do i have to lose pounds to look thinner ?

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hadeel5091
hadeel5091 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi guys ,, i'm on a diet for 3 months now and i don't see much of pounds loss but i see big change in my appearance so is that mean that I'm on good diet ?
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  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    hadeel5091 wrote: »
    hi guys ,, i'm on a diet for 3 months now and i don't see much of pounds loss but i see big change in my appearance so is that mean that I'm on good diet ?

    You say not many pounds lost, how many have you lost?

    What are your stats (age, height, current weight), your goal weight? Do you use a food scale to weigh your food and track your calorie intake? Do you exercise?
  • beatyfamily1
    beatyfamily1 Posts: 257 Member
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    No, you don’t have to lose a lot of pounds to look thinner. If you are losing inches you are losing fat. When I first started counting macros and started a weight lifting program I lost only 3 pounds but dropped 2 pant sizes in one month. How your clothes fit and taking body measurements are going to be your most accurate ways of measuring your success. Stay off the scale. Keep doing what you are currently doing. When you stop seeing progress drop your calories a little more.
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
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    Some people lose a little bit of weight and look like they have lost a lot, others lose a lot of weight and looks like they haven't lost much at all - depending on where that weight has come off from. For example, I tend to lose/gain weight around my face first, making even minor weight fluctuations look very noticeable.

    Additionally, weightloss can be masked (on the scale) by huge variety of things, but you cannot mask clothes getting baggier and no longer fitting the same.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
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    You can look more fit and more compact from exercise. Especially if you're in the less to lose category.
  • Slowfaster
    Slowfaster Posts: 185 Member
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    I've lost 37 pounds and only gone down one size, so I'm really impressed with going down 2 sizes while just losing a few pounds. Yes, I do weight training, too, but I know the average woman on a weight training regimen only gains about 3 pounds of muscle over six months, so I don't put much faith in that.

    Sizes have always been a bad way for me to judge progress, particularly because I can change sizes going from one store to another.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    hadeel5091 wrote: »
    hi guys ,, i'm on a diet for 3 months now and i don't see much of pounds loss but i see big change in my appearance so is that mean that I'm on good diet ?

    How much have you lost in 3 months? How much do you have to lose?
    Did you take body measurements and photos to compare during that time? Are they different?
    Do your clothes fit different?
    Are you judging progress by how you look in the mirror?

    You are on a good diet if you are losing at a healthy rate for your size and meeting your nutritional needs. If you are losing too fast or missing nutrients it could be a bad diet even if you look thinner.

    I can look thinner in the mirror but not see a big change on the scale or with measurements or in progress photos because my brain interprets my appearance differently than reality. It is not the most reliable way to note changes in my size. I did not start to see any difference in my progress photos until I lost 15-20 lbs going from obese to overweight. Being closer to a healthy weight now I might notice a difference with less weight loss.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited May 2018
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    Speaking very generally...

    Over the short run, yes... most people will have to lose weight to look smaller/thinner.
    Over the long run, no... many people can be/look smaller at the same weight given meaningful changes in body composition (as seen in the pic above).

    Worth noting:
    "looking thinner" is somewhat subjective. Be careful here.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    She GAINED 18 pounds and looks better:

    vetbwhpef6m4.jpg

    Lots of time working out was involved.

    Got to disagree about 'better'.

    While I do understand you have an opinion, I believe negativity about physique transformations should be kept to oneself especially when it comes to before/afters. Even if she is not the person that posted or may not be a member of MFP, others like myself actually have transformations that are very similar to hers. It's not only about aesthetics.. it's about health, muscle, strength, confidence.

    You look fantastic in your profile picture.
  • jbrooks3645
    jbrooks3645 Posts: 76 Member
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    I'm short 5 1 and my friend is around 5 8 she can lose 10 lbs and it's really noticeable but on the other hand I have lost 20 lbs and no one could tell the difference so if ur on the taller side and not a whole lot to lose maybe that's y u see progress when the scale doesn't show a big drop??
  • rosehnas
    rosehnas Posts: 2 Member
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    In reality, everyone is different. I find that if you're the person with excess body fat like you literally look pregnant, then you'll likely see changes quickly. If you're like me where I don't look pregnant but still have fat even though I could afford to lose 80 to 100 lbs right now, then the changes may not be as noticeable.
  • bikecheryl
    bikecheryl Posts: 1,431 Member
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    I’ll go with “it depends” .
    It took me losing closer to 50 lbs before I thought I looked thinner - but I had 130 lbs to loose.

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