How much weight loss is needed to see visible results

How much weight does an individual have to lose before seeing results. Which area of the body do you first start to see the biggest change
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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    It's different for everyone. Smaller people will usually see results on a smaller loss than larger people.
  • mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12
    mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12 Posts: 204 Member
    I’ve lost10Ib and my face looks thinner, but the rest of me looks the same. I’m 5ft 2ins and about 130Ibs.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Yea it's going to depend on many factors. For me it can be as little as 0.5lbs
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    10 lbs for me, but I am 5 feet. 20 lbs makes a big difference.
  • maureenkhilde
    maureenkhilde Posts: 849 Member
    Lots of variables, How tall one is, how much weight one needs/wants to lose. Where you normally carry extra weight. For me I notice it clothes wise how it feels before I notice it in the mirror. I have lost 30 pounds since May 6th. But I still feel it more, than see it.
  • DreaDarling87
    DreaDarling87 Posts: 46 Member
    When I was obese (5'5" and 240lbs) it took at least 20lbs before I noticed a visible difference. Now that I am around 150lbs I can see a noticeable difference with every 5lbs i lose. But as others said its different for everyone.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    I started getting comments from a few coworkers noticing a difference 2 months in when I reached 5% of my body weight lost. At almost 4 months in, I'm now nearing 10% and my clothes are definitely fitting better. I am 5'1"
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    It's impossible to say. Some people lose a lot and don't see it. That's why we have scales.
  • Candyspun
    Candyspun Posts: 370 Member
    I think it all comes down to your build. I’m 5’1 and I have tiny bones that I call bird bones. Any loss (or gain), no matter how small, is noticeable right away.
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    edited June 2018
    I am 5'7" and carry my weight pretty evenly so friends didn't really notice before 20lbs, some not until 30! I Didn't really go down a dress size until 20lbs.
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
    I started losing at the 219 lb mark. ( I am 5 foot 3) At 30 lb lost I suddenly got tonnes of compliments. I thought it was a long time for other to notice but realized it was because that was when I started to buy better fitting clothes.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Depends on where you start how much weight will make a visible difference.
    For me starting at 179 lbs it took about 20 lbs before I saw much of a difference in the mirror or photos.
    If I lost 5-10 lbs at 119 lbs it would be more noticeable though.

    Where you lose depends on where your body carries your excess fat. You are losing fat everywhere there is fat but if you have thinner legs and a bigger belly your legs will get smaller first. Like piles of snow melting- a big pile is melting but the smaller pile is gone faster. If your fat is pretty evenly distributed then you will likely see a reduction in measurements all over.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    This depends on how much weight you have to lose. 10 Lbs isn't going to be particularly noticeable on someone who has a bunch of weight to lose. Five pounds on me is night and day.

    I started at 220...20 Lbs lost didn't make a whole lot of difference visibly, it was more like my wedding ring was looser, I could button my shirt collar, etc. The next 10 was really noticeable, particularly in my face and loss of some around my midsection. The last 10 took me from a pretty good spare tire to a flat stomach and no love handles.
  • dnunny70
    dnunny70 Posts: 411 Member
    Scale hasn’t moved much..actually gained and none of my clothes fit—too big. So lossorry no inches but not seeing the scale move.

    I have ditched the scale!
  • batters1964
    batters1964 Posts: 14 Member
    I started at 300 lbs. It took about 56 lbs before anyone apart from my husband noticed. Now that I've lost over 6 stone it is very, very noticeable.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    I started at 183 (I’m 5’3”) and it took losing 20 pounds to begin to see a difference.
  • MadamPlum
    MadamPlum Posts: 16 Member
    edited June 2018
    It comes off my big fat belly first and my big fat bum last :(
  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,115 Member
    I've lost 40lb, 4" from my hips and 2 dress sizes but only my husband has mentioned it (and that's probably because he knows) I'm still very large so putting it down to the fact that I've shrunk proportionally so it's difficult to tell
  • Ninkasi
    Ninkasi Posts: 173 Member
    I've lost 20 pounds (5'10", started at 215) and it seems to all have come off my butt so far. Nobody has noticed that I've lost weight except my husband but I had to dip into my closet for some old pants because the ones I was wearing fall off now.
  • DomesticKat
    DomesticKat Posts: 565 Member
    I started out obese and I would say it became more obvious once I fell into the overweight category after losing 40 pounds. Every 10 pounds after that seems to make a bigger difference.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    My SW was 237. I'm at 187, and have lost 50 lbs. People definitely notice now. I think people started to notice at about 25 lbs. lost. It was more like "you look good." Now I am getting "you've lost weight." I have another 50 to go. I imagine people will not even recognize me by then, unless they knew me when I was thin, which would mean they met me probably 15 years ago or before.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    I'm at 5'9 and 125lbs. Even just a couple pounds now is noticeable.

    At my highest (180lbs) people noticed the first 10lbs I lost. But the next 20 or so after that wasn't as big of a difference. Losing from 140 to 130 was a huge difference.
  • thelegendofsakura89
    thelegendofsakura89 Posts: 105 Member
    I started at 5'8 and 205...my boyfriend noticed after 12lbs, everybody else started noticing at about 25 down.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    It seems like the ladies dominate this thread....so, I will chime in to get one more dude on this post.

    I am 51yo, stand 6'0" tall and tip the scales at 205lbs. Pretty athletic build. Everyone is indeed VERY DIFFERENT. For me, three to five pounds make a noticeable difference. When I get down to 195lbs, good night! As in, day and night. That will mostly be from my mid-section (genetics....gotta love it!). Gonna have a six-pack - for the first time ever. Come hell or high water. It is happening! :-)

    Another dude here; roughly the same build as you - probably not quite as much genetic advantage, but a bit similar.

    Started at 240. I'm 55, 5'11", tip the scales at 202-205. Got down to 192-195, then started maintaining, then /slowly bulking since last fall. Starting a cut now to get back down to the 195 range.

    For me, people started to notice after about 25 pounds (215). Everyone seemed to notice 45 pounds. Since I've gained 10 back, I've gotten even more compliments - mostly because my inches are roughly the same at the midsection, but my build has gotten more muscular due to lifting heavy. I'd never done that before and it was, by far, the best decision I've ever made. Getting under a bar has improved absolutely everything. There are just the beginning signs of abs (mostly when I tighten up), which I've never had. Not in a hurry for those because those were never the goal, but I do like the idea of being in better shape.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 978 Member
    Longer than you think. And even longer for others to notice.

    Personally I've not really noticed it visually on myself yet and I'm 4kg down (8.8lbs) but I've lost 1inch around both my bust and hips, and half an inch around my belly. Aside from the scales, taking measurements really helps me see how much progress I'm making.

    Everyone loses weight in different places first and you cannot spot lose weight. However, generally the last place you gained weight will be the first place you lose it. Personally I lose weight in my arms first, then I notice my belly going away. However, what you notice and where weight is leaving you, isn't necessarily the same thing. I feel like my belly has been shrinking fastest right now, but according to my measurements, I've lost more from my hips and around my bust, but I've not noticed that.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    It seems like the ladies dominate this thread....so, I will chime in to get one more dude on this post.

    I am 51yo, stand 6'0" tall and tip the scales at 205lbs. Pretty athletic build. Everyone is indeed VERY DIFFERENT. For me, three to five pounds make a noticeable difference. When I get down to 195lbs, good night! As in, day and night. That will mostly be from my mid-section (genetics....gotta love it!). Gonna have a six-pack - for the first time ever. Come hell or high water. It is happening! :-)

    Another dude here; roughly the same build as you - probably not quite as much genetic advantage, but a bit similar.

    Started at 240. I'm 55, 5'11", tip the scales at 202-205. Got down to 192-195, then started maintaining, then /slowly bulking since last fall. Starting a cut now to get back down to the 195 range.

    For me, people started to notice after about 25 pounds (215). Everyone seemed to notice 45 pounds. Since I've gained 10 back, I've gotten even more compliments - mostly because my inches are roughly the same at the midsection, but my build has gotten more muscular due to lifting heavy. I'd never done that before and it was, by far, the best decision I've ever made. Getting under a bar has improved absolutely everything. There are just the beginning signs of abs (mostly when I tighten up), which I've never had. Not in a hurry for those because those were never the goal, but I do like the idea of being in better shape.

    NICE!

    And I agree....lifting heavy, especially at our advanced age (I swear to God if someone in their 20's tells me one more f'ing time that I should not squat so deep because I am too old I am going to show that person what "old man strength" is....), is a game changer. I TOTALLY know what you mean by "improved absolutely everything". For me, everything is mindset. Lifting heavy took things to the next level for me.

    And, pretty sure that there is absolutely NO genetic advantage with me. I have worked really hard for everything. Have always been that way....which I prefer. I have put the time, effort and energy into the little bit that I have...makes it worth it. I think that is called "ownership"! Anyway, glad that there is one more dude on this post. The ladies are DOMINATING........hey, not complaining.
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    MadamPlum wrote: »
    It comes off my big fat belly first and my big fat bum last :(

    Awww....I am the other way around. Trying to keep my bum (squats!) and lose my tum (and boobs). We're all different - that's what's good about life :)