Finding it hard to see a difference after -30 pounds

I try to take pictures i often forget but then im like i need to take pics or i wont see the change. but i did take a before photos . Im not at 30 lbs change yet but I feel like that too. I tend to lose in my stomach i guess im lucky but for me its my legs and arms like it takes for ever to lose that.

jojo19812018 wrote: »

I started this journey on sept 20. I’m 5’1 and started at 198. I’m currently 168. I’m happy with 30 pounds down in about 3 months. The problem is I don’t feel like I look much different. I’m only on 1200
calories and don’t go over. I do a little bit of weights and cardio at the gym 2-3 times per week and average 8000 steps per day. I was hoping to hear from anyone who started on 1200 calories and stayed there until they hit goal. (Or any successes). I need to hear some inspiring stories. How long did it take and how much did u lose? I understand this is a journey and I have to be patient. I suppose I want to hear that I’m doing all the right things and the weight loss will keep happening. Im just having a hard time lately as I feel like I’ve made big changes and can’t see much in the way of results. Thank you 😊

wow. That's 15% of your weight. That's awesome.

I would ask these questions... how do you feel now compared to then, and how do your clothes fit now compared to then?

I have struggled all my life. I reached my peak 3 years ago. Since them I am down 290 lbs. More than half of my weight is gone, and I have 30 to go. I have slowed down the past few months, only losing 12 lbs since September, but that's ok. It's not the small battle that matters, but the long one. I did 1200 calories for a few months, but now I'm on 1700. I was in a 56" waist this August last year and I am in a 38" today, starting to cross into a 36". Most of my weight loss was in the last 18 months. It took a long time for me to see a difference in myself, but once a friend who hadn't seen me in a while noticed, that's when I saw it.

All I can say is how much better I feel. I didn't realize how draining being obese can be until I lost the weight. I am still technically obese, but my quality of life is so much better now. It is great you are able to workout and walk so much. I think 1200 is not unreasonable for someone your height, but for me at 6' it was a lot harder. With the holidays I would suggest considering lightening the weight loss a little (if trying to lose 1 lb or more a week, perhaps drop down weight loss goal by .5 lbs) to enjoy the season. I plan on adjusting this weekend until after Boxing Day, since come January, I'm considering a 3 month sprint to the end goal at 1200 calories again.

Keep it up, you are doing great.

I'm 30lb down too. This isn't really noticed by people around - but I have lost inches and feel so much better.

I think that loss starts to show to others when you move out of your big clothes and into those a few sizes smaller. (It probably happens sooner in summer - fewer layers of clothing.) Big clothes cover your true shape (as we all know from going up in weight and hiding the evidence). I am about 2 sizes down - and probably more sizes down inside around those vital organs.

Have you tried carrying 30lb about with you? It is a great reminder of how much you have done and what a difference it really makes. Looks are only one aspect of this.

Echoing others' input, you've GOT to focus on the way your clothes fit. If you rely solely on the mirror your head will *kitten* with you relentlessly.

jojo19812018 wrote: »

I started this journey on sept 20. I’m 5’1 and started at 198. I’m currently 168. I’m happy with 30 pounds down in about 3 months. The problem is I don’t feel like I look much different. I’m only on 1200
calories and don’t go over. I do a little bit of weights and cardio at the gym 2-3 times per week and average 8000 steps per day. I was hoping to hear from anyone who started on 1200 calories and stayed there until they hit goal. (Or any successes). I need to hear some inspiring stories. How long did it take and how much did u lose? I understand this is a journey and I have to be patient. I suppose I want to hear that I’m doing all the right things and the weight loss will keep happening. Im just having a hard time lately as I feel like I’ve made big changes and can’t see much in the way of results. Thank you 😊

I also started my weight loss journey at 198lbs and I am currently at around 161 lbs and really I mostly noticed my weight loss in my face and my pants and my boobs shrunk. I went from a tight size 14 to now a size 10/11. I am aiming to be at around 148 lbs by April of next year. Slow and steady wins the race lol I just dont want to rush anything as I loose weight in my own time so its harder for to gain it all back you know. Also you loosing 30 lbs in 3 months is amazing!! I have lost that amount in like 2 years so you should be beaming with pride! Good job and keep going soon you will see your results!

I remember after losing 75lbs, when looking in the mirror - I felt like I looked the same. I lost my weight proportionately, plus after years of carrying excess weight, my brain was slow to catch up.

Progress Pics 100%. That was one of the only ways I could confirm a difference.

Also, I remember walking around still feeling like I was in my old overweight body. I found it helpful when I was laying in bed, I would close my eyes, and feel my stomach, arms, legs...and that helped my brain adjust to the changes.

Put up some pics, MFPers will clearly show you how to appreciate the hard work you've put in

Take measurements and take all sorts of pictures! It's possible that the reason you're feeling stuck is because the places you'd like to see an improvement in, you aren't necessarily. I know that technically you lose fat from your whole body but me, for example, I hold most of it in my stomach so that's an area that always depresses me.

dhiammarath wrote: »

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.

So much of this!

Take a look at measurements as well. You mentioned you're doing some weights. That builds muscles. Muscles are more dense and weigh more than fat, but take up less volume. Measurements are a great idea to see progress when the scale doesn't reflect it.

Clothes are also a good way to see difference. Next time you'r in a store, just for fun, try a size smaller than you usually do just for fun. As mentioned so many times before, take pictures in a tight shirt, and then create side by side in that same shirt to see how it fits differently further down your progress.

Congrats so far! I definitely agree with others that you should eat a bit more, that way you have somewhere to go when you want to get smaller or hit plateaus. 1400-1500 might be a better option for you right now, until you get closer to your goal.