Finding it hard to see a difference after -30 pounds

I cannot reiterate enough that taking progress pictures can be so helpful. I cannot see my progress in the mirror most of the time. The slight daily changes are enough that they get lost in my mental perception of me. Instead, I take pictures and put them side by side. Or sometimes, I take pictures of disembodied pieces of me to break the "whole" that my brain constructs. It is jarring to see, for example, that when I was sitting next to a super tiny woman yesterday and I took a picture of my legs... that my legs were not giant compared to hers (hers were caught in the picture by accident). I am bigger, sure, but I am not gigantor like my brain wants me to believe, and was telling me, reminding me, when I glanced at her.

Pictures help so much when you cannot see. Or, I should caveat: pictures help me so very much to see the truth and not what my brain struggles to reassert the pattern that used to be.

Photos help. Also take measurements. But please eat a bit more. You are losing weight a bit fast. 1200 is not a lot of food. Slowing it down a bit will be healthier and will help you learn the skills you need for maintenance. FWIW I am 5’1” andchave lost 25-30 lbs going from a size 16 to a size 8. My weekly average is closer to 1400+

I'm 5'1" and started at 210. I don't have a picture of me at 210, in my before pictures that I do have, I'm about 190ish. I started at 1200 calories, but I got very active during the course of my weight loss and ate more towards the end of it. I've lost 90 pounds.

Here's a picture of me around 170 compared to 190 , I think to give you some idea in the difference you've made.



This is my overall progress from almost start to finish:

I started at 220 and am down to 185, in three months as well. Like someone else said, no one noticed at all until in the past couple of days when suddenly everyone is commenting on it. Yet I feel bloated and gross right now because of holiday gatherings. I had to make cookies today and was beating myself up since I do my weekly weigh in tomorrow but after I entered the four or five ingredients in the (very rich) recipe I realized I had “only” eaten about 550 calories of cookies and sighed a breath of relief. I guess one of the biggest changes is learning to only eat a few and not scarfing down half a pan of chocolate toffee deliciousness and a half gallon of milk. My daughter is visiting and we went out last night and bought matching jammies to wear during (lo cal) hot chocolate by the fireplace. I bought much smaller sizes, praying they’d fit and I wouldn’t embarrass myself and to my astonishment they fit. I haven’t done the progress photos. Maybe I should. I still feel like the fat lady in the room, and still make fat jokes about myself. This whole process has been very unsettling and I’m terrified I’ll “fall off the wagon”. I’m determined this is not a “diet” but a lifestyle change.

I didn't notice or feel too different between 190 and 165 - however, then I did. At about 175 I started doing at least 25m of interval cardio (running, HIIT routines, swimming) at least 6 days a week - just after I woke up, always on an empty stomach. That was in addition to the weight training 2-3 days a week. I also walked everywhere which came out to about 4-8km a day. It was also that point that I *really* started to pay attention to protein-fat-carbs distribution, vitamins, minerals, and total calories (including exercise). I had to experiment for a while until I found the balance that made me feel the best. My combo is 35% protein, 35% fat, 30% carbs. Which then changed in the summer to more carbs, less fat. Go figure.

My 2 cents - you need to eat your exercise calories in addition to the 1200 or your body is starving. Or at least that is what my research proved. I used a combo of MFP and Garmin Connect. With the exercise and the base 1200 calories, MFP reported that I needed to eat anywhere from 1800 calories to 2500 calories on any given day. And I ate every single one of them. The last 25lbs flew off in about two months once I started doing this.

That was my experience - but as we all know ... everyone is different!

30 lbs in 3 months is an amazing loss. You are my inspirational success story.

@jojo19812018 Its hard for you to notice it yourself because you look at yourself in the mirror every day.

About a decade ago I lost 80 pounds and I still felt like I was fat. Weightloss is tough, it messes with the head and even gives us like a low key body dysmorphia during the whole process. Try to remember that even if you think you dont see it, its there.

I am 54yo, and have lost 30lbs since 8/27/18 (185lbs-155lbs). I am on Keto (current macros-1053 calories
NCarbs13g:Prot53g:Fat88g). I adjusted my macros with every 10lbs lost, using MFP to calculate %s given a calorie goal. I oftentimes go over the daily calories, mostly eating more fat grams, yet I continue to loose 1-2lb a week on average. I have lost a lot of inches (most obvious to me on my hips/midsection) and two pants sizes. I think people are PC, particularly in the workplace where it is taboo to comment on a woman's appearance. My adult daughter mentioned I look smaller at our T-Giving gathering, but truthfully, I was very good at hiding my weight with Spanx on Spanx and long jackets before my weight loss. The thing is, I don't so much care if others notice. I care that I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER. I sleep better, I don't need to wear hot and tight spandex undergarments anymore to hide my rolls & ripples; I don't have unpredictable mood swings & depression from blood sugar swings and hypoglycemia; no more bloating, acid reflex or heartburn; adult acne is gone, no drenching night sweat; and no more guilt about what I eat and when I eat it. I have a spring in my step and the painful inflammation in my back, feet, knees, hands, etc. no longer haunt me day-in-&-day-out. Truthfully, I don't even exercise, not even a little bit, and I am ok with that too. I can now tuck in my shirt and wear a belt, or wear the seasonal clothes long since tucked away in my guest bedroom closet (... however, many of the styles are way outdated ). I just love that I can look in the mirror and see a normal looking body. I am doing this for ME.