losing weight but not clothes size

songbird1973
songbird1973 Posts: 90
Is anyone else having this problem? I'm losing weight, 46 pounds to be exact, but have only gone down one pant size, which can be very discouraging. You would think after that amount of weight lose it would be at least two sizes, and because of this I feel like no one can tell I've lost weight. I never get those comments of wow your looking great or how much weight have you lost. It makes me wonder where is it that I'm losing weight, its got to be coming from somewhere. Maybe I'm just be silly I don't know, just curious if anyone else is dealing with this same situation and what you do to stay motivated to keep going.

Replies

  • I've only lost 13lbs...Not NEAR as much as you, but I haven't lost any sizes :( I think my boobs must be taking the weight loss! I dunno what else it could be. I guess I have lost 3 inches in my stomache are and 3 in my hips...but I'm still in loose 12s. I too would like a new way of motivation. I just keep telling myself, gotta keep going, you wanna wear those 8s! but... i'm discouraged :(
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
    I've lost 21lbs since I started losing weight. My biggest clothes are baggy but I can't fit into a smaller size!
    I've even lost almost 20 inches and STILL no clothing sizes.
  • iamahealthychick
    iamahealthychick Posts: 207 Member
    someone said on here once that the first size you lose is fitting better into your current clothes! Don't be discouraged. You could be losing in places you don't realize. You could also be losing in the top first rather than the bottom. It depends on how you put weight on. Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing... it is obviously working!
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    You might have lost weight in the weirdest spots where clothes don't even touch. I've lost in my hands, face, and feet before losing in my tummy area at all. Look at your legs and maybe that's where the weight is coming off... It's hard to predict were the weight will come off and sometimes it's in the most unusual spots... Don't get discouraged though, 46lbs is a huge loss!! Keep at it!!
  • anacsitham5
    anacsitham5 Posts: 810 Member
    Make sure you are gettng enough calories in. If you are working out you would be gaining muscle mass, but losing fat. If you don't get in enough calories, you could be losing muscle mass which is not good. Your body will use your muscles as fuel. The more muscle, the more calories your body burns. It would also depend on how much you weighed in the beginning, but I can't see that you don't go down one size with losing 46 pounds. How much body fat have you lost so far? That would be a determining factor of what you are losing...fat, muscle, water, etc...
  • ged630
    ged630 Posts: 145 Member
    It is very hard to stay motivated when this happens. I was down 28 pounds in May (Only 15 now) and not even one size. I don't know if you are like me but I hold most of my weight in my stomach area. I know in my head that I HAVE to loss it from my stomach which would not impact my pants size but it is really hard to stay at it. I am back at it now! You are doing GREAT!!!!! You should be very pound of yourself! I bet you feel better, I know I did at 28 pounds down. I also did not have anyone notice the loss which made it easy for me to put some of the weight back on. Keep at it! You are doing so good!
  • Huskeryogi
    Huskeryogi Posts: 578 Member
    someone said on here once that the first size you lose is fitting better into your current clothes! Don't be discouraged. You could be losing in places you don't realize. You could also be losing in the top first rather than the bottom. It depends on how you put weight on. Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing... it is obviously working!

    Totally agree with this. I've lost 22lbs and haven't gone shopping for new stuff yet but the old stuff is WAY more comfortable. Also I gain weight last in my upper body so that's where I lose it first so in pants I don't think I've changed a ton size wise yet and tops don't fit as tight so I don't notice the size difference as much.
  • acrue21
    acrue21 Posts: 22 Member
    Dont get discouraged with yourself, you have lost 46 lbs!! That is AMAZING!!! Keep up all the hard work you are doing!! :)
  • CharlieBarleyMom
    CharlieBarleyMom Posts: 727 Member
    Don't be discouraged EVER! You are losing and eventually you will be in new clothes... rejoice in the fact that you don't have to go buy "in between" clothes... because if you're not done losing yet, you'll be spending enough money on clothes through your journey, believe me.

    I am still wearing the same clothes - for the most part... some of them must've been quite tight previously and others are way too lose and as I wear them I put them in the wash pile that is separate from MY clothes because these will end up in the box to go to Goodwill (or Freecycle).

    Also, don't worry about people not mentioning your weight loss to you... I haven't heard it except for from people that I have set up to tell me: I say: "I'm down another 1.5 pounds this week and I feel great!" ... they respond "Yes, you look great too!" -- and I only do that with my best friends... no one at work has said a thing... but I'm guessing that is because I have lost 40 pounds... all of which I had gained over the past 3 years, which is how long I have worked at this job... so they didn't say anything to me as I was gaining the weight and I figure they won't say anything as I'm losing it... maybe once I get lower than I was when I started there... then maybe they'll say something. But, if not, no biggie... I'm noticing it, I feel it, and eventually I'll be able to fit into clothes that are sitting in my closet yet to be worn!

    Congrats on 46 pounds! That's excellent!
  • Fochizzy
    Fochizzy Posts: 505 Member
    Also are you tall? Were the old clothing you were wearing too small to begin with? I am tall and my 14s that occupied my closet didn't really fit. I had a few 16s and they were my real size. I am down to a 14 now, but that requires admitting that I really was a 16 for awhile. I am also 5'9" meaning a size is a lot more weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    someone said on here once that the first size you lose is fitting better into your current clothes! Don't be discouraged. You could be losing in places you don't realize. You could also be losing in the top first rather than the bottom. It depends on how you put weight on. Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing... it is obviously working!

    Totally agree with this. I've lost 22lbs and haven't gone shopping for new stuff yet but the old stuff is WAY more comfortable. Also I gain weight last in my upper body so that's where I lose it first so in pants I don't think I've changed a ton size wise yet and tops don't fit as tight so I don't notice the size difference as much.

    This! I agree - I started a "diet" because my clothes were waaaY too tight - and I lose weight up top first. Yes it's depressing. You ARE losing pounds & inches - way to go!!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Your body will burn fat from all over the place in whatever manner it sees fit. It's different for everyone. I know that when I was losing (I'm pregnant now) I was burning fat from the outside in, meaning it was coming off my hands and feet first, then my calves and forearms, etc. Of course, I was losing some from all over the whole time, but the most noticeable changes were in my limbs, not my belly like I wanted.

    Just be patient, your hard work is paying off. Just make sure you're doing some weight training in addition to whatever cardio you may be doing so that you don't lose muscle mass. And contrary to what most people will tell you, you won't be building new muscle tissue while eating at a calorie deficit. It takes a surplus of calories and a very specific weight training routine to actually get your body to make new muscle tissue. The "muscle weighs more than fat" and "you're probably just gaining muscle mass" arguments just aren't true.
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    I didn't lose clothing sizes until I was near the end of my weight loss. I lost weight in my chest, legs and face before my waist line really started to go down. Then all of sudden I went down from size 14 to a 10 in a month. Now I am size 8 with 5 more lbs to go.
  • Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement!!!! I'm 5'7 so not super tall, I do workout every day at some level and I try to keep my net calories around 1200, which means I am eating some of my exercise calories back. I lose weight very regular with a average of 1-3 pounds a week. I really hope I'm not losing muscle weight because that is not the direction I want to go.
  • You might have lost weight in the weirdest spots where clothes don't even touch. I've lost in my hands, face, and feet before losing in my tummy area at all. Look at your legs and maybe that's where the weight is coming off... It's hard to predict were the weight will come off and sometimes it's in the most unusual spots... Don't get discouraged though, 46lbs is a huge loss!! Keep at it!!

    i told someone that i lost weight in my feet and they didn't believe me! i'm glad it's not only me :P (i've also lost weight in my fingers, of all places xD)
  • I've noticed losing weight in my arms and hands, just not 46 pounds worth. LOL!!!!
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I've noticed losing weight in my arms and hands, just not 46 pounds worth. LOL!!!!

    A couple years back I was on a serious weight loss kick. I ended up losing like 60 pounds in about 4 months (it all came back come Christmas so I didn't do a very good job of choosing a sustainable approach, but I was weight lifting religiously so I know a vast majority of it was fat and not muscle or what have you). I didn't feel or look much different for the first like 35 pounds. Wore the same clothes, etc, and no one really seemed to notice. 10 pounds later however, I was a full shirt size down and 4 down on my pant waist size. You can't lose that kind of weight without getting smaller. Unfortunately some weight ranges have more of an effect on clothing size than others. You'll see progress soon enough, don't be discouraged! =)
  • smashatoms
    smashatoms Posts: 144 Member
    I've only lost 13lbs...Not NEAR as much as you, but I haven't lost any sizes :( I think my boobs must be taking the weight loss! I dunno what else it could be. I guess I have lost 3 inches in my stomache are and 3 in my hips...but I'm still in loose 12s. I too would like a new way of motivation. I just keep telling myself, gotta keep going, you wanna wear those 8s! but... i'm discouraged :(

    I've lost a lot of weight (about 100 pounds so far) and I've only gone down 2 dress sizes.
    However, if I put on one of my bras from 100 pounds ago, I swim in it!
    I've gone from a 48DD to a 42C.
    Talk about a change!
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