Third of a way to my goal, haven't noticed much difference.

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texasredreb
texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My goal is to lose 90lbs. I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal and I'm still wearing the same sizes that I started out wearing. I still look the same and I still feel the same.

When did y'all start noticing changes and/or start losing sizes? I saw a recent picture of myself taken from 1/4 behind and I don't look any different at all.

I'm female, aged 55.
SW 225
CW 193
GW 135
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  • bluesheeponahill
    bluesheeponahill Posts: 169 Member
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    Have you taken measurements of waist, hips, thighs, arm and chest? that's a good way to get indication of loss. photos aren't always as obvious to ourselves.
  • texasredreb
    texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
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    I take the basic MFP measurements, once a month.
    I'm -1" from neck; -4" from waist; and -5" from hips.

    The stats are positive and encouraging, but my appearance/size, and sense of well-being/health have stayed the same.
  • texasredreb
    texasredreb Posts: 541 Member
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    @manderson, I'm also 5'6" so our stats are indeed very similar.

    Congratulations on your losses! I'm not so discouraged by my physical appearance as others see me as I don't care. I was expecting to see some changes in the mirror.
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 498 Member
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    If you've lost that many inches, your size is without question going down! Well done, keep up the good work. Don't let your head mess with you...just keep going, you are succeeding!
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    To add to my previous post my Osteo Arthritis has improved imensely. Every pound counts when it comes health.

    Our perceptions are often skewed when it comes to visually judging ourselves. Don't be so hard on yourself you have changed, you must have as you have lost over 30 lbs. That is amazing.

    :)
  • merekins
    merekins Posts: 228 Member
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    Similar stats and truthfully, I had hard time seeing difference until I was out of 190s. Other’s could but I really think we are a bit blind to it. For me, I was so unhappy with my appearance that even knowing the loss and the inches gone, it didn’t feel like anything had changed. Once I was in the 80s, changes became noticeable to me. So keep going!!! Where you are now is the hardest place to be but then it gets exciting to see the changes!
  • kmfeig87
    kmfeig87 Posts: 1,990 Member
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    I started at 199 and am now down to 135. I felt like it was kind of hard to see the difference after the first third as well. I still didn't like how I looked and it was hard, possibly, to think that I was that much smaller and still dis-satisfied. And the sizes are weird, too. Part of it is like another poster said. The clothes fit better, but not exactly "loose". But I bet if you tried smaller sizes, those would be the ones you buy! But the strangest thing, honestly, is underwear. I've gone from a size 16 to a size 6 in pants....but still wearing the same size 8 underwear! And the size 7 doesn't seem like it fits right yet! Go figure!
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
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    It takes awhile to start noticing changes because we see ourselves everyday. Especially if you have been bigger for a good part of your life, it may take some time to see it. For me at my heaviest, I didn’t look in the mirror much. And then, when the scale started moving, I would look and still not like the image in front of me. So I would think oh I must be the same even though I wasn’t. But measurements like someone else stated really helped me to “feel” different. Hope that make sense to you.

    And about others notice that can take awhile too. The people closest to you likely know because you have told them. Co-workers and such may notice in time. And when they do notice don’t always say something to you.

    Just remember, you are doing great :)
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    I think we are always the last to notice the changes on ourselves. The truth is if I didn't have people around me constantly telling me that I look skinnier, I wouldn't see it either myself. I wouldn't be surprised if the people around you are noticing the things that you are not.
  • IsETHome
    IsETHome Posts: 386 Member
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    Try a size down in bra. Also I noticed after 25 lbs my tops got longer..... tops 2x to xl or x and I went from 20/22 to size 16 (a couple of 14s and a couple of 18s). I went down from 42DD to 38DD. Also bathroom stalls got big, so did my bathtub. However if you were stretchy clothes they stretch smaller too....which is why it’s hard to notice weight gain unless you get on the scale.
  • IsETHome
    IsETHome Posts: 386 Member
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    Danp wrote: »
    Familiarity is the killer. You see yourself every day and the changes are so slow and gradual that you don't see it. This is also, I think, why gaining weight often goes unnoticed for so long.

    If you have photos, refer back to them. This can help see the changes.
    Look for other indications. Looser clothing is a good one for this. I also started to notice things like fitting into seats better and having more room between my belly and the steering wheel when driving.

    I can relate from my experience that I didn't see the changes until I'd lost close to 80lbs or so which is almost half my way to my healthy weight and even then all I saw was pretty minor. I still saw the same 'shape' just noticed that there was slightly less of that 'shape'. It wasn't until I had lost close to 100lbs (and over 12 months) that I started to see a different person in the mirror and even then on occasionally my brain will relapse and my eyes will see the old me.

    I like seeing a glimpse of the old old me when I was 26 haha....she’s coming back...just taking some time. I was in denial for awhile
  • samhennings
    samhennings Posts: 441 Member
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    texasredreb wrote: »
    My goal is to lose 90lbs. I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal and I'm still wearing the same sizes that I started out wearing. I still look the same and I still feel the same.

    When did y'all start noticing changes and/or start losing sizes? I saw a recent picture of myself taken from 1/4 behind and I don't look any different at all.

    I'm female, aged 55.
    SW 225
    CW 193
    GW 135

    When I was losing weight I found many other changes before I saw the visible ones.

    I could get up the stairs much easier
    Hell, I could get out of the chair much easier
    I could sit comfortably on the floor
    Cross my legs
    I found myself naturally more active, more busy
    I found I had more energy over time
    Go out into the garden to do some work, and found it much less exhausting

    It goes on.....

    I wonder, if you sit and think about how things were 30lbs ago, whether you will see similar?
  • PickledBeets8
    PickledBeets8 Posts: 13 Member
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    I have found that larger sizes accommodate a greater weight range than smaller sizes. This effect is definitely greater if you find yourself in a situation in which, at your largest, you were pretty much stuffing yourself into your clothes rather than buying the next size up. In that scenario, it might take a weight loss of up to 40 pounds before you are ready to move down a size.

    I find it helpful to focus on improvements other than the number on the scale or my reflection in the mirror. Make sure you are eating in a way that is sustainable rather than just suffering through a diet in order to reach a goal. If you are doing this as part of mindfully choosing a healthier lifestyle, then all the other stuff (like the numbers on the scale or the size of your clothes) become side effects rather than your exclusive goal, which allows you to see the other benefits.

    One helpful thing for me to ponder is whether I would be happy eating the way I am if I never lost another pound or saw a change in my clothing size. In the end, that is where you are going to find yourself when you reach your goal, and if you aren't happy eating the way you are, you will not maintain that weight loss. So between now and then, you have got to find other reasons to continue making healthy food choices when the weight loss stops.
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
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    I've been every weight between 193 and 140 (5'11). I've been "battling the bulge" now for 8 years (since I lost 50lbs). I've been pretty successful to not gain it all back, but I do tend to fluctuate 20lbs or so each year (yes, that's a lot for some, but I gain it all over so it takes a bit to notice).

    During my first very big loss of 50lbs I feel it took the longest to get from a 14 to a 12. I was losing steady, but every time I'd go get new clothes I'd never been able to get a smaller size. Very annoying.

    When I got to a 10, it seemed all I needed do was lose 5lbs and BAM I'd be down 1 more size. At 160 I wear a 10. At 140 I wear a 4. There's a ton of sizes between a 10 and a 4 but only a 20lbs difference. And honestly the last 10lbs were really expensive. I've learned to keep 3 sizes of clothes (not all of them, but enough to wear when I have fluctuations).

    You are changing, you can see that by your measurements. Keep going - which I'm sure you will. You'll start to notice it soon.

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