[Coondocks]

I have 35 pounds lef tto go until im in the healthy range, and that's all good - its a lot better than 103 that's for sure.
But I was wondering, it took 60 lbs lost for me to actually notice the difference in my physical appearance, and even now I still think 35 pounds isn't going to make the difference in my legs, arms, stomach etc that it's 'supposed' to.

So I'm wondering, when do you get to the point where 5 lbs makes a big visible difference? Or is it just my mind playing tricks on me still?
I know there is clearly a difference, I mean 18/20 in pants to a comfortable 12 . . . there's a difference, just wondering if it really is that you don't notice the smaller numbers changing your appearance until much closer to goal, or if it's my mind playing tricks on me.

Did that even make sense?

[Eliana]

I think about now. Well, about now 10 pounds should make a big difference. I thought the same thing at your weight. But now, not that much less than you, 10 pounds makes a very big difference and others notice as well. My muscles are starting to pop up beneath the fat that is no longer there and that makes a big difference as well.

You're just entering the sweet spot. You really are!

[runningfromfat]

Originally Posted by Eliana

I think about now. Well, about now 10 pounds should make a big difference. I thought the same thing at your weight. But now, not that much less than you, 10 pounds makes a very big difference and others notice as well. My muscles are starting to pop up beneath the fat that is no longer there and that makes a big difference as well.

You're just entering the sweet spot. You really are!

ITA. Back before I gained all this baby weight at one point I went from 188 to 175 and it was a HUGE difference. I'm just a bit taller than you... so it could be around the 170's when you see a remarkable difference but back when I lost that weight every 5 pounds really showed. Now I'm in the not-showing-range but I still see the 5 lb differences and can certainly feel them!!!

[rschroed]

TOTALLY agree. For me, from 196lbs-180lbs, I didn't see a *huge* difference, but I dropped a size. Since then, any amount of weight I lose is visible immediately. Just last month, in losing 5.5lbs, I lost the worst part of my belly--as in, it doesn't hang down and swing when I lean over while naked. It was *extremely* noticeable, to me; I'm always petting my flat (at least: flatter!) tummy now, because I keep marvelling at how it feels after that one month.

You'll see it! This is definitely the exciting "sweet spot".

[kbj0123]

Please don't make the mistake of forgetting how far you've come. In 2004, I lost 40 lbs and then forgot how far I had gotten. I began feeling disgusted with how my body looked and lost perspective. You have done a great job! Even if you can't see the difference, your body knows the difference health-wise.

Keep up the good work.

[Eliana]

Originally Posted by kbj0123

Please don't make the mistake of forgetting how far you've come. In 2004, I lost 40 lbs and then forgot how far I had gotten. I began feeling disgusted with how my body looked and lost perspective. You have done a great job! Even if you can't see the difference, your body knows the difference health-wise.

Keep up the good work.

I second this. I got to right about where the OP is, 186 pounds at 5'4". It wasn't good enough for me and I gained it all back, plus some. Now I'm just 20 pounds lighter than that and I'm quite content if I never lose another pound. Really. And I'm still 20 pounds "overweight".

[WhitePicketFences]

Couldn't agree more that you are entering a sweet spot.

Hard to say which point made the most drastic difference to me, but I would pinpoint a few big markers:

After I'd lost about 40 lbs (like others, this becoming a big turning point is something I note even more in retrospect. Turning and continuing past 25-30 lbs lost was a big determining place for me because I'd twice gone that far and failed to continue).

Next big turning point would literally be at your amount from normal weight. Keep it up, because yes, now the smaller minuses are going to add a lot of hotness :-) After another 20, you will probably feel/look to others downright 'skinny' (I did.)

From 10 lbs overweight to squarely in normal range was also a huge difference (for me this was going from 175 to 145). At 160 ... going down to 150 ... I definitely felt like 5 lbs really made a difference, much larger than 20 did at the beginning!

And now, where I am almost a year after making my original goal of 140, I really do find a real, regular difference at the 5 lb -range wherein I continue to vacillate.

[Coondocks]

Thansk Ladies . . . I think I just needed to hear/read that I'm not really nuts lol. I know the less you have to lose the more of a difference the smaller losses make, but thinking 'well I can't see a difference after losing 50lbs' confused me way too much.

So now I have a new mini goal . . . . to notice that I'm in the sweet spot!!

[goodforme]

I know you've heard the paper towel roll analogy. If a full roll of paper towels is a human body, and each sheet represents 5 pounds, when you peel off the first few sheets, you don't really notice the difference, but the closer you get to the cardboard core (your muscles/skeleton) the more noticeable it is when you peel off one sheet. You can really do this!!

[ubergirl]

That is exactly where I am-- about 25 lbs above a healthy weight....

I don't feel that different from how I felt when I was up in the two-teens, but I tried on a pair of pants that I bought when I was about 210 and the DID NOT FIT... I could not wear them. I was surprised.

[Coondocks]

I think I may have actually hit that sweet spot lol - I've had 4 people at work today mention to me how I've lost weight and am looking really great and healthy.
I've only been here since april, granted that was almost 30 pounds ago, but in the last 2 weeks i've gone down about 6 pounds and that seems to be making the difference.

I feel like such a dork that I'm giddy over this

[Vixsin]

Proud of ya, girly! You're doing great!!!!