Anyone else upset at how much longer it takes us bigger girls to see change in our weight??

If I were 150lbs and lost 29lbs - it would look like night and day! I lose 30lbs and I can barely tell the difference!!!

I know I'm smaller because my measurements have changed, I'm fitting into smaller clothes... But at the start of my journey I took video of myself... and today I had the brilliant *rolls eyes* idea of doing another video... I can barely tell a difference!!!!!!!!! The clothes I was wearing in the first video no longer fit me and mmaaayybbeee some of the rolls are a LITTLE smaller... but its, by no means, anywhere NEAR the change I thought I had in my head.

Its so frustrating, I want to cry. I thought I was looking soooooo much better and I can hardly tell!!

As soon as I saw the video, I changed and ran to the gym for an hour.

I know it will get better as long as I keep going, I will get smaller. But geez... can't it be more noticeable?? I am working soooo hard!

Its hard not to get frustrated by this, but know you have done amazingly well and soon, very soon, you will notice it yourself. It is always hard to see yourself as others see you anyway and I bet people have noticed (but maybe not have said anything).

TOTALLY know how that is! I've lost almost 30 too (hoping more, not weighing again till 11/1!) and I swear, I feel totally different and look the same. I'm down some pants sizes, but... Darn my giant boobs!

Maybe once you get down to like, 190 and you drop 10, 20 more, it'll be like night and day! Here's to hoping!

Yes, but the line in the sand is closer than you think. Just think, the next 30 pounds are going to be flat out amazing!! And 30 after that? Forget it! It really does get better and better and truly in not too much time from now.

You will hit a sweet spot somewhere well before you hit goal. You don't have to be at goal to start feeling really, really good about yourself.

For some people, myself included, it's really hard to see a change. Others might actually notice faster. Some people say pictures help, but I still can't see much difference.

The small change might be in your head, or it might not. But if you think of it this way, when you get smaller every pound you lose keeps getting to be a bigger and bigger percent of your weight lost, so you should start changing faster the less you weigh. That's the theory, at least.

For me, I'm down about 43 lbs and only two jeans sizes, one shirt size. I do weight training, cardio, and eat really healthy. It's a pain, but likely due to my shape (lots of weight in the gut and back, which is where jeans and shirt fit - though my arms and legs are smaller...yay?).

Things will keep changing - just keep on going!

It drives me crazy too. I've complained here a couple of times lately that I've lost over 50 pounds and don't get any comments on it. I've only dropped a little over one size, too, because those darn fat-lady sizes (er, I mean, plus sizes) are so far apart.

I feel very different, though. And every time I pick up something heavy I remind myself that I used to haul that around, and more. Last night I jogged up the hill I live on carrying a 14-pound box of cat litter. It felt quite good to imagine strapping four of those boxes to my rear end and trying to drag myself up the hill. But that's exactly what I did every time I walked home, just a little over a year ago.

So rest assured - the changes are there, and your body knows they are there, even if they don't show as much as you'd like.

I know what you mean. I have started to get compliments from others which helps, because when I look at myself I see myself as the same. But also remember you look at yourself EVERY DAY. That means that when your face thins out a bit you might not notice because its the same reflection you see everyday!
But I do know what you mean. Losing a lot of weight is hard. I don't care if anyone else says something different. Its hard and it takes recommitment over and over again!

I definitely feel your pain on this one. But I totally agree with Carter too. I can now get on the scale with my 1 year old son and together we weigh less than I did at the start of my journey. And that's even after close to a week of bingeing and no exercise (bad me!). If I hadn't done so crappy this week, I could get on the scale with my son and my skinnier cat and weigh the same as when I started! I do look forward to seeing more difference, I know they're coming soon, but yeah, I wish I had more instant gratification. But then again, my need for instant gratification is kind of what got me into this fat mess to begin with! Hang in there, big changes are on their way!

I know this is so frustrating! I lost nearly 70 pounds before anyone noticed. Stay strong; you'll get there!

I don't live in the same state as my family and co-workers so they've seen my weight loss in @6 month intervals. The first time I was 45 lbs. down and nice comments were made but overall not too much attention was paid. For me this was the hardest part of the weight loss journey. I was working sooo hard because exercise was harder with the bigger body, cravings were still calling, etc. and yet the visual payoff was not that exciting. Size 24 pants to 20 which was very exciting to me but lets face it, I was still wearing plus size clothing. A friend had tagged me in some FB pictures taken during that trip and it was pretty discouraging for me to see them.

The next visit I was 80 lbs. down and everyone noticed and frankly my new size was the topic of many conversations. I was wearing size 14 during that trip. Pictures that were taken during this trip made me happy.

This last visit (last week) I was now 100 lbs. down. Size 8. People commented that they could see I'd lost "a bit more" but then conversations moved on. They've all gotten used to me being "normal" sized even though I was 100+ lbs overweight for more than 20 years and many of those people have never seen me at this size. Although I kind of missed the attention of the previous visit, it was kind of cool that my new size was just the way I look now, no biggie.

So yes, it takes a long time and I can remember writing a similar e-mail @ 30 lbs. down, but I promise you the appearance changes do kick in and then kind of drop off again as the weight loss slows closer to goal.

UGGGHH YES! I have 109 lbs left to lose. I am SO frustrated that its going to take me forever to lose it, I want it off NOW. The only thing that keeps me motivated is that I know that the longer I keep at it, the less time I will have to spend on it. The more days I spend on plan, the less I have to lose, and the less time it will take.

How many times have I said I was going to lose weight, fell of the wagon almost immediately and stayed off. Then a year passes by, and I look back on that year thinking about how much weight I could have lost had I stayed on plan the whole time.

My philosophy is, the time is going to go by either way. Whether I'm losing, gaining, or maintaining. I want to look back on a year gone by and think "thank GOD I stuck with it, why didn't I do this sooner, look where I am now"

*waves* I've the same sorta problem, I keep bouncing up and down, with me it's like when I lose it I can't whatso ever unless it's an extreme amount of weight, but when I put it on it's like BANG right there, I hate how hard i try to lose and see no difference, but it's still nice to see the numbers go down

Love this. pbolton posted to MRC forum sometime ago. It helps get some perspective. It is so true.

I found this "analogy" a while back, and I think it really helps in understanding why the weight and inches can come off and not show so much in the beginning. I remember losing 20-30 lbs. in the beginning, and I was so thrilled, but nobody else seemed to notice. Very frustrating. I think that's why so many folks become disillusioned and give up. Now I can lose five pounds and folks comment about how quickly I lose weight and they wish they could do the same.

It was written pertaining to the Body For Life Challenge, but it really applies to any weight loss program.

Paper Towel Theory by Bob White

Let's assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with only 84 paper towels on it (one for each day of the challenge). You put one aside, and keep it for future reference (your before/ picture).

The other one represents you (I'll call your paper towel you "Ed"). The core represents the lean Ed. The towels represent the fat that is covering the lean Ed. For sake of argument, let's say that Ed wants to lose 21 pounds of fat, so (84/21) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let's also assume that Ed loses his fat equally during each day of the challenge.

Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Ed, representing the fat he has lost for the day. Next, you put Ed next to the full roll ("Big Al") for comparison. No noticeable difference!!! Even at the end of the week! This can't be working for me!

But, being a good Ed, you continue to follow Body-for-LIFE. At the end of weeks two and three, you continue to compare Ed to Big Al, and still notice very little difference. That stinkin' Bill Phillips MUST be a liar!

But Ed is determined! He works hard! Three more weeks go by, the sheets peeling off day after day, before Ed gets up the courage to stand next to Big Al again. Holy Myoplex! Ed is skinny! OK, not skinny, but less huge!!!

By the end of the 12-week Body-for-LIFE program, Ed is down to his lean dream, or somewhere near it. Ed is happy. We are happy. Big Al - well he's not so happy.

The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around,that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area - just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area.

While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same - your perception is just different! And you'll never see the inside, if you aren't patient while the outside is coming off! - Bob White

Amen! My first almost 50 pounds are gone, and I don't see a difference at ALL. Well, that's not entirely true. I do see my waist as a little more defined. But I'm still wearing the same clothes, I'm still seeing rolls and flab and a double chin. Very few people have said anything, and I'm not surprised. There's no visible difference, except on the scale. Even my progress pics don't reveal a visible difference. Thank god for the scale, or I'd have given up by now.

I like the paper towel analogy though. I hope that my next 50 pounds reveals it to be true.