Ok so I weighed myself this morning for the first time in a month and I have lost 11 pounds...but I don't see it. I mean, I've lost almost 30 pounds since I started this and I can't tell at all. My clothes fit a little looser and my legs are rock hard, but that's it. I was expecting to need another clothing size by now. I'm halfway to my goal weight and I don't see the body I wanted. Is this normal???
That's so strange. I'm sorry, but I have no idea! I was going to say it's because probably of your muscle, but that wouldn't result in a lot of weight loss.
Do you think it was water weight? Or maybe you were having more bowel movements? Hmm... It's way too confusing! Sorry hun
Last edited by evieistrying09; 05-17-2009 at 12:09 AM.
Location: Southern California, about an hour outside LA.
Posts: 75
S/C/G: 168/115/110 Now: 129/129/105
Height: 5'2"
I know exactly what you're talking about.
I've struggled with these thoughts all throughout my weight loss. I was convinced when I was 140 I looked like I was 160, when I was 120 I looked like I was 140, and now that I'm 118 I think I look like I'm 130. I don't know if it's a mental thing, or if we truly just have an unusual body in that sense, proportioned differently or with a different fat/muscle ratio.
You definitely aren't alone in this. But the point is, we can't dwell on it...whether its a mental thing or a physical thing, the harder we work, the closer we'll get to our goal, one way or another.
You are now that much closer to your goal, which is so awesome. One day the body you were imagining from the beginning will emerge...how exciting will that be?
Have someone take a picture of you now and compare it to a picture of you before. Whenever I look in the mirror, I just see "me", I don't really see changes in my weight when I look in the mirror, but when I look at a picture of myself, I can see it.
Hey! It is completely normal not to notice a difference, given your start weight. But now the good news! You'll start to see the changes really soon! Just keep going!
Every 10 pounds from here on will be a bigger percentage of your total weight, and so be more noticeable.
You might want to start keeping a record of your measurements every month, as well as your weight. Waist, hips, thighs, if you just want to keep it simple.
Same thing happened to me. I didn't change sizes during the first 40 lbs. that I lost. Then, I only changed one size after losing 15 more. After that, I seemed to change sizes every 10 lbs.
You are soooo close. It will happen soon. Just hang in there!
I stayed in a size 16/18 for months--and I mean MONTHS when I first started. As your body goes down you will go through the sizes a lot faster.
30 pounds is an incredible loss. Congrats!
You will start to see it soon! I have a huge body perception issue. My friends, family, and husband all comment on how much weight it looks like I've lost but I honestly can't see it! It's difficult when we look at ourselves in the mirror every single day to see a big change over time.
Part of it may also be how the clothes are fitting. I did not want to move up a size before I started so I wore outfits that were sized large for that size and they were tight. When those same outfits got looser I moved on to regularly sized items for the same dress size and then on. Now I can zip up things 4 sizes smaller but I'm not comfortable wearing things that tight anymore and instead wear things that fit that are 3 sizes smaller than when I started.
From what I've heard on the boards and in my own experience, it seems the heavier you are when you start, the more you need to lose to go down a size. For instance, at my heaviest, I had to lose 30 lbs to go down one size. At my current weight, 10 lbs would be a size change.
You are doing a great job! You may not see it just yet, but you will!
I second (third, whatever) what the girls have said about photos.
I was sure I hadn't lost anything and looked the same. Until I took photos. And the difference is huge! (pun intended!)
So if you have photos of yourself at your heaviest and now, check them out side by side. I did it in the same pose and clothes, but you don't have to do that.
For the record, I still think I look the same! My brain won't process what my eyes are telling me. But it's there.
Here's my blog post with the pics in it, if you like.
I feel the same way, but I know I've gotta give myself time. I always want instant results when I start doing good, but it took time to gain this weight and it sure as heck is gonna take time to lose it! Hang in there girl!
I definitely saw the same thing. For some reason, I don't think the changes look as drastic until you get closer to a "normal" healthy weight. Back in 2001 I lost 60 pounds in 8-9 months, starting at 230 and it wasn't until I got between 180-185 that I felt it looked obvious how much weight I had lost. Then from 180 to 170 it just seemed to change even more.
Of course I ended up gaining all but 10 lbs. back and then in 2006 I finally decided to try to get the weight off for good by taking it more slowly and making changes I could live with. My goal in addition to losing is also to maintain the weight I have lost. I've lost about 15-20 pounds at a time and then go into maintenance mode for at least 3-4 months. With the slower weight loss, it's even more frustrating to not see the changes but over time, when you look at yourself in photos, you can see the changes have happened. I went from 220 down to around 205 and then maintained. Then went down to 190-195 and maintained that for almost 18 months. This past January I started trying to lose slowly again and I just hit 168 last week. I feel like I am now just starting to feel thinner in the last ten pounds or so. Also when I started around 190-195 I was wearing a size 16 and have just now, after 20 pounds gotten into a 14. I do think the lower you get, the more quickly you go down the sizes as at this pace, I would have to be 108 lbs to be a size 8. I think it will be more like every 10-15 lbs. per size from here on out. I just would like to get to a 12 at this point and then go from there.
Why don't I look like what I weigh?
That's so strange. I'm sorry, but I have no idea! I was going to say it's because probably of your muscle, but that wouldn't result in a lot of weight loss.
It is completely normal not to notice a difference, given your start weight. But now the good news! You'll start to see the changes really soon! Just keep going! 
