This is basically just going to be me being angry.

oh you probably dont see the difference because you look at yourself every day too........ bless you ignore the scales, post up a few pictures and I'm sure you will see the differences, remember it gets harder as you get closer to your goals and your doing amazingly

Try to focus on your accomplishment - 20 lbs. is fantastic!!!! I'm pretty much fixated on the scale too, but I don't take it too seriously. Maybe purchase a new scale and only weigh yourself once in the morning and stay off for the rest of the day. I've found that people don't notice a difference in my weight until I've lost about 25 lbs., but I do! Even now at a weight loss of 17 lbs today I can fit into one size lower and that feels wonderful!

Whatever you choose just don't give up. Every day ounce by ounce your're a little closer to your goal. Friend me if you'd like

I can totally relate to the ear comment, that made me laugh

I say screw the scales focus on your health. That is what I've been doing. Make sure you are eating unprocessed nutritionally dense food. Make sure you are eating plenty of protein. Make sure you are doing cardio exercise for heart health. And by all means lift! You will be amazed at what a difference lifting will do for body composition. Good luck!

Have you measured your body fat percentage?

No, but when I return to university this fall, I plan to--the university offers a free fitness evaluation and ongoing nutrition consultations--I never took advantage (or even paid attention to them) before, but I have every intention of doing so this fall! I think I may meet with a trainer a few times, too. I am super self-conscious about working out and being in the gym--even the idea of meeting with a personal trainer frightens me, but something I want to overcome.

As for "looking fine"--I would say I am one of those people that is usually chided for trying to watch what I eat. Sure, I look pretty okay. But I am still one of those people who is high risk for a plethora of medical conditions, and want to work on the small amount of body fat I have had around my middle to reduce these risks before I get to that age where it is much more difficult to make these kinds of changes. And, I have this dream of being a fashionista. I want to wear knits without fear. I want to wear tank tops. Heck, I want to go swimming without feeling weird about taking my shirt off! Heck, I want to go running with my shirt off down the street! I might even become one of those people who takes their shirts off at the most inappropriate moments (libraries, funerals).

I love your sense of humor!! I have lost 24 pounds this yr and while some people noticed after about 15, more people are noticing in just the last 2 weeks, and I haven't lost any scale weight in like two months! Things are just changing and rearranging! I've lost a majority of that in my upper body. I'm still waiting for my hips, thighs, and lower ab to join the party!

Keep at it, it will happen. And take pics! You don't realize how much change has happened without pics! For example, my profile pic!

Great job on your weight loss so far! I have been a MFP user (on and off) for a few years now. Whenever I get really stressed out I stop logging because I am a stress eater (a substitute for the stress smoker I used to be) and don't want to hold myself accountable. This time around I have a goal of 40 lbs to lose and am down 7... while the weight isn't dropping as quickly as I'd like (overnight, of course) I am seeing a difference in my body shape.
I looked through your food and exercise diary to figure out why you might not be seeing changes even though you have lost 20lbs. It doesn't look like you have been exercising, or at least haven't logged it lately. It's fine if you choose not to, you can still lose weight and improve your health, but your shape itself will not change.
The second thing I noticed is a lot of prepared food, more specifically, McDonald's. I would really worry about the sodium factors here which will cause major bloating (and lethargy making exercise more difficult, IMO). You want to make sure that you are getting the necessary vitamins and minerals so that your organs are functioning properly , many of these are lost in the over-processing of food so if you're not already taking supplements then I'd encourage those as well. I recently read that magnesium and iodine deficiencies can be the cause of weight gain and many other medical symptoms... I'm in the process of reading up as much as I can on both and hope that others on this site will consider doing the same.

I believe that changing these few things will open up a world of possibilities for your shirtless adventures!!!

First things first--I love you :flowerforyou: ! Hahaha

No, seriously, your sense of humor is great :laugh:

Do cardio to burn calories immediately, but I'd definitely recommend lifting weights. You can lift weights for quite a long period of time without getting bulky. Getting bulky really requires a lot of effort specifically striving towards that. By lifting you will increase the amount of muscle you have (:noway: duh, I know) but that will enable you to burn more fat throughout the day due to muscle burning more calories than fat. So you'll burn some calories while doing the weight lifting, and increase your overall daily calorie burn once you increase the amount of muscle you have. Muscle is also denser (not heavier as some think..a pound is a pound is a pound) than fat, so the same amount of weight in muscle will take up less room in your body than fat. Make sure you are also getting enough protein--about 1g per every pound you weigh.

Also, make sure you're getting enough water each day. Aim for at least 8 cups but go for more if you can! And try to eat as "clean" as possible--little to no processed foods (this is hard in the beginning but once you get the hang of shopping for them it gets much easier), lots of veggies, and good amount of fruits and whole grains in addition to protein. It also saves time if you cook enough for a few meals at once and then eat them for a few days. By the time I get home from work and finish my workout, it's between 7 and 8pm. I usually do not feel like cooking then! So preparing a few meals in advance has definitely helped me out :happy:


And good job on your weight loss! You should still be proud of yourself! I really recomend taking pictures. I knew my body had changed but I didn't realize how much until I took a progress photo! Make sure to really analyze every part of your body--arms, neck, chest, back, waist, legs.....it's easy to give a photo a once over and say there isn't a big change but when you pick your body apart piece by piece (in the good way!) you can really see the changes!

Oh stop, you know that you are a total hottie!! Keep up the good work. My only thing is 'maybe', just maybe ... did you wear your clothes baggy because you were self concious about your weight. Maybe people can't tell because you weren't showing off the goods before.

Keep up the good work.

it can defintely take a higher loss to really see it.
As was as water retention U will have lost the fat inside U, around your organs.
you're doing great

I should just give up on being thin, and just lift a lot of weights, and become that guy who huge arms and chest and shoulders.

I vote for this, yes, please.