Question For People Who Have/Had A Lot To Lose...

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Replies

  • tajmel
    tajmel Posts: 401 Member
    This seems to be a really common issue. A lot of women have trouble seeing themselves as thinner. This is one reason that a measuring tape should be your best friend!

    I have 126 lbs left to lose and personally I notice every pound. I wake up, look in the mirror, look down, and can pretty reliably guess if I've gained or lost weight. Sometimes I'm wrong if I've been doing a lot of strength training, but generally :). Seriously, every little bit I lose makes me feel like 300% sexier.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    I was about 230 when I first started Weight Watcher many years ago. It took about 25-30 lbs. before people started noticing and I think that was because that's when I was able to wear the next small sized pants. It always takes awhile for your brain to catch up, so I still wasn't really seeing it in the mirror at that point. Stick with it...
  • mdcjmom
    mdcjmom Posts: 597 Member
    I didn't notice it at first til my jeans fell off my butt literally... Can not see the behind view!
  • AllyBooMommyof2
    AllyBooMommyof2 Posts: 171
    It took about 50. I honestly don't see a different me in the mirror in fact I went through a phase where I felt worse about myself than I did when I started. You have to take pictures and compare I have a front side and back view from when I started and at 50 pounds lost on my fridge and in 20 more pounds lost ill put up 100 pounds lost ones and I can see changes in pictures easy... the mirror not so much... so be sure to take pics
  • hottiebikerchick
    hottiebikerchick Posts: 187 Member
    Pictures and a tape measure will be your best friends!
  • shmiracles
    shmiracles Posts: 105 Member
    for me, right when i reached 30 lbs lost, i suddenly noticed it. like bam!
    my clothes fit great, i was less tired, and everyone who knew me couldn't help but notice or comment.

    i took pictures of myself when i started, and i'm not sure they really help. but because of what everyone here has said, i should probably take current pictures and compare them side my side.
  • maxonehiphop
    maxonehiphop Posts: 139 Member
    I don't have a good answer because it differs from person to person but I would just encourage you to keep working hard eating healthy. It pays off.

    I have noticed that my excess "fat" bothers me more now than it did when I was over 300 Lbs but that is partially what keeps me motivated.
  • 20shan08
    20shan08 Posts: 219 Member
    I've lost over 50lbs, and still have 25 to lose. Honestly, when I look in the mirror at myself, naked. I see the same body. It wasn't until I started taking pictures, clothed that I'm like, holy smokes! That's me?? And people will notice before you do. Take tons of pictures, aver couple of weeks! You'll start to notice :)
  • ladyluch99
    ladyluch99 Posts: 264 Member
    As many have said, people will notice before you do. I've lost about 42lbs total (I lost some before finding MFP) and just about everyday somebody will comment on my weight loss. Sadly, like many others who've responded, I look in the mirror and all I can see is that I have a lot more to lose. It does take time but hang in there, the pay off is so worth it! Clothes also tell you much more than the scale ever will.

    All the best to you!!!
  • Trutra
    Trutra Posts: 131 Member
    I have lost around 42lbs. To be honest apart from my face in photos I can't see it. My side by side photos I think you can see a slight change. My mom says a huge change! Friends (who knew I was dieting) have been noticing since around 15lbs, but at around 30lbs I started having people who didn't know have commented all the time.

    Personally, I think a lot of my (? our) weight problem is related to my perception of myself. I picked up weight around age 8-12. Once I hit my teens I lost most and looking at photos from then I was actually a very normal size. However, my perception was that I was fat. I wore clothes that were too big and refused to wear bikinis or short shorts etc because I believed I was fat. Through my late teens and early 20s I picked up weight slowly, but was still not that overweight, although I saw myself as huge.
    I once spend hours searching every "big" shop I could find for an outfit for a wedding and could find nothing that I was happy with. The shop assistant at the last shop told me I was in the wrong section, took me off to the "normal" section and found me a size about 3 sizes below what I was lookign for which fitted perfectly! I think we have sort of a memory of what we were like which stays around for a while interfering with our ability to see the changes.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I like to focus on "measuring" other less subjective things than what the scale says. Since I know it'll take me around a year to get to my goal, I like to make sure I can check off mini wins along the way:
    pushups
    challenges with friends
    strength training challenges
    walking challenges
    rowing challenges

    etc.

    Even when the scale and tape measure are being evil, I am happy to know I can do more pushups than I could at the beginning of the year. I can row for an a hour (grudgingly) and at the beginning of the year it was 10 minutes and I was done.

    Set a lot of mini goals for yourself and stay consistent. You'll get there.
  • fromfattofine
    fromfattofine Posts: 80 Member
    I've lost 60+ lbs and I still can't tell. As far as my clothes, they are loose but they still fit. I ask myself all the time, have I even lost any weight? I don't know, but like you, I have a lot to lose. I do measure and I have lost inches, but I'm just not seeing it yet. Maybe I'll start taking photos as well.
  • LifeJacketWaterJogger
    LifeJacketWaterJogger Posts: 231 Member
    you will see it better in the pictures, that's where i see mine check out my pictures!
  • LifeJacketWaterJogger
    LifeJacketWaterJogger Posts: 231 Member
    i see what you ate you just killed the theory on not eating fruit to lose weight, i love your foods and i eat a lot of mushrooms myself!
  • lorihalsted
    lorihalsted Posts: 326 Member
    I started out at 335 lbs and honestly it took me losing 40-50 of those pounds before I (or most people) could see a difference. Don't judge yourself too harshly and keep doing what you are doing.
  • Bigpelly8
    Bigpelly8 Posts: 504 Member
    Other people will notice long before you ever will!!! Don't get discouraged!
  • ncsjodi
    ncsjodi Posts: 102 Member
    I totally agree that other people will notice it first. I'm so used to seeing myself much bigger that I don't see myself objectively in the mirror at all. I'll see a picture and be totally shocked that I look that thin! In the mirror, I still see myself as 260 pounds....
  • irisheyez718
    irisheyez718 Posts: 677 Member
    I can still look at myself in the mirror and not see a difference. But I know its there. I hear it all of the time from people around me. My pants are 4 sizes smaller than when I started, so I KNOW the difference is there. Take lots of pictures along the way. That's the only place where I really "see" it is when I look back at pictures, especially side by side comparisons.
  • BelleHeart
    BelleHeart Posts: 281 Member
    My starting weight was 302lbs and I am now about 282lbs. I have lost 20lbs and I can DEFINITELY see a change in the mirror! My stomach is much flatter and I have an hourglass shape!! yaaaaay!! I still have a long ways to go though!
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    I find it difficult to see but I took pics at regular points

    http://weightwars.co.uk/progress/weight-loss-in-pictures/
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
    The truth is you don't often see it yourself because you see yourself every day, and so it happens so gradually that it's impossible for you to notice as dramatically as someone who hasn't seen you in a good amount of time would. I started at about 294 lbs and I'm 150 now, but I didn't realize how much smaller I was until somebody pointed it out to me and showed me a picture of me at my heaviest.

    Don't let the fact that you don't see a change in your day-to-day looks discourage you - it's like watching a plant grow, it happens too slowly for us to see a difference, but that doesn't mean it's not happening. Take a picture every month and you WILL see the difference.
  • Vivijeanne
    Vivijeanne Posts: 14
    I am not seeing the scales move at the moment but I have been taking pictures and so I can see the difference.

    I am so glad of the photos as I would have been depressed if I did not have them

    Many others around me are commenting as well so I know I look different even though I have lots more to lose

    Keep at it and use tape measure and photos to help you stay on track

    Good luck in reaching your goals :)
  • futuresizeeight
    futuresizeeight Posts: 46
    I started out at 310 and am currently at 296, so I still have a LONG way to go. I do, however, see a slight difference in the mirror. I think the entire 14 pounds I've lost have been in my midsection, as my waist is noticeably more defined already.
  • OfficiallySexyVal
    OfficiallySexyVal Posts: 492 Member
    So far I have lost 39 pounds, I have lost 2 pant sizes but in the mirror I feel I do not look any different than I did 39 pounds ago! I didn't take a starting picture, now I wish I would have because everyone says they can see the difference but I still can not.
    I still have around 95+ pounds left to lose and I just took a pic a few weeks ago so I can see my progress when I am done, kicking myself in the butt for not taking one when I first started!
    Don't get discouraged, keep eat right and exercising and I promise you will start noticing! It may take a while but it is all part of this long process. Best of luck! Feel free to add me if you would like!
  • geohow11
    geohow11 Posts: 126 Member
    ...how long does it take to see results in the mirror? Just curious. If the scale is moving in the right direction and you're working really hard, how much weight do you have to lose so that it begins to show? I know for heavier people it tends to take longer to actually see (right?) and i promised myself i'd have patience and take comfort in the knowledge that as long as the scale says weight is coming off then it's coming off SOMEWHERE and i'd chill out and wait it out until i can see it. I guess what i'm looking for is reassurance and some real-life examples if possible. Thanks. =)

    For me it was 100 lbs. before I began to see the difference in a mirror
  • joellefoote
    joellefoote Posts: 1
    I don't have a scale..........Guess it's time to invest in one!!! I hope to see results of my workouts and dieting within a few weeks.
  • 3LittleMonkeyMom
    3LittleMonkeyMom Posts: 259
    I see it in my face first. My face gets REALLY large...and when I start losing I can see a shadow of my cheekbones. ;) That's my guide in the beginning. Then it goes to pants and bras fitting correctly.

    Keep going, you can do this!!! :)
  • fatgirlslim32
    fatgirlslim32 Posts: 31 Member
    Ohhhh, I needed to see this post today. I've been getting a little disillusioned as to how long(!) I've been doing this and a lack of size lost so this thread has been great for me.

    Maybe I'll start doing pictures too.
  • jaimemc86
    jaimemc86 Posts: 15 Member
    How often do you all recommend i take pictures?


    I have been taking pictures about every 2-3 weeks. While the changes are small, I want to be able to see multiple progressions. It's crazy how you notice different areas of your body in the pictures that you would never notice when you look in the mirror. For me, when I look in the mirror, I focus on two places: my belly and my upper arms. That is all I see when I look at myself. So I was very surprised to see how skinny my legs had gotten and how my butt got smaller in the pictures I took! If you are working out, you should also start to see your posture improve, especially in the pictures. Good luck!!!! :)
  • tr1982jr
    tr1982jr Posts: 1 Member
    hang in there sweetie and don't get discouraged if u keep doing what u know to do and hang in there u will c a difference... you are evidently determined to drop it, just feel good about who you are and hang in there because it is how you feel about you and you will c the change just keep going... it really isn't a diet it is a life style change that will have lasting results because you made a choice to do something different for yourself!!! :flowerforyou:

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