Not seeing results
Jenna__XoXo
Posts: 117 Member
So I've been consistently losing weight since January . At my highest I was 218 I'm currently 195 pounds and in 5'10". Although I've been losing weihht, I haven't been seeing visible progress. At the beginning I lost a few inches in my stomach but I haven't lost any inches in over a month and a half. I'm still ratting in a deficit around 1600 calories a day. What am I doing wrong? I do cardio and weight training 5 times a week.
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Replies
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Congrats on the 23 pounds!
Measuring yourself can be problematic because you may not get the tape in the same place each time. In addition fat can be stored in many places that are not measured like your face. I was kind of annoyed in the beginning because my face lost weight before much came off my belly.
Did you take pictures before you started? Sometimes they will be a better indication.
How are your clothes fitting?2 -
Need more info. Hopefully your deficit isn't 1600. That would be too aggressive.
How long has it been since the scale moved? Your measurement changes will inconsistent, as will your fat loss because that's the nature of weight loss. There are other factors that exaggerate or hide at loss. Your process is working as evidenced by the scale over time.
Give it more time. A consistent deficit needs windows of 6-8 weeks to analyze progress. There may not be anything you're "doing wrong".
If you suspect anything, the first thing to do is make sure you are weighing and measuring everything. If you're not doing that, you can't know if you even have a deficit or how much it is. Start with that and continue to work the process.2 -
It comes off all over. Like from your toes and calves and neck. Many of us just get proportionally smaller, so it’s hard to see visible progress. Keep going. You’re doing it Exactly right!!3
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You're losing a bit over a pound a week, which is probably a good rate depending on your height. A tape measure alone isn't going to tell you very much unless you're taking measurements of a *lot* of body parts. Your body burns fat all over, including parts that we can't/don't measure.2
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Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.1
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jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
Part of the visual effect is self perception. (I'm not disputing what you say about measurements more recently. I'm talking about the "can't tell a difference in 5 months/23 pounds" part.)
It takes our brain some time to catch up, truly - even objectively visible changes can be invisible to us, and to people we see daily. It's so, so gradual that others don't notice if they see us routinely. In ourselves, that's also true, plus we have a mental picture of ourselves that's what we see when we look. We don't see reality.
I even posted before and after face pictures on a thread here, and said I wasn't sure anyone could see a difference (I didn't see much difference at the time). Now, if I go back to that very same thread with those very same photos . . . holy cow, there was a big, obvious difference! I just couldn't see it. Weird!
Your scale is telling you you're losing. A temporary stall is frustrating, but kind of normal. Others have suggested some things you can do to tighten things up and maybe create some momentum again. I'm just in to comment on the mental/psychological side of it . . . which can be odd, and distorted. Your self-perception will catch up, but it's slow.
Best wishes!7 -
Hang in there! I understand exactly what you're talking about. I couldn't see much difference in the first months. No one else noticed until I was down about 35 pounds. I rarely measure because as others have said it's hard to get the tape in the same place and fat is lost from different areas at different times. The stomach tends to be the last place for me so I had to wait a long time before it was noticeable. It was coming off but just not as fast as in other spots. Keep going, you won't regret it. And those people who lose fast rarely keep it off. You are doing it the right way.1
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jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
Like @annpt77 said some of it is in our heads. I continually felt better as the weight was dropped but I was so convinced that there was not much visual difference I thought I was getting away with lying about weight loss for a ridiculous amount of time and weight gone. I realize now what an idiot I was. lol2 -
jennamburchette2014 wrote: »So I've been consistently losing weight since January . At my highest I was 218 I'm currently 195 pounds and in 5'10". Although I've been losing weihht, I haven't been seeing visible progress. At the beginning I lost a few inches in my stomach but I haven't lost any inches in over a month and a half. I'm still ratting in a deficit around 1600 calories a day. What am I doing wrong? I do cardio and weight training 5 times a week.
Not tracking what you eat accurately or need to reduce calories further.
Visual difference comes in time also, just keep at it.0 -
You see yourself every day and progress is slow so it doesn't look like any change. I am sure if you do before and during pics every 4-6 weeks you would notice a difference.4
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jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
Be careful with that - who are these "tons of other people"? Are they "before and after" diet photos (diet programs tend to show only those with dramatic results and often Photoshop or just plain lie)? Are they actual people you know - and what are their actual experiences?
Remember: there are lots of companies out there that want to make a buck off of you. Many are honest and knowledgeable. But many are just wanting to sell you a diet or exercise or supplement plan--and they know that if they fail you are going to blame yourself and not the plan and they have your money.8 -
jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
I feel you. But remember this:
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Stay the course. You are doing great!6 -
jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
I feel you. But remember this:
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Stay the course. You are doing great!1 -
It doesn't sound like your weight loss has stalled, you just don't see visible changes. You have a good rate of loss so just stay the course. It is sometimes hard to see the changes in ourselves because the changes are gradual. You are losing pounds and inches so you are doing it right. The weight training will improve your shape over time but it is a slow process.2
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jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
Have you taken pictures along the way? Changes are slow and subtle and we look at ourselves everyday so it's not going to be hugely noticeable. Not to mention, our own perception often doesn't really change. In my minds eye, I don't really look any different than I did when I was 40 lbs heavier...but when I see the pictures, it's hugely obvious.1 -
jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
I feel you. But remember this:
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Stay the course. You are doing great!
I feel like I have read a post similar to this recently.
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jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
You really want tot be careful with this as said above, we see lots of people come in to see us at our store looking/asking for these types of results. This is not really a good idea and we talk people away from those “huge results”. 100% of the time those programs have you in a huge caloric deficit which is not good. And this also really doesn’t educate you on a life style change but more just focuses on weight lose by not eating! The best way to find out what your BMR is ( Basal Metabolic Rate) is, this is your base calorie burn just to substain life, add in your excise level calories burned and scale back a few hundred from there. We really need to make sure we are eating to lose weight and not starving ourselves. If you need any all with this just let me know
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kenyonhaff wrote: »jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
Be careful with that - who are these "tons of other people"? Are they "before and after" diet photos (diet programs tend to show only those with dramatic results and often Photoshop or just plain lie)? Are they actual people you know - and what are their actual experiences?
Remember: there are lots of companies out there that want to make a buck off of you. Many are honest and knowledgeable. But many are just wanting to sell you a diet or exercise or supplement plan--and they know that if they fail you are going to blame yourself and not the plan and they have your money.
This was my question, too.
Check out this video that shows how "before" and "after" photos can be made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M957dACQyfU&t=45s 5 -
jennamburchette2014 wrote: »So I've been consistently losing weight since January . At my highest I was 218 I'm currently 195 pounds and in 5'10". Although I've been losing weihht, I haven't been seeing visible progress. At the beginning I lost a few inches in my stomach but I haven't lost any inches in over a month and a half. I'm still ratting in a deficit around 1600 calories a day. What am I doing wrong? I do cardio and weight training 5 times a week.
When did you start the weight training? I gained 7 pounds of water weight when I started weight lifting again. Took a few weeks to come off.1 -
I also do not see a change in the mirror but when I do a side by side of before and after photos it just sort of pops. My face is less puffy, neck is slimmer etc. I have lost almost 50 lbs and still it isn't obvious to me.4
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"quiksylver296 wrote: »This was my question, too.
Check out this video that shows how "before" and "after" photos can be made.
That was pretty entertaining. Well done!
I have always been suspicious of the seemingly obvious slouching and purposeful tummy extensions from people (who seemed to know what their "after" picture might look like).
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I would do some meal tracking to see if you are appropriately hitting your macronutrient ratios. A lot of people find a homeostasis in a deficit so in essence what was once a deficit now becomes our resting state and we technically evolve out it. Our bodies are really really good at believing there is a famine and that you are about to starve so it finds a way to plateau so you will survive. Ways to change things up are to look at your ratios. One simple fix is to increase protein if you currently are not eating enough. Protein costs energy to digest, more energy than fat or carbs so it is a good place to start if you are in a plateau and look to increase protein intake and mildly decrease your other ratios. If you are eating plenty of protein there is the potential for other barriers to be in your way instead. My best advice would be to do a week of ruthless tracking. Track everything. That will give you the most solid clues to why your body has reached homeostasis in what once was a deficit.6
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I would do some meal tracking to see if you are appropriately hitting your macronutrient ratios. A lot of people find a homeostasis in a deficit so in essence what was once a deficit now becomes our resting state and we technically evolve out it. Our bodies are really really good at believing there is a famine and that you are about to starve so it finds a way to plateau so you will survive. Ways to change things up are to look at your ratios. One simple fix is to increase protein if you currently are not eating enough. Protein costs energy to digest, more energy than fat or carbs so it is a good place to start if you are in a plateau and look to increase protein intake and mildly decrease your other ratios. If you are eating plenty of protein there is the potential for other barriers to be in your way instead. My best advice would be to do a week of ruthless tracking. Track everything. That will give you the most solid clues to why your body has reached homeostasis in what once was a deficit.
I can see where what you discuss, even though it will be viewed as quite controversial by most, might be applicable to one of the many threads where the OP has not lost any weight for a while.
However, the OP in this thread discusses that she HAS BEEN LOSING WEIGHT. She just doesn't SEE IT (visually and mentally). <which by the way is a pretty common issue with people who lose a large quantity of weight fairly rapidly>6 -
I have lost 21 lbs and I can't tell a difference day to day. I take pictures, make sure they are as near to duplicates as possible (clothing, lighting, etc) and then I can see small differences. I agree with most people above, a lot of what you see in before and after pictures is either fake, or actually happened over a much longer time frame than they're claiming.
For example, I was watching an advertisement for one of the Beach Body programs, and in very,very,very small print it said the before and after photos, which showed DRASTIC changes, were actually from 3 or 4 rounds back to back of the 8 week program.
Walk your own road, and celebrate with yourself any achievements that mean something to you.0 -
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I have found that I will lose but see nothing then suddenly with 2 more pounds see a lot of difference. You aren't doing anything wrong - just stay the course and it'll all catch up.0
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I've lost 86 pounds. No one, other then my husband, noticed until I hit 80 pounds. I'm not kidding!
One thing to consider; Most women are at least a little touchy on weight as a subject and people are aware of this. Would you want to bring up someone's weight randomnly in conversation? Probably not. My sister in law was the first to say anything and she was really apologetic "I didn't want to say anything, so forgive me, but have you lost weight?"
As far as seeing changes myself, I didn't see anything until I lost 40 pounds. I started out at 263 so I had a bunch to lose...and still have 40 left to go3 -
jennamburchette2014 wrote: »Thanks guys, that's kind of what I was thinking but it's just hard when you see tons of other people doing 8 or 12 week programs and you can see a huge difference but ive been doing this for almost 5 whole months consistently and can't tell a difference.
A lot of those "progress photos" are also lies. People either use tricks like fake tan, camera angle changes, tensing and not tensing, saying it's 8 weeks but actually it's a lot longer and in some cases photoshop.3
This discussion has been closed.
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