I feel it already..
sarahfadell87
Posts: 182 Member
Tomorrow is the 7th day.
I’ve lost 5 lbs with 100+ more to lose, but 20 until my first goal.
But I already feel like i look smaller? Is that a thing or perhaps psychosomatic?
I’ve lost 5 lbs with 100+ more to lose, but 20 until my first goal.
But I already feel like i look smaller? Is that a thing or perhaps psychosomatic?
20
Replies
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I defiantly feel thinner with the first chunk of weight I lost. I think overall its a less bloated feeling and appearance5
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It’s likely both. Your first 5 pounds is mostly water weight, and you may feel better both physically and psychologically now that it’s gone. Just keep in mind that your pace of weight loss will begin to slow down, and that’s a good thing. Stick to your deficit and the weight will come off. Congrats on your first week!9
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It’s likely both. Your first 5 pounds is mostly water weight, and you may feel better both physically and psychologically now that it’s gone. Just keep in mind that your pace of weight loss will begin to slow down, and that’s a good thing. Stick to your deficit and the weight will come off. Congrats on your first week!
Thanks.. Is it okay that I weigh in every morning?
I lost 1.2 more lbs! I’m happy & excited to keep going..
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sarahfadell87 wrote: »It’s likely both. Your first 5 pounds is mostly water weight, and you may feel better both physically and psychologically now that it’s gone. Just keep in mind that your pace of weight loss will begin to slow down, and that’s a good thing. Stick to your deficit and the weight will come off. Congrats on your first week!
Thanks.. Is it okay that I weigh in every morning?
I lost 1.2 more lbs! I’m happy & excited to keep going..
Yes, as long as you weigh under the same conditions each day. Put your scale on a flat surface where you won’t need to move it. Most people weigh first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom, with no clothes (don’t try this with a public scale). I strongly recommend a trend weight app like Libra or Happy Scale. Weight will fluctuate up and down due to things like water and undigested food, so getting a trend weight app will help with understanding those fluctuations.5 -
Weigh as often as you like. I'm a daily weigher. I think it helps me stay accountable and motivated. My sister is on the other extreme; she only weighs once a month. Many people weigh weekly. Do what works best for you but don't get discouraged by daily fluctuations in your weight. It will go up and down, but mostly down!2
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I think it is wonderful why question it?0
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Look up a photo of what 5 lb of fat looks like. It's amazing!1
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Great start, likely will slow down but don't get discouraged when in does it is very normal. The first 5 lbs is awesome to get your confidence going and you may in fact notice it in the mirror and how some of your clothes fit.
I used to weigh daily, I liked the info it provided and when I was losing I wanted to know everything about how my body reacted to cardio, weight training, recovery and I got pretty good at predicting spikes in water weight etc based on my weighing so often (multiple times a day). Now I rarely weigh myself because I am more concerned about weight training goals and how I look in the mirror!1 -
sarahfadell87 wrote: »Tomorrow is the 7th day.
I’ve lost 5 lbs with 100+ more to lose, but 20 until my first goal.
But I already feel like i look smaller? Is that a thing or perhaps psychosomatic?
It's possible that some of that loss was water that was causing "puffiness" wherever you feel like you look smaller. I wouldn't generally expect 5 lbs of weight loss to be noticeable on someone who has 100+ pounds to lose. Sorry. But keep at it, and eventually it will definitely be noticeable. Taking before, in-progress, and after pictures in same clothes at same angle and lighting can help give you a more objective view, as well as linear body measurements (with a tape measure).4 -
I weigh every day to keep myself accountable but, like you, it's mostly to rejoice at my progress! I agree with taking progress photos: I wish I'd done that at the start, because it took my brain awhile to register that my body was changing. I kept buying the same size pants, when I should have gone down a size, because I really didn't see the changes. I also started using a tape measure for my breasts, waist and hips. It gave confirmation to me that I was, in fact, doing well at this weight loss thing!2
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I take pictures. It helps me to see progress in a way I wouldn't day-to-day in the mirror. Awesome first week
Very exciting! 0 -
Good job! You will have highs and lows just take them all in stride and try to keep focused. Don't be hard on yourself if you have off days because everyone does. Keep changing up your workout routine and what you eat to keep it interesting. Try foods you have never tried. Try physical activities you have never tried to keep working out fun. Mountain biking, hiking, kayaking anything that gets you outdoors. Good luck!!2
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Thank you guys for all of your support! I truly appreciate it!
Still staying strong & excited for the near future!
I find purpose in every day doing this.
Recreating myself.
This is helping a lot with other things I have going on in my life.
My only regret is not starting sooner!9 -
That's awesome! Keep at it and you'll keep feeling physically and mentally better. Just remember that weight loss isn't linear so don't get discouraged when losses slow or stall temporarily, or if it takes others a long time to notice your progress. Persistence and patience are key. Taking measurements and progress photos is a great way to keep reminding yourself of your progress when the inevitable scale stalls and fluctuations occur.1
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It's most likely both. It's a new sensation. Clothes feel ever so slightly smaller and you are proud of yourself doing what you need to be doing. New sensations register more strongly than familiar ones. Your body is dropping weight (a lot of which is water weight) and it's exciting.
It's important to understand something, however. It's perfectly fine, even good, to enjoy these experiences, but be aware that they may not last. There will be days when the scale won't read what you want it to read, and may even go up. These new sensations of feeling smaller will become more familiar and they don't register as strongly. You may need to lose 20, 30, or even 40 pounds before you change to a smaller clothing size. You may have days where your diet isn't as perfect as you want it to be and you just don't have it in you to do what you want to do, which may make you question your abilities and the point of it all. It's important not to expect to ride on motivation forever or for the path to be straight forward.
Enjoy it for now, but don't be shocked when you go through your first setback and be mentally prepared, because that's when many people are tempted to quit.7 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »It's most likely both. It's a new sensation. Clothes feel ever so slightly smaller and you are proud of yourself doing what you need to be doing. New sensations register more strongly than familiar ones. Your body is dropping weight (a lot of which is water weight) and it's exciting.
It's important to understand something, however. It's perfectly fine, even good, to enjoy these experiences, but be aware that they may not last. There will be days when the scale won't read what you want it to read, and may even go up. These new sensations of feeling smaller will become more familiar and they don't register as strongly. You may need to lose 20, 30, or even 40 pounds before you change to a smaller clothing size. You may have days where your diet isn't as perfect as you want it to be and you just don't have it in you to do what you want to do, which may make you question your abilities and the point of it all. It's important not to expect to ride on motivation forever or for the path to be straight forward.
Enjoy it for now, but don't be shocked when you go through your first setback and be mentally prepared, because that's when many people are tempted to quit.
Thank you. This is very helpful and insightful.. i’ll try to remember these things when I am feeling discouraged. These are important in success too.. I’ll continue to remind myself to keep going even if i hit a setback2 -
Look up a photo of what 5 lb of fat looks like. It's amazing!
Unfortunately, many of the popular pictures of 5 lbs of fat are wrong.
Also, someone who loses 5 pounds, even purely from fat cells, probably has lost still at least 10% of that as water, and most initial weight loss will be more water than that because some will be glycogen and water.1 -
5 lbs with a 100 to lose could be visible.
One nice thing is that while weight loss slows down when you have less to lose, it takes less loss to make a noticeable difference as it goes on.0 -
I agree its both. I always feel a little better when I lose my first 5 lbs ( I then to gain weight every winter and need to tighten up my regiment for a month or so to get back to my ideal weight. People always say its all water or whatever but I know my pants fit better, and I just feel less bloated.
Yup it doesn't stay that easy, and some weeks you wont lose at all but those first five or so let you know that you can do this!
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I can see now that's I've been all doom and gloom and forgot to mention what a hell of a ride it is. Look forward to many new experiences. When I lost enough fat from my sides, I spent several weeks grabbing the sides of my waist when I walked around the house. For the first time in my life (been obese since childhood) I discovered that core muscles move and work when you walk. I could feel them. It was breathtaking and like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. Or that time when I was rolling around with the dog on the floor and felt pain in my hip. It scared me half to death thinking I had a tumor when it was just my hip bone. I just wasn't used to my hip bones feeling like that. I was still pretty fat, just looked different enough not to recognize it as familiar. Even the small stuff like showers getting shorter because you have less area to clean. I really wish you the best.10
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magnusthenerd wrote: »Look up a photo of what 5 lb of fat looks like. It's amazing!
Unfortunately, many of the popular pictures of 5 lbs of fat are wrong.
Also, someone who loses 5 pounds, even purely from fat cells, probably has lost still at least 10% of that as water, and most initial weight loss will be more water than that because some will be glycogen and water.
You're going at it from a technical perspective, but when you're as fat as I was, you really don't notice how bloat changes your shape because it's hidden under all the layers and when you haven't dieted before, it's like prema-bloat. Even water loss can make someone feel thinner and lighter.6 -
@amusedmonkey is correct.
With 100 pounds to lose you are in for a long road. It doesn't have to be a very difficult road though if you try and focus on being happy and being kind to yourself. The more I shifted my focus away from the scale results and onto my daily process the easier it has gotten to sustain. My goal is getting through today as happy as possible.
Using a car trip analogy: I am not a mile sign watcher. It always seems to mentally extend the trip. I would rather focus on some good music playing and just let the miles fade into the background. Occasionally I see a sign for a city and it is a nice surprise to see I have just finished a chunk of my trip.5 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »magnusthenerd wrote: »Look up a photo of what 5 lb of fat looks like. It's amazing!
Unfortunately, many of the popular pictures of 5 lbs of fat are wrong.
Also, someone who loses 5 pounds, even purely from fat cells, probably has lost still at least 10% of that as water, and most initial weight loss will be more water than that because some will be glycogen and water.
You're going at it from a technical perspective, but when you're as fat as I was, you really don't notice how bloat changes your shape because it's hidden under all the layers and when you haven't dieted before, it's like prema-bloat. Even water loss can make someone feel thinner and lighter.
Agreed. I started quite large and "felt it" in 2 weeks. With that said, it was quite some time after that before I felt it again but there was definitely an early impact. Everyone's mileage may vary.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »magnusthenerd wrote: »Look up a photo of what 5 lb of fat looks like. It's amazing!
Unfortunately, many of the popular pictures of 5 lbs of fat are wrong.
Also, someone who loses 5 pounds, even purely from fat cells, probably has lost still at least 10% of that as water, and most initial weight loss will be more water than that because some will be glycogen and water.
You're going at it from a technical perspective, but when you're as fat as I was, you really don't notice how bloat changes your shape because it's hidden under all the layers and when you haven't dieted before, it's like prema-bloat. Even water loss can make someone feel thinner and lighter.
Dear goodness this is so true. Bloat straight up changes the shape of my stomach now.3 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »I can see now that's I've been all doom and gloom and forgot to mention what a hell of a ride it is. Look forward to many new experiences. When I lost enough fat from my sides, I spent several weeks grabbing the sides of my waist when I walked around the house. For the first time in my life (been obese since childhood) I discovered that core muscles move and work when you walk. I could feel them. It was breathtaking and like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. Or that time when I was rolling around with the dog on the floor and felt pain in my hip. It scared me half to death thinking I had a tumor when it was just my hip bone. I just wasn't used to my hip bones feeling like that. I was still pretty fat, just looked different enough not to recognize it as familiar. Even the small stuff like showers getting shorter because you have less area to clean. I really wish you the best.
Thank you so much... I’ve also been obese my entire life.. this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.. it’s not as difficult not eating a bunch of junk..i allow myself but in moderation... i work at a gas station so before my lunch was like, chips or cupcakes lol.. i feel so much better day to day, and more motivated to do other things id put off before like.. spring cleaning, cleaning the car. My anxiety has improved, as well as my depression. My head feels clearer.. I feel good and I’m looking forward to seeing changes in not just my body but my overall self as well..
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sarahfadell87 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »I can see now that's I've been all doom and gloom and forgot to mention what a hell of a ride it is. Look forward to many new experiences. When I lost enough fat from my sides, I spent several weeks grabbing the sides of my waist when I walked around the house. For the first time in my life (been obese since childhood) I discovered that core muscles move and work when you walk. I could feel them. It was breathtaking and like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. Or that time when I was rolling around with the dog on the floor and felt pain in my hip. It scared me half to death thinking I had a tumor when it was just my hip bone. I just wasn't used to my hip bones feeling like that. I was still pretty fat, just looked different enough not to recognize it as familiar. Even the small stuff like showers getting shorter because you have less area to clean. I really wish you the best.
Thank you so much... I’ve also been obese my entire life.. this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.. it’s not as difficult not eating a bunch of junk..i allow myself but in moderation... i work at a gas station so before my lunch was like, chips or cupcakes lol.. i feel so much better day to day, and more motivated to do other things id put off before like.. spring cleaning, cleaning the car. My anxiety has improved, as well as my depression. My head feels clearer.. I feel good and I’m looking forward to seeing changes in not just my body but my overall self as well..
You have a good attitude and I have high hopes for you. It is so important to focus on what you are gaining and not food management. Your life will dramatically improve the longer you stay on the road. I am not done and my life is already so different from when I started.
For me weight loss has not felt linear. It seems like I can lose 20 pounds and not really feel any change and then the next 5-8 my pants will start falling off or suddenly the steps that winded me before are easier.
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