Changes In The Mirror

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jemzeve2023
jemzeve2023 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost 7lbs but for me it’s hard to see the changes in the body?. How much loss does it take to see changes.

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  • Mischante
    Mischante Posts: 36 Member
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    I've lost 23lbs and can see and feel changes daily. My arms, legs, hips and back are leaner. My coworkers are able to see the difference now as well.
  • Melwillbehealthy
    Melwillbehealthy Posts: 882 Member
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    I think the heavier you are, the more you have to lose to see a difference.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,122 Member
    edited April 2023
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    As stated above: it will depend on how much you have to lose - 7lbs on a lighter person makes a bigger difference than on a larger person.

    Aside from that: there is a difference between 'how many lbs till my weight loss is visible' and 'how many lbs until I see my weightloss in the mirror'. Our brains are funny things: even if the weight loss is visible to others (and that will depend on how attentive they are, which clothes you wear,...) our own brains sometimes can't register the changes in the mirror until much later.
    Some people report not seeing any differences in the mirror during weightloss and not seeing differences in progress pictures during weightloss, but when they look at the pictures 6 months later the changes are very obvious.
    I recommend taking progress pictures for that reason.

    For myself, I started seeing changes around 8-10lbs lost (I started at 208lbs, I'm 5ft5)
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,628 Member
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    As mentioned it depends on how much fat you carry. My buddy Big John was 380 and lost 30 lbs and looked no different.

    Low bodyfat and almost any loss is apparent
  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 262 Member
    edited April 2023
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    I’m down 17 pounds since Thanksgiving. I can see a difference in the mirror and in the way my clothes fit. 10 pounds was probably where I started to se it. My partner has been appreciative (but he also knows how diligently I’ve been working at it, so he might just be being kind). On Sunday, I heard my first, “you look like you’ve lost weight!” from someone I’ve seen a few times over the past 4 months.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,463 Member
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    Do be aware of Body Dysmorphia.


    Many people have this. It’s where your brain doesn’t recognize or acknowledge the changes that are happening and it can be extremely frustrating and confusing.

    I started 222+ and couldn’t “see” any change, even though my clothes began getting looser around 190.

    I never took photos and never took measurements, which I regret now, but I’d spent decades avoiding both, right?

    At 160 I started with a trainer, who took photos every session and emailed them to me.

    That was when I could see changes.

    Couldn’t see it in the mirror, but it was visible in photos. Maybe because it was like a “third person” view.

    When I went too far, and my trainer was worried about me, I couldn’t see that either. Again, it was the photos she sent where I saw the frailness.

    Even today (although it’s getting better) I wake up and immediately check the bathroom mirror to make sure I’m still thin and didn’t gain something back overnight.

    I also spend a lot of time looking in windows and mirrors, not for vanity’s sake, but because I can never get over the utter surprise of seeing myself.

    Your brain is an odd odd thing.

    Take those pictures, record those measurements, and when you feel down or like you can’t see change, this thread was a godsend to me, because it helped me see changes in my body outside of what the scale read:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1275030/whats-your-most-recent-nsv

    NSV=non scale victory.

  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
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    I’m so glad others pointed out the dangers of judging your own weight loss in the mirror. Be kind to yourself and don’t trust that brain if the scales and the trousers and your pals are all telling you something different!
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
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    It took me a while to see the changes. But I was 240 lbs and just 5' 3.5". It also took a while before I went down a size. Partly because you have to lose more when you are heavier to go down a size and partly because my clothes were pretty tight on me when I started. Now that I have lost 112 lbs I have noticed it only takes about 5-7 lbs to drop to the next size rather than 15-20. I agree that your brain doesn't see it in the mirror. Take measurements at least once a month and do those progress pics!
  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
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    I’ve lost about 10 pounds and didn’t think I could see a difference, and then I saw a picture of me from just four months ago and was like “whoa”. It might not be noticeable day to day but that’s what progress pics are for.
  • noodlesno
    noodlesno Posts: 113 Member
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    I have lost 30 lbs since Jan 1st. My clothes are noticeably looser, but the changes are minor in terms of what I look like in the mirror. I started out at 210 and I am now 180. The reason is that I carry weight pretty well. My shape does not change that much if I am over 200 or even at my lightest of 155. The body fat I have is distributed in the same areas evenly as I shape-shift. Obviously, as I reduce the weight then I become physically smaller but unless you put the old me next to the new me it is hard to see the scale of it.

    However, for me, this is a blessing. Barely anyone comments on my weight loss and therefore, weight gain. It makes me feel like I own my body and it is not being judged constantly by other people.

    I get the gratification from the hard work is paying off by improvements my gymnastic skills in the gym or making the runs easier as I have less to drag around.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,168 Member
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    I'd also point out that you probably lost fat over your whole body, which might not be as immediately visible. Think of butter on toast, except maybe in reverse, lol. A blob of it in the middle of the bread looks like a lot, but when it's spread out over the whole piece, it's much less noticeable. If you lost a little bit all over, it'll take time to see progress in the mirror. Nothing really to be done about it, it's just how your body holds and loses fat.
  • _sirenofthesea_
    _sirenofthesea_ Posts: 117 Member
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    Body Dysmorphia is real - I've lost 56 pounds and it's hard for me to recognize them sometimes!

    Be proud of yourself, and just know you're making changes for the positive! You'll see them eventually and your clothes will start fitting differently for sure
  • hoodlisa1979
    hoodlisa1979 Posts: 38 Member
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    I couldnt see any improvement until around the 18lb mark, it was only at that point that there was any difference in the tape measure as well, visceral fat which wraps itself around your organs and causes issues is often the first fat to go, don't get disheartened any loss is good loss even if you can't see it going, I store weight all around my torso, its going, keep at it you will see those improvements, good luck
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
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    I like to focus on how I FEEL, instead of how I look. Those first 7 pounds often come with other benefits, such as more energy or a bit more room along the waistband of your jeans.

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