When did people start to notice weight loss

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Replies

  • I work in an office with (mostly) all men. My boss says, to err on the safe side, you should NEVER comment to a women on:
    1) age
    2) weight
    3) pregnancy status.

    So, maybe people are worried about offending you?
    Remember, you're doing this for you! That's all that matters.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
    I started feeling better after about 10lbs. My wife & family took notice after about 20 lbs. And, my friends & acquaintances started complimenting me after about 30 lbs.
    Now at over 70 lbs lost. People I have not seen in a long time do not even recognize me.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    I have a suspicion that people notice earlier than they comment. I think people like to wait a while to be absolutely certain your weight loss is intentional.
  • 30tips
    30tips Posts: 132
    I´m thinking it might be the clothes, too... sometimes one wears a new outfit, of a particular color that is slimming, and they think you lose weight when you didn´t, so I´m sure the reverse is true. Nonetheless, it is true that the important thing is that you actually lost it, and when you keep at it, eventually someone will notice. But if you really need the encouragement, or want to be sure you get it when you reach the 30 lb mark, too, take a look at the color and slim-factor of your clothes.
  • Also keep in mind that when you are seeing yourself everyday and the changes are happening every day, not everyone is going to notice things right away. It is a process and eventually someone will say "Hey, are you working out?" It happens to me quite frequently with coworkers who I do not spend much time around, not so much with the roommates or family.

    The important thing is that you are doing this for you, and you do not quit.
  • muwchck
    muwchck Posts: 261 Member
    I haven't lost but 3 pounds (maybe more now, but I don't have a scale at home, and I don't go to a gym cause we can't afford it), but people like my mother, my doctor and his nurse can tell that I've lost/slimmed from muscle toning already. Hubby doesn't see it yet, but he sees me every day, and I don't think it's a big enough change for him to see yet. Knowing that people who don't see me very often can see a difference is nice though. But I'm doing this for me, and not for everyone else, so if they hadn't noticed yet, I wouldn't be upset about it either.
  • baddbob
    baddbob Posts: 133 Member
    I think it depends on where you start and where your body typically loses it first. I started at 286 and I seem to lose it in the face and butt first. People started noticing at about 15 pounds. I was walking around my Tampa office today and I'm at the 22 pound point and everyone seems to be saying something. I just think it varies. Keep at it!! 20 pounds is fantastic!!!!!
  • 30tips
    30tips Posts: 132
    You know, eventually they might even notice when they see that you glow from happiness of having lost the 20 lbs. , too...
  • ZombieChaser
    ZombieChaser Posts: 1,555 Member
    I have a suspicion that people notice earlier than they comment. I think people like to wait a while to be absolutely certain your weight loss is intentional.

    ^^This! Someone at work this morning came in and looked at me, paused, and asked me if I was sick...I said no, I feel fine, then he followed with Oh... but you're losing weight. I'd have rather he not say anything at all...

    Keep your chin up girl! You know in your heart (and your clothes!) that you've lost 20 lbs - and we all think that that's an amazing accomplishment! <hugs!>
  • musicgirl88
    musicgirl88 Posts: 504 Member
    Supposedly other people noticed my weight loss after about 25-30 pounds...but I have not seen a change at all. I think I look exactly the same as I did when I weighed 226....So I don't know if people are just being nice because they know I'm trying, or if I am just not seeing what they are seeing.
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
    People started to comment on my weight loss when I lost around 20 lb, which was roughly 10 % of my body weight.

    I suspect that some people have noticed earlier, but was not expressed this verbally.

    20lb is a lot either case.. However, it is different if it is 15% or just 5% of your bodyweight.
    Also it depends where do you lose it from. Some people show in their face vary fast, and the loss quite apparent really fast. I personally didn`t have double chin or moon face, so people notice the change only when my waistline change a lot.
  • I have lost 20lbs and no one has noticed

    I have to tell this sweet story...I started my new lifestyle, to be healthy & thinner, on January 4th. I hadn't seen my grandsons for a couple of weeks, so on January 26th, after a 4 lbs loss, I went to their place and my youngest grandson, who is 8, comes up to me and says "Grandma, are you losing weight?" I started laughing and hugged him tight, saying "you are my favorite grandson in the whole world!" Nobody else had even noticed before then. My husband, after 5 lbs lost, now says I look thinner in the face.
    Hang in there! I think your 20 lbs weight loss is terrific! Do it for yourself and don't worry what everyone else thinks. They will definitely notice soon!
  • kevinlynch3
    kevinlynch3 Posts: 287 Member
    You've worked hard to lose those pounds and of course you want people to notice. You take pride in your accomplishment and everyone wants the results of their efforts to be noticed. I know that I do and I think that's a very common attitude. Lets face it..there's a certain amount of vanity that comes with wanting to lose weight other than purely just for health/comfort reasons.

    I would say for me it was at or around 20 lbs when I first started getting comments. I had about 40 to lose and I only have 10 left to go.

    Other posters have made good points.

    a)People who see you every day won't notice.
    b) Family can sometimes be the worst about not saying anything. Trust me...they notice. I had one brother say "Where's the rest of you when I went back to Ireland in Nov..another brother said nothing to me for 3 days until one night at the pub he leaned over and said "God Kevin, you've lost a lot of weight". I think part of it is that sometimes people are not comfortable in their own skin either and don't want to be reminded of that.

    A person who hasn't seen you in a while (other than family) is a good measure of whether your weight loss is noticable. That and when the mirror catches you by surprise and you see the "thin" you :smile:
  • danigirl1011
    danigirl1011 Posts: 314 Member
    Once i got over 30 pounds people started coming out of the woodwork. 5 or 6 a day. Dont worry. Keep up the hard work and it will become very noticeable to everyone around you :)
  • Like I said in the above post, it is REALLY hard to see the weight loss in yourself. when I dropped 40 pounds from 457 to 417, personally I did not really see it. The numbers on the scale changed, I had more energy, and my clothes fit me a little bit better, but honestly I did not think appearence wise there was much change. Like you had had people comment, asking me if I was losing weight or whatever, but I also thought they were just being nice. Then I looked back at my before picture and compared it to the after. It wasn't a drastic change. It was a total body thing. It won't happen overnight, but trust me, it is happening. Just be patient and do not give up on yourself.
  • ItsMeRebekah
    ItsMeRebekah Posts: 909 Member
    I have lost 20lbs and no one has noticed

    I have to tell this sweet story...I started my new lifestyle, to be healthy & thinner, on January 4th. I hadn't seen my grandsons for a couple of weeks, so on January 26th, after a 4 lbs loss, I went to their place and my youngest grandson, who is 8, comes up to me and says "Grandma, are you losing weight?" I started laughing and hugged him tight, saying "you are my favorite grandson in the whole world!" Nobody else had even noticed before then. My husband, after 5 lbs lost, now says I look thinner in the face.
    Hang in there! I think your 20 lbs weight loss is terrific! Do it for yourself and don't worry what everyone else thinks. They will definitely notice soon!
    awww precious!! i love kids =)
  • I had lost 30 pounds since anyone noticed. I know it's annoying, but that is a great achievement! Keep it up! :)
  • amycdsteinberg
    amycdsteinberg Posts: 52 Member
    Someone told me-4 weeks before you notice a difference, 8 weeks before friends and family notice and 12 weeks before everyone else notices. I have been going strong for almost 6 weeks now have lost about 20 pounds and yesterday I had my first compliment-it felt so good and made it all worth it! I have a long way to go but having people notice does boost your self esteem! Give it a few more pounds people WILL notice! Good job and keep going!!!
  • TheAnie
    TheAnie Posts: 180 Member
    I had people commenting by the first five pounds, but I don't have as much to lose as some people. So I think it showed faster for me. The people who were commenting had NO idea I'd been trying to lose weight. On the other hand, with twenty five pounds down I saw family over the holidays and no one said a word. I think it makes people uncomfortable to talk about weight loss.
  • GA_Gyrl
    GA_Gyrl Posts: 25 Member
    25-30 lbs and people will notice! Also are you building lean muscle mass!?
  • shine_
    shine_ Posts: 150 Member
    I didn't tell anyone when I started, because I didn't want questions about it all, and I didn't want people to observe me through the day and have that information in the background, that I was trying to lose weight. I guess I wanted to safeguard myself in case it wouldn't happen very fast or if it would once in a while maybe even look to not happen at all. I didn't want people to get their expectations up, sort of thing. I probably lost 20ish lbs before anyone said anything I think and when they did I just brushed it off and denied it basically. I started mid September and it wasn't until after the holidays really that more and more people picked up on it. Though people back home definitely commented when I went back for the holidays too.

    I'm kind of glad on days when no one says anything because it's super obvious now really, so it's hard to deny it but I just get really awkward when people talk to me about it. They want to know what I've done and how much I've lost and say stuff like "you're getting too skinny now!" and it's just... none of their business really which you can't exactly turn around and say! I guess my advice would just be to not let that affect you, you're doing this for you, so if you can tell the difference then that's all that matters!
  • stacymama5
    stacymama5 Posts: 391 Member
    No one had said anything to me (I have lost 16 pounds) until my sweet husband the other day grabbed my butt and said "what happened to your butt". That made my month (started January of this year). I guess it doesn't matter if anyone else says anything. He noticed and more importantly I feel so much better!!
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
    Give it a little more time and they will start noticing. I saw my mom yesterday for the first time since losing 20 pounds, and she didn't notice. I know that with someone that has a lot to lose (like myself - needing to lose another 75) it may take 30-40 pounds before people start to notice.

    Congrats on your loss and keep up the good work! :flowerforyou:
  • ANeWcRe8N
    ANeWcRe8N Posts: 1,180 Member
    Ppl honestly didn't notice until I lost about 40lbs or so.. then again probably because I started out so huge lol.
  • crb1988
    crb1988 Posts: 134 Member
    I really think it depends on how much you have to lose. I decided when I started losing that I wasn't going to tell anyone I was on a "diet." I just did my thing. It took a good 40 pounds before anyone noticed. After that first 40 it really started to show with each 10 pound loss. Now that I'm about 15 from goal things are still shifting and I get a lot of comments.

    You're doing great. Hang in there.

    I did the same thing...people started noticing about 40 pounds in. Now I'm wearing less baggy clothing, so people notice it more.

    To OP: Congrats on your loss...great job!!!
  • YassSpartan
    YassSpartan Posts: 1,195 Member
    I guess it all depends on how much your weight loss affects your face and whether or not you keep using the same clothes.

    In my case, people start noticing after my 3rd week, even if the weight loss hasn't been that great, because my face gets thin very fast.
  • ASPhantom
    ASPhantom Posts: 637 Member
    I always get this "Wow, your hair is so long", I want to say "No, the difference is that I have lost 37 pounds!"
    It's doesn't matter.

    I do it for me.
  • megmo_7
    megmo_7 Posts: 98 Member
    I read a great motivational poster the other day. It went along the lines of it takes four weeks for you to notice, 8 weeks for those close to you to notice and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Obviously the more weight you have to lose the longer it will take people to notice. I have lost 20 lbs as well and no one has noticed not even myself.
  • georgia98_98
    georgia98_98 Posts: 123 Member
    Remember that not everyone:

    a)is paying attention to your weight or how you look
    b)may not comment because weight is a touchy subject
    c)you maybe wearing closes that are concealing your weight loss!!! if you pranced around in a swimsuit everyday people may notice
    d)why do you need people to notice.. are you doing it for them or for you???

    I agree with A-C... But she most likely is doing it for herself, but likes to b told that others sees her hard work.... I know...
    NE way... The first person to notice was my 8 yr old.. lol I didn't have ppl notice till 20pds. (two weeks ago) & when they ask, it's like they really didn't want to cause of being worried of it making me mad... You got this.. Hang in there!!!
  • They say it takes

    4 weeks for you to notice
    8 weeks for friends and family
    and 12 weeks for everyone else

    so stick it out at least 12 weeks!
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