weight) as well.

I started at 222lb. I got my first comments at 20lb, and most everyone had noticed by 45lb. Although that is a bit of an assumption on my part. Few people were commenting directly, but I noticed many people were discussing their own weight and attempts at weight loss.

I hope this is taken in the intended spirit: just observation, and further, my personal observation; not everyone necessarily has had these experiences.

My husband and I each lost a LOT of weight this past year. I think 40% of his body weight, and a little more than 30% of mine so far?

My husband was getting tons of compliments almost from the very beginning. For me I swear it took like 40 lbs. for anyone to say a single word (BTW, I started out at 212 lbs., 5'1") and even then it was VERY occasional and really only very good friends. For my husband, people were literally gasping, like exaggerated gasping and yelling "I didn't even RECOGNIZE you!" if they hadn't seen him in a while...for me, crickets. I just felt like it had made no difference whatsoever that I even lost the weight.

Then recently my husband and I went to a school meeting. With my husband there (IOW, not just to me, singularly; not pointing me, specifically and alone, out...if that make sense) the teacher said for the first time implicating me, "I just can't get over how different you two look!" Meanwhile at the previous meeting, which I didn't attend; my husband said literally the entire table took more than 10 minutes of meeting time complimenting my husband on his weight loss and talking about it, asking for advice, the gasp-I-can't-believe it thing, the works...these were exactly the same people. But I can tell you this teacher and others on the team had seen me without my husband there (no dilution, LOL, no "you two" and more specific to just me?) at only a couple pounds heavier than I am now, so, for all intents and purposes, looking as I do now but had not said a thing to me. Not one freakin' thing...

And then after the meeting, first one teacher and then another hugged me good-bye (it was an exit meeting, our son is transitioning to the next school up) and WHISPERED to me that they were floored at how amazing I looked, and so on. Whispered.

I just feel like...I don't know. I think people are way more sensitive sometimes to saying stuff about weight to a woman...even if it's something good. I mean, obviously not all the time. But you'll notice even on here, there will be threads where people were insulted or took a weight loss comment in some really, really negative way. Did I look that horrible before...why is the person grilling me for info on my diet, it's my business...and so on. That sort of thing...

I think often, people are just afraid of saying weight-related stuff to women. I think they guess they'll get it wrong no matter what they say and I'll bet that much of the time, they're guessing correctly, LOL.

I mean by contrast my husband and his friends joke and call each other fatty and talk about one another's bellies and "what to do about it" and so on...I just can't imagine a friend saying those sorts of things to me. They'd find her a few weeks later in a bag while dredging the river, probably.

And those are female friends. For males...well, again. Guys just can't win here. A man who compliments a woman's body does run a risk. He just does even if he's being 100% innocent about it.

What this long-winded ridiculously long message is saying, is...if you DON'T get compliments or comments after 10, 20 or even 50 lbs...DON'T be disheartened. We can't say when you'll hear them because you may not hear them from anyone but the closest of friends for a long, long, long time. But that doesn't mean they don't notice. I promise you that. Just keep on keepin' on and stick with your goals.

Forget about other people and focus on your measurements, on you seeing the change.

I've lost over 40 since Jan and only immediate family has commented. It would be depressing if I need others to validate this effort.