How long for the weight loss to be visible?

WanderingRivers
WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
edited November 18 in Motivation and Support
I started properly tracking a bit over a month ago and have managed to lose about 9lbs of the 35 that I'm looking to lose but I don't look any different I still look and feel hella fat. Will it be noticeable when I hit goal or will I still look the same? So far, I don't see any differences and it's a skosh disheartening.
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Replies

  • evivahealth
    evivahealth Posts: 571 Member
    Everyone is different. If you aren't already, I'd really suggest taking progress photos and measurements weekly to help you to see the difference :) Hang in there - you are doing a great job! Congrats on the 9lbs lost already!
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    I haven't done any pics since I'm not a fan of my body without lots of clothes to hide the fat. (Also the same reason I won't wear a bikini, too fat.) I guess I was hoping to see some actual visible progress other then on the scale.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    It can really vary depending on your height, but I wouldn't trust the mirror to show you. You see yourself everyday, so you quickly get used to the tiniest of changes and think of that as your "normal" self. @evivahealth has got it on point. Pictures and measurements will show, and how your clothing fits can show it too.
  • alltimeburrit0
    alltimeburrit0 Posts: 41 Member
    I think as you see your body all the time it's harder to notice the changes so I highly recommend the process photos.
    I don't feel that confident putting pictures on the app or keeping them in my camera roll instead of people see them. But if you have an iPhone then I use Photo Vault, it's a photo album password protected and allows me to keep my underwear process pictures in it without seeing them all the time but being able to look back and see the change.

    It's more likely other people will notice before you do
  • sarraheclark
    sarraheclark Posts: 125 Member
    My suggestion is take measurements; because weight loss is gradual, you likely won't notice anything drastic even though you ARE shrinking :smile:

    I saw a thread a while back that I scanned through. The average when peers (not the individual) started to notice was between 10-15% of starting weight lost.
  • NickDoesFitness
    NickDoesFitness Posts: 112 Member
    edited April 2017
    as stated previously, everyone is different. Granted, the more you have to lose, the more it will show as you lose. Get the tape measure out for more accurate measurements and motivation

    [code]61938211.png/[code]
  • WorshipHK
    WorshipHK Posts: 30 Member
    edited April 2017
    jbirdgreen wrote: »
    yb-fitness-12-weeks-keep-going.jpg

    I kinda agree with this, but I feel like everyone else sees it before me. My family and friends have been commenting on my loss, but I just don't see it at all.

    Measure and take pictures! I like to put my current pic next to my first pic to compare and I can see tiny little changes happening which is definitely better than nothing :)
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    You see yourself every day in the mirror so you probably won't notice as much as people who don't see you as frequently. Are you working out?
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    @jbirdgreen , It's been 4w and i haven't noticed anything. Thus wondering when I'm gonna notice something, anything.
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    You see yourself every day in the mirror so you probably won't notice as much as people who don't see you as frequently. Are you working out?

    I walk for 30-45 minutes at lunch each day since the weather has been fantastic. I'm limited in what exercises I can do since my ACL in my left knee is only attached on one end.

    And I'm starting to pick my poi back up again and relearning all that I knew.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    Exercise is good to help you see changes, lift some weights if you can, I see the most changes when I am lifting weights. Of course work around the ACL, you don't want to do anything that is going to affect that.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited April 2017
    weight loss is very gradual and the changes are gradual...you look at yourself everyday...It's difficult to notice gradual changes which is why people take progress photos...that's when you really see it.

    Also, for a lot of people (definitely for myself), early fat losses come from the extremities...it's hard to notice fingers and limbs shrinking, especially when we want to see our problem areas go away...unfortunately, "problem areas" tend to be primary fat stores...they're usually first on and last off.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    weight loss is very gradual and the changes are gradual...you look at yourself everyday...It's difficult to notice gradual changes which is why people take progress photos...that's when you really see it.

    Also, for a lot of people (definitely for myself), early fat losses come from the extremities...it's hard to notice fingers and limbs shrinking, especially when we want to see our problem areas go away...unfortunately, "problem areas" tend to be primary fat stores...they're usually first on and last off.

    So true. I lost an entire shoe size. lol Happy for the loss, but not happy that I had to give away about 40 pairs of pretty awesome shoes.

  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    My bra fits better. Then my jeans. Then my shirts. Everyone is different. I take measurements with a tape measure- waist, abd, arms, hips, thigh, calves. I can always tell a 5# loss with my clothes, but I don't have much to lose and my clothes are pretty tight with that spandex/whatever material that is used in the jeans now.
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    jbirdgreen wrote: »
    Aww man. I feel like I'm the opposite. I notice every little small change at first, then I go try on clothes and they fit the same...or nobody notices. :(.

    Your expectations might be a little high. If you're expecting to be like a VS angel after a month, it doesn't work like that. Little things happen first. A notch over on the belt. A top that doesn't squeeze you to death. I'm not saying you can't get to six pack/bikini-land...these things take time.

    I would say around the 15 lb mark is when I REALLY noticed and changed sizes, and I had about 40 lbs to lose at the time. So you just a few more to go...hang in there. You're also doing really well...it took me forever to lose these 15 lbs, and you are breezing through 9 like nothing. :)

    Oh I'm not expecting to look like a VS secret model. Just...less fat. I know I still have 29 to go so I'm not nearly at goal. Just thought it would show.

    I'm trying to get down so I can ease that pressure on my l knee and wear tops that a friend of mine who passed away gave me without looking like a sausage in them.
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    Exercise is good to help you see changes, lift some weights if you can, I see the most changes when I am lifting weights. Of course work around the ACL, you don't want to do anything that is going to affect that.

    I'm not a gym person. It's intimidating and I feel super embarrassed trying to exercise in front of other humans. So I tend to do stuff that I can do w/o stepping foot in a gym.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    If you're short, sooner. If you're tall, longer. A 5 lb loss on me looks like nothin. On a shorter friend, it could be a full dress size.

    Get a tape measure, the kind that auto-restricts, and start taking some measurements. You might not see the changes because you see yourself every day ;)
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    leggup wrote: »
    If you're short, sooner. If you're tall, longer. A 5 lb loss on me looks like nothin. On a shorter friend, it could be a full dress size.

    Get a tape measure, the kind that auto-restricts, and start taking some measurements. You might not see the changes because you see yourself every day ;)

    I'm only 5 foot 5 so not that tall.

    I have a measuring tape for fabric since I'm a knitter. Would that work?
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    leggup wrote: »
    If you're short, sooner. If you're tall, longer. A 5 lb loss on me looks like nothin. On a shorter friend, it could be a full dress size.

    Get a tape measure, the kind that auto-restricts, and start taking some measurements. You might not see the changes because you see yourself every day ;)

    I'm only 5 foot 5 so not that tall.

    I have a measuring tape for fabric since I'm a knitter. Would that work?

    Yes. There are loads of sites/videos online on "how to measure your weight loss with a tape measure" including some good places and tricks like don't tighten it too much.
  • Jerrman29
    Jerrman29 Posts: 24 Member
    I don't worry about the scale to much. I usually notice right away as I burn fat in my face neck and arms. But when I lose weight I usually drop 8 to 10 pounds right away then stay the same for a week or 2.Then start burning again. I've been at it now for almost 1 month and can't tell I've lost on my stomach my looking, but my pants are definitely fitting a little more loosely now.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    Exercise is good to help you see changes, lift some weights if you can, I see the most changes when I am lifting weights. Of course work around the ACL, you don't want to do anything that is going to affect that.

    I'm not a gym person. It's intimidating and I feel super embarrassed trying to exercise in front of other humans. So I tend to do stuff that I can do w/o stepping foot in a gym.

    I work out at home. With dumbbells. I haven't been in a gym since I bought my house. Can't afford it.

  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
    Give.it.some.more.pounds.lost...I.was.similar.to.your.loss...40lbs.@.5'7...no.one,..not.even.me...noticed.till
    about.the.20lb.loss.....at.20lbs,..people.would.say."oh.you.lost.a.few.pounds...lol"...
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    Exercise is good to help you see changes, lift some weights if you can, I see the most changes when I am lifting weights. Of course work around the ACL, you don't want to do anything that is going to affect that.

    I'm not a gym person. It's intimidating and I feel super embarrassed trying to exercise in front of other humans. So I tend to do stuff that I can do w/o stepping foot in a gym.

    I work out at home. With dumbbells. I haven't been in a gym since I bought my house. Can't afford it.

    I don't have a lot of room so the less stuff I have to acquire for exercise, the better. (Basically, all of our stuff is in one room since we live with family. I'm not trying to add to our clutter.)
  • Morganbennett1
    Morganbennett1 Posts: 106 Member
    It really depends on where you are losing the weight, generally where you are heaviest is the last place to slim down. I didn't start to notice any change until I lost 20lbs, then I had to buy new bras, then I started to notice my shirts and jeans were baggier than before. Other people didn't start to say anything until I was down 30lbs. It takes time. I would give it another month or so.
  • EmPersson
    EmPersson Posts: 768 Member
    I took pics - but in my yoga clothes. You could do that, too. No need to strip down. That way you can also feel comfortable sharing the before and after pics with friends or as profile pic here or something.

    Slow walking because of an ACL injury has got to be so hard! I'm trying to drop 30, and I'm mostly doing lunch walks during work, plus any little things I can do at home (yoga, rebound trampoline, treadmill). It's not going to drop quickly, which is unfortunate. I just started the Slim Fast diet to help drop quicker. Weight-wise, it's helping, but I can't tell a difference yet. I'm still in the first week, though. :smile:

    Anyway, take pics (in clothes)! You'll see the difference! I took my pics about a month and a half ago, but I can already see a difference in my arms!
  • cheverejones
    cheverejones Posts: 6 Member
    Ah I can totally relate! Keep chipping away, we got this :)
  • tabletop_joe
    tabletop_joe Posts: 455 Member
    You shouldn't shoot down the suggestions these people are giving you so quickly.
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    You shouldn't shoot down the suggestions these people are giving you so quickly.

    I'm just trying to work within my limits is all. I know exactly how much room I have (very little) and what works with my busted knee. That's all.
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