Lost 16lbs, yet it doesn’t even feel like I lost 1 😔

How are you taking your weight loss?
«1

Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Terytha wrote: »
    It took losing like 50 lbs to even start noticing it honestly.

    Even now, I feel like I've barely changed.

    Your self perception lags a bit.

    There is something I call "fat brain" that lingers and clouds how you feel about yourself and what you are able to do. It took me a long time to stop trying to find a seating option for my previous bulk. I would look at a normal chair and immediately assume I couldn't fit in it.

    Sometimes I feel my current weight and other times I don't. I was heavy for so very long and even though my weight loss took 2 years it has been a quick transformation. I am losing my fat brain but it is not immediate.
  • SteppenFetchit
    SteppenFetchit Posts: 39 Member
    If you take Progress Pics, you'll see the difference. Take pics every other week and do comparison pics once a month.

  • SteppenFetchit
    SteppenFetchit Posts: 39 Member
    It's taken me two years to lose 70 pounds, so you can bet it's taken time for me to catch on that I'm on the thinner side now, since the process was very slow. It probably took about 20 pounds for me to even really notice a difference, and I'm only 5'1'', so each pound really counts. It's taken 70 for me to look in the mirror and think, woah, I'm kind of thin, rather than thinking I'm the mostly the same, just slightly shrunken. Pictures still haven't caught up yet. My mother has a picture of me from when I was about 130 and I think I look how I did when I was 170. I'm sure a lot of it was just posing/posture but man, it's frustrating when you see something like that and feel like you've made no progress.


    Clothes, angle, lighting, distance... it all makes a difference in the pictures. Try to make sure to take the pics at the same place every time with as little or no clothes on for more accuracy.

    I take mine on Friday mornings (I call it Photo Friday... how creative, right?) before jumping in the shower. That way, I haven't had anything to eat or drink yet, and that's the most consistent way I can think to do it.

  • cugogirl2017
    cugogirl2017 Posts: 8,764 Member
    Terytha wrote:
    I've lost 88 pounds and I've been doing this for 13 months. I started at the end of March 2019.

    It's slow going for sure. But even if I can't see it, the fact is I'm down 3 sizes in shirts and pants.

    Small warning: my cholesterol tests keep coming back much worse, and apparently this is a thing when you lose weight. Since all your fat cells are shrinking and dumping waste into your blood stream.

    So anyone worried about cholesterol should hold off on the blood tests if they can, until they're done losing weight.

    Thank you for sharing how long it took. Also I didn't realize that about the cholesterol, that is good to know as a heads-up. I appreciate everyone that shared how long it took. I feel I have a looong way to go, just at the beginning of the journey. Hearing how successful others are is so helpful. Thank you, everyone.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
    Starting at 250 lbs, it took 20 lbs. before I started feeling it and close to 30 before anyone else noticed. At 30 lbs. I stopped wearing baggy old oversized clothes and got "new" ones at Goodwill. Once I was down 2 pants sizes I started buying legitimately new clothes. Wish I hadn't, because at 65 lbs. down (now) not of those fit. Relish the journey. I do have a couple of "before" pictures, so it's nice to compare.
  • beachbody4l
    beachbody4l Posts: 208 Member
    I think it can also depend on your height. Someone who is 5'0 is going to see a major change losing 16lbs compared to someone who is taller. It also depends on where you're starting weight is too. Higher weights will have to lose more to see a difference.
  • allother94
    allother94 Posts: 588 Member
    I think it can also depend on your height. Someone who is 5'0 is going to see a major change losing 16lbs compared to someone who is taller. It also depends on where you're starting weight is too. Higher weights will have to lose more to see a difference.

    Love your hair...
  • NotSoFat70
    NotSoFat70 Posts: 304 Member
    I lost 40 lbs and I still couldn't see a difference. Only until I saw before and after photos. 25 lbs to go!
  • cugogirl2017
    cugogirl2017 Posts: 8,764 Member
    @NotSoFat70 You look completely different. Good job. We often don't see ourselves fairly.
  • beachbody4l
    beachbody4l Posts: 208 Member
    allother94 wrote: »
    I think it can also depend on your height. Someone who is 5'0 is going to see a major change losing 16lbs compared to someone who is taller. It also depends on where you're starting weight is too. Higher weights will have to lose more to see a difference.

    Love your hair...

    Thanks! :smiley:
  • Kiki_StartingOver
    Kiki_StartingOver Posts: 43 Member
    I've lost 28 lbs and don't feel different or look different in my eyes. No one has said anything. HOWEVER, I try to remember that I'm starting off really heavy (258.8 lbs on a 5'2 body) and it might take 50 lbs to see a difference. Also, be wary of the clothes you are wearing! I have noticed a shirt I always wear has a boob gap now. If you are wearing the same clothes as before, and if they are somewhat baggy like mine are, of course you or anyone else might not see a difference! It does take time. Just remember to take measurements! That really puts it into perspective. :)
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    How are you taking your weight loss?

    Could be allot of water which happens when ppl move to Keto for example... could of had your period which can be upwards of 10lbs in water weight thats stored shortly before your period.

    Lots of factors, just keep going and don't expect to see results in the mirror for 3-4 months.
  • mlrtri
    mlrtri Posts: 425 Member
    I have lost 10 lbs and I feel great! I can tell such a difference with just 10 lbs gone (50 more to go). Then I look in the mirror and at progress pictures and you can’t see much change yet. Sigh.
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
    Progress pictures are seriously so helpful! I take one at least once a month. It’s hard to notice the slow changes in the mirror but typically month to month I can pick out changes in the pictures.
  • Lobsterboxtops
    Lobsterboxtops Posts: 92 Member
    I’ve given up on relying on my brain to gauge myself and my loss. Just like I realized it lied to me as I was gaining weight.

    On the days I feel like I am huge and big and all depressed is the days where the scale tells me I lost, on the days I feel like I look great and surely there would be a loss on the scale is the day I found I had bounced up by a pound.

    Now I just ignore my brain and go with the scale and fact that I have to buy yet another pair of pants.
  • MeganD1704
    MeganD1704 Posts: 733 Member
    I'm down about 10 lbs now , and I must say most of the time I don't notice it- except in my face.
    My face to face comparison pics are wild. Apparently I carry all my weight there, my thighs and my arms.
    Finally have 1 chin again- I will take it!
    Trishkit wrote: »
    Find a sturdy bag and load 16 lbs of weight into it -- free weights, bags of flour or rice, etc... Now carry that around the house for a few minutes. I find this helps give me a little perspective when I feel like there's no change, because sometimes it's hard to feel like you've made any progress at all. Just this morning I put all of my small free weights in a bag and weighed it, and it came to 16.9 lbs. I'm currently 20 lbs down and occasionally think I notice it, but still have my doubts. Carrying that bag around for a few minutes really makes you think!
    This is honestly a great idea. last time I was successful and not fad dieting, I'd take a loaded bar at the gym representing the weight I lost and go up and down the stairs ten times. Amazing what being 35 lbs less did for me, can't wait to get there again!
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    @springlering62 Brilliant. Your confident manner is great.
  • cugogirl2017
    cugogirl2017 Posts: 8,764 Member
    I worry sometimes that I come off like having the big head, but I feel like a little puppy sometimes, chasing my tail, rolling over, feeling my oats, and just generally having a blast. Second childhood. Absolutely life altering. Biking, running, “flying” in yoga. None of this was on my radar twenty months ago.

    I wish I could bottle this and share it.

    I can’t, but I can sure try to encourage others here.


    You don't have a big head at all, just a smaller, healthier body that you deserve to be proud of because it was your own dedication and hard work that resulted in such a great accomplishment. I can feel your joy in life so you have bottled it and shared it. I appreciate this inspirational post, at the beginning of my journey and reading posts like this are so helpful. Thank you!
  • Geneveremfp
    Geneveremfp Posts: 504 Member
    I feel this.

    I tell myself that if I've lost weight and I can't see it then it's probably internal fat around my organs and I've made myself healthier - I don't think there's any science to this at all but it makes me feel like I've got some success.
Do you Love MyFitnessPal? Have you crushed a goal or improved your life through better nutrition using MyFitnessPal?
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!