50lbs lost - not feeling much of a difference

Losing 50 out of 80 is significant and is almost certainly noticeable. Is it possible that you're looking for your weight loss to help you feel better about something else unrelated to your weight? If so, I'd recommend working on that as well as the number on the scale/the way you look in the mirror.

It sounds like you are where I am. Here’s what I’ve found:

* Others started noticing (and commenting) when I was about 40 pounds down and I bought new clothes for the cooler weather. Up to that point, I had bought summer weight clothes, but in retrospect, these were still too big (partly because I bought them at the beginning of the summer and continued to lose weight). By the time I bought Fall clothes, I was two sizes down, much to my shock. It was a very emotional experience in the changing room!

* Related to clothes sizes, I realized I was used to looking at clothes fitting in terms of whether they were too small. But now I had to consider whether clothes were too big. So I was wearing clothes that were way too big because I thought they “fit” - after all, I could just tighten my belt or “hey, I love loose fitting tops!” But it wasn’t until I put my old, 2-sizes too big clothes on after trying on all those new clothes that I realized how bad I really looked in the old clothes. As the poster above recommended- buy new clothes. Or at least go try some on to get a sense of how far you’ve really come. I know it’s scary.

* Even with the above realizations, I still don’t see the difference others see, over all. In fact, at almost 50 pounds down, I looked in the mirror last night and felt like I had made no progress at all. This is where you have to override your brain and believe the scales. Your brain will catch up (or so they tell me!). However, I will notice certain body parts changing - for example, I noticed my collar bone becoming more prominent but one day, I noticed a couple of ridges starting to emerge below the collar bones. Well, hello chest ribs! Go over to Success Stories and read the “What Nobody Tells You About Losing Weight” and similar threads. You’ll find yourself nodding a lot and getting inspired.

Hang in there. It’s hard to remember where things were a year ago when you first started but after 50 pounds, there is a difference!

At 30/50 pounds lost I still felt and looked the same, I thought. Husband said difference was huge, and I knew I could wear smaller tops, but heck you would have thought 30 pounds would bring my pants size down....

Now at 42 pounds down I’m in size 8 for pants (from 14) and the difference is kinda dramatic. (I’m a pear or hourglass shape)

But, I was very discouraged for a long time. I just tried to trust the scale was moving faster than appearance. And that appearance would catch up. And it did with a major whoosh!

Also, check photos if you have them. In my case I actually thought the photos showed less progress than the mirror! But I think that is very unusual from what I read here.

I personally didn't really see the difference at 50 Lbs down but I had a lot more to lose. I have 263 Lbs to lose so 50 Lbs wasn't even a fifth of what I had to lose. I am now 220 Lbs down and the difference is stagger. You are more than half way to your goal and so you should be seeing a big difference in the mirror and in clothing. At this point in my loss, I notice a big difference every 5 lbs.

This is me prior to starting in 2015.

This is me on a hike a few weeks ago.
I know almost every time I look in the mirror now I am reminded of how far I have come and I have lots of Wow moments.

I know that along the way, pictures do show you the story. I am amazed when I go back through the pictures over the 2 years of my process and see the steady progress to where I am now. I joined the gym in February of last year and I was about 175 Lbs down by that point and I am amazing at how heavy my face looks compared to now.

You have done a wonderful job! Keep up the great work.

Tina Marie

This is why taking pictures along the way is important. We look at ourselves everyday...changes are slow and not really noticeable when we're looking at ourselves everyday...they are very apparent when comparing pictures along the way.

I recently traveled abroad and had some difficulty with customs as my passport photo was pre-weightloss and the guy questioned whether it was really me.

Prior to the holidays I was down 70 lbs and I still wasn't feeling that feeling either. I made a photo collage of before and after pics - that brought the change out much more than I thought. You know what did it even more? I cut my head off! LOL. Seeing the body without me associated with it looked like quite an accomplishment. Maybe that would work for you too.

I’m very similar to you. I’ve lost just over 50 and have 20 to go to be in a normal BMI. Some days I still feel huge, some days I feel thin.

Pics, as others have said, are my true indicator and have kept me going! I take LOTS of progress pics. My husband is always making fun of me (lovingly!) for how often I ask for a front, side, and back pic!

Take more pics!!!