why can't I see a 20 lb difference?

richucm · May 2012

I cant get into the measuring of myself but I do notice the we belt loop I'm using now or the old shirt that was tight before and isn't anymore lots of everyday things a person can keep track of

but I do weigh on the scale once a week..

esphixiet · May 2012

conggratulations!! 20 lbs is a big milestone, be proud!!!

I started off taking pictures, then I started taking measurements too. I also found that the smaller pant size made me look bulkier, but I think its a trick of the eye. The only way you can be sure is by photos or measurements!
Good luck in the rest of your journey!!

Meggie1045 · May 2012

I feel the same way!! I thought after losing 19 lbs I would look like a whole different person but I don't think that I do. I worry because I have 11 more to go to be at my goal weight but if I haven't seen a difference after 19 will I look how I wanted after losing 11? I wish I took pictures when I started.

myfitnessnmhoy · May 2012

It's funny, I just went through all of my old pictures and I could only find a few that actually showed my body. I'd been hiding it for so long that most of the pictures were either carefully-chosen angles or me standing behind things so my body wouldn't show.

I finally found a decent set of before-and-after.

From 1998, I'm the guy on the left, wearing (if I recall correctly) size 42 or 44 pants. I weighed about 280 at the time, give or take a few. This is one of the few "honest" pictures I have of myself.

http://www.nmhoy.net/alaska/hoyboys.jpg

From 2001, probably weighing in at about 260 or so, at a guess. Note the slight angle I'm standing at. That was my standard pose when not hiding behind something or someone. Also note the careful tuck of the shirt - loose on the sides and tighter in the middle. I put a lot of work into that tuck!

http://www.nmhoy.net/yellowstone/sun08.jpg

From last year, weighing in at 235ish (almost 20 pounds ago). Still a belly, but I could finally face the camera head-on.

http://www.nmhoy.net/2011Southwest/3/IMG_2915.JPG

And the journey continues.

Emancipated_Tai · May 2012

Take side by side photos of yourself wearing the same clothes. That is the only way I see my difference. I've lost a total of 52lbs since last year (some prior to MFP) and looking in the mirror, I never see it.. my eyes are still trained to see the fatter me. Its a sad mental process :sad:

ashreynolds09 · May 2012

20 pounds is a huge deal, so congrats on getting that! I will say I've lost 35lbs and I didn't even notice a difference in how I looked until I looked at the pictures side by side. But when I look in the mirror, when I get dressed in the morning I still see the same, overweight/obese self. I think this is all a mental thing -- being able to accept the new, thinner you!

MissTattoo · May 2012

Take pictures for every 10 pounds. When I lost 50 I didn't feel any different but the photos told another story.

SingSmileLaugh · May 2012

I"m down 35 lbs and although I post the pics for inspiration for others, they're more for me. In fact, today I wore a shirt that I bought and had in my closet for two years, why? Because I didn't like how my arms looked in it. Looking at my pics I have lost the arm that looked like the "turkey leg from the renaissance festival" and now my arms look normal (except when I flex..then watch out!)
20 lbs is amazing!!! FREE HUGS!!!! xoxo

elfo · May 2012

I was the same way, but then I realized that's probably why I became overweight to begin with -- I didn't "notice" it. Just know you're doing well- by 25 I could really see it. It's probably getting distributed evenly, so you don't see it in a specific area. If you have a lot to loose (like when I started) you mentally think 20 lbs is a lot, but in perspective to how much you need to loose it's the tip of the iceberg, so don't get discouraged- I took it 5 lbs at a time- don't think of the BIG number or you'll think it's impossible. It's been 4 months for me and 32 lbs down-- take it step by step and don't create too many expectations- just know you're doing the right thing for your health - Good luck! and congrats on the 20!

MommaKit79 · May 2012

I have lost over 110lbs and sometimes when I look in the mirror I think I still look the same. We are our own toughest critics.

GREAT JOB on the 110lb loss!!

When I lost 30-35 lbs for my wedding, I was buying smaller clothes but didnt see the difference, until i looked at a picture of me in a year before. Easter 2008 I took a picture with my Step-Daughter then, Feb 2009, I see a picture from her Birthday party and I was like WOW!!! Great job on the 20lbs :happy: Good Luck on the rest of your journey!!

BrettWithPKU · May 2012

The mind tends to play tricks on you. I'm down 13 and feel like I have the energy I had when I weighed 50 pounds less.

I haven't changed a pant size yet, though my Khaki pants I wear every day are all the semi-stretchy waist, so that does make it more difficult to notice.
I'm taking measurements but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.

The one thing I have noticed. I have this XXL shirt, which when I got it originally I was swimming in it: it was so big! But as of about a month ago it fit just right, and my XL shirts were getting tight. I wore that XXL shirt to work out yesterday and, sure enough, I felt like I was swimming in it!

It's all a game of little victories. Remember complements you receive, take note when you drop pants sizes or even when you can tighten the belt by one loop. Note when a shirt feels a bit bigger than you remember. But DON'T question yourself or the results: you look fine. And you're going to look better with time.

why can't I see a 20 lb difference?

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