How long did it take for you to first see results?
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Isra_1
Posts: 44 Member
I am 9 days in from another 'new start'. I plan to weigh in after 30 days. But I'm desperate to feel/ see changes, neither of which has happened yet. I have been consistent with staying under my calorie limit, but I really want to see some changes. I read somewhere that once you see your hard work paying off, it becomes an addiction. I am really desperate to be at the point where I can see results and am willing to do more. Right now, i see no results and the scale hasnt been good to me in the past so i dont want to risk checking it before atleast a month. If there are any successful people reading this, please let me know how long did it take for you to see results and how did you keep yourself motivated when you couldnt see results?
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Replies
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Six weeks to physically see results.
On the other hand, at the beginning I could see results in my strength training most days. I could also see a difference in my endurance after each weekly rest day for cardio.3 -
The scale .. two weeks before it 1st moves going from gaining to losing
The scale ... 1 day if I introduce a new workout .. and it goes up not down
The mirror .. about 3 months2 -
This depends greatly on how much weight you have to lose. The more you have to lose, the less physically noticeable weight loss can be...and it also doesn't typically come off from where you want it to come off first anyway.
Also, you will lose visceral fat before you lose subcutaneous fat...losing visceral fat isn't particularly noticeable.
I didn't notice much early on in my 40 Lbs loss because I lost fat from my extremities first. I didn't look noticeably different in the mirror, but things like rings were getting loser, shirt collars loser, etc.
I lost about 20 of my 40 Lbs before it started to be noticeable in the face. From 200 - 190 there was a big difference in my face and I had lost some of my belly, but it was still fairly pronounced. 190-180 was a huge change in my midsection and went from a fairly good spare tire to a mostly flat stomach and no love handles.6 -
I'm not so sure just "seeing results" is enough to make sustainable habit changes. I would stop focusing so much on appearance; instead, set measurable, realistic, goals, be patient, and measure those results, and channel my attention into how to live a healthy and enjoyable life.2
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kommodevaran wrote: »I'm not so sure just "seeing results" is enough to make sustainable habit changes. I would stop focusing so much on appearance; instead, set measurable, realistic, goals, be patient, and measure those results, and channel my attention into how to live a healthy and enjoyable life."
Well said. But I'd be lying if I said I'm not doing this for the physical appearance..0 -
Then let improvement of appearance be your bonus. A healthy body and a happy smile is attractive.
Well said. But I'd be lying if I said I'm not doing this for the physical appearance..kommodevaran wrote: »I'm not so sure just "seeing results" is enough to make sustainable habit changes. I would stop focusing so much on appearance; instead, set measurable, realistic, goals, be patient, and measure those results, and channel my attention into how to live a healthy and enjoyable life."
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concordancia wrote: »Six weeks to physically see results.
On the other hand, at the beginning I could see results in my strength training most days. I could also see a difference in my endurance after each weekly rest day for cardio.
I'm only focusing on diet right now, so I can only count on physically seeing results. 6 weeks does seem really long . I'm determined to keep going, but every day seems so long and never ending, I dont know how I'll endure 6 weeks of not seeing much changes
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cwolfman13 wrote: »This depends greatly on how much weight you have to lose. The more you have to lose, the less physically noticeable weight loss can be...and it also doesn't typically come off from where you want it to come off first anyway.
Also, you will lose visceral fat before you lose subcutaneous fat...losing visceral fat isn't particularly noticeable.
I didn't notice much early on in my 40 Lbs loss because I lost fat from my extremities first. I didn't look noticeably different in the mirror, but things like rings were getting loser, shirt collars loser, etc.
I lost about 20 of my 40 Lbs before it started to be noticeable in the face. From 200 - 190 there was a big difference in my face and I had lost some of my belly, but it was still fairly pronounced. 190-180 was a huge change in my midsection and went from a fairly good spare tire to a mostly flat stomach and no love handles.
Congratulations on your journey! My SW is 180 lbs so i think it will take quiet some time for me to physically see results. Tbh, i'm desperate to even lose fat from my extremities. Just SOMETHING lol! Thankyou for your reply! It was very informational!0 -
But you're not supposed to endure anything; if that's how you feel, what will you do when you've reached your goal?concordancia wrote: »Six weeks to physically see results.
On the other hand, at the beginning I could see results in my strength training most days. I could also see a difference in my endurance after each weekly rest day for cardio.
I'm only focusing on diet right now, so I can only count on physically seeing results. 6 weeks does seem really long . I'm determined to keep going, but every day seems so long and never ending, I dont know how I'll endure 6 weeks of not seeing much changes3 -
First and foremost; nine days is very little time to assess results. Typical advice, most often centered around questions regarding a perceived weight loss plateau, is to observe for 4-6 weeks following a change to assess effectiveness. If you stick to only choosing to weigh yourself monthly, be patient, log completely/accurately, and trust the process up until that point, then re-assess.
Beyond that, I'm a very quantitatively-driven person (engineer), so I like things that I can measure to assess progress; i.e. scale weight, body fat percentages, or body measurements. However, those certainly aren't the only measures one can employ. Think critically about the nine days since you started back, are there other ways you define a "result"?
- how do you "feel"?
- are your energy levels/moods improved?
- are you sleeping better?
- how do your clothes fit?
- possibly clearer skin?
- did you start any exercise or are physical tasks easier to perform?
Further, you mention having a poor relationship with the scale and your following the conventional advice that the solution is to weigh less frequently. However, doing so fails to address the psychological aspect of event-based weighing as being a watershed indicator of your progress. If you choose to weigh yourself daily, over time it can become more of habitual exercise in data collection than an event-based indicator of success/failure. It also serves to demonstrate the natural daily fluctuations of scale weight due to hydration, waste elimination, dietary ebbs/flows, and exercise-based fluid retention, giving credence to the platitude that weight loss isn't linear. There are numerous apps that are helpful in analyzing daily weights and identifying trends sooner than a monthly weigh-in would, two of which often recommended are Libra and HappyScale.
It's also important to ensure that your expectations match your plan; what did you select as your loss rate? At most, a 2lb/week loss rate over nine days would yield a theoretical loss of 2.5 lbs, which is certainly within the normal range of fluctuations I mentioned discussing daily weighing and probably not enough for your average person to detect any changes.
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concordancia wrote: »Six weeks to physically see results.
On the other hand, at the beginning I could see results in my strength training most days. I could also see a difference in my endurance after each weekly rest day for cardio.
I'm only focusing on diet right now, so I can only count on physically seeing results. 6 weeks does seem really long . I'm determined to keep going, but every day seems so long and never ending, I dont know how I'll endure 6 weeks of not seeing much changes
Which is one of the reasons including some sort of activity makes it so much easier.
Even if it's just walking. Going further, going faster, etc 10, 15, 30, 60 minutes. half a block, half a mile, taking the stairs at work without thinking about it.2 -
Took several weeks for me... I had two babies in two years and didn't start making a change until my youngest was 8 months. That was a couple months ago and with eating right and exercise I'm losing the weight and I've noticed in all my clothes and my family and friends comment all the time.1
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First and foremost; nine days is very little time to assess results. Typical advice, most often centered around questions regarding a perceived weight loss plateau, is to observe for 4-6 weeks following a change to assess effectiveness. If you stick to only choosing to weigh yourself monthly, be patient, log completely/accurately, and trust the process up until that point, then re-assess.
Beyond that, I'm a very quantitatively-driven person (engineer), so I like things that I can measure to assess progress; i.e. scale weight, body fat percentages, or body measurements. However, those certainly aren't the only measures one can employ. Think critically about the nine days since you started back, are there other ways you define a "result"?
- how do you "feel"?
- are your energy levels/moods improved?
- are you sleeping better?
- how do your clothes fit?
- possibly clearer skin?
- did you start any exercise or are physical tasks easier to perform?
Further, you mention having a poor relationship with the scale and your following the conventional advice that the solution is to weigh less frequently. However, doing so fails to address the psychological aspect of event-based weighing as being a watershed indicator of your progress. If you choose to weigh yourself daily, over time it can become more of habitual exercise in data collection than an event-based indicator of success/failure. It also serves to demonstrate the natural daily fluctuations of scale weight due to hydration, waste elimination, dietary ebbs/flows, and exercise-based fluid retention, giving credence to the platitude that weight loss isn't linear. There are numerous apps that are helpful in analyzing daily weights and identifying trends sooner than a monthly weigh-in would, two of which often recommended are Libra and HappyScale.
It's also important to ensure that your expectations match your plan; what did you select as your loss rate? At most, a 2lb/week loss rate over nine days would yield a theoretical loss of 2.5 lbs, which is certainly within the normal range of fluctuations I mentioned discussing daily weighing and probably not enough for your average person to detect any changes.
Every single thing here. As another metrics-minded person (also an Engineer), I find knowledge is powerful. I use HappyScale and love it. I also love that it breaks down how much you want to lose into manageable chunks that aren't so overwhelming. Plus, I like hitting goals!
Bottom line is, keep at it. Over time, progress happens!4 -
Took about 2 weeks before I started noticing, and once I started noticing it motivated me to continue.1
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I haven't started noticing a whole lot except my pants aren't as tight. But I have been weighing regularly and have dropped 9 pounds so far, been since mid-February. If I was looking in the mirror for changes I would be very discouraged right now.2
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Agree with above. I’m down 20lbs and 2 belt loops but there’s zero difference in the mirror. I’m assuming it’s just proportionate, for now.1
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I haven't really noticed a difference and it's been about 3 months or so. However, I took pictures prior and can see changes in my body comparing to now1
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It was about 6 weeks and 12 lbs for me.1
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A month of following a diet and exercise plan and others noticed. I did not notice until I stepped on the scale and saw how much weight I lost.1
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