Hey Guys,

I have been dieting for 17 days now and haven't slipped once - so I feel as if I should be pretty proud of myself. Unfortunately, I don't feel even a modicum of pride as I can't see the slightest bit of difference. I know its probably a tall order to ask for visible changes so early on, but it is making it somewhat difficult to stay motivated.

I'm not weighing myself (I truly think my mental health would be profoundly scarred if I measured my success in that manner) - so discernible improvement is all I have to look forward to.

So my question is not only 'When will I see a difference?' but also 'How do I stay motivated until I do?' Some wise words and sage advice would be very much welcomed.

(I am 5'4, I was 176lbs at the beginning of the year and I am on a 1200 calorie a day diet but I normally manage 1100).

Ready

Are you exercising?

I'm walking to work every day rather than taking the bus. 1 mile each way. That is about all I can stomach where exercise is concerned.

Have you taken your measurements? I couldn't see a difference on myself and the scale only went down 8.5 pounds, so I was getting super-impatient. But, I measured before I started and after 15 days. Even though I couldn't see it, the tape measure doesn't lie. I'd dropped 22.5 inches overall!!! I def. recommend taking your measurements.

If you aren't weighing and/or measuring yourself in any way, you may or may not be able to notice a difference so quickly. There are people on these forums who lose forty, fifty, sixty pounds and still look in the mirror and see themselves at their high weights. They have to train themselves to see the differences because they've gotten so used to looking at themselves through "fat eyes." Other people have "skinny eyes" and see a difference in just a few pounds.

How are your clothes fitting? Try on something that used to be snug and see how well it goes on/zips up now. That's often a good indicator.

And I second the advice to take pictures and measurements. I SO wish I had, because I know I look better with twenty pounds gone (and it isn't just "skinny eyes" as I can feel how my clothes fit now, too) but can't realistically see just how much better.

I just tried this pair of black skinny jeans I haven't worn in months and they just slid on! Fantastic idea!

I will def measure myself. I'd love to do the picture thing - but i have no one to take them

Excellent--congratulations on your "new" skinny jeans!

Some people take their photos in a full-length mirror. Also, your camera/phone might have a setting to allow you to take a delayed photo. Set it up, hit the button, scramble back to the right spot for your photo, and strike a pose.

These are the markers I am really looking out for!

- When my tummy no longer casts a shadow, I will feel thin!
- When my thighs no longer meet when I am standing normally, I will feel svelte!
- When I no longer have that little bit of fat between my boobs and my arms, I will feel awesome!
- When my bra doesn't make my back fat bulge I will be a very happy bunny!

Yep, that's me! And that's what I was going to post, but Nola Celeste beat me to it.

I completely understand not wanting to use a scale, but I really do think you need to find some other objective measure of progress other than feelings. My feelings lie to me every day and tell me I'm still 180 pounds (where I was for a long time) in a size 16.

If you're not using the scale, for sure take a variety of measurements. Pictures, maybe wearing the same/similar outfit would also be a good indicator. And, as you've discovered, having a "goal" or "mini-goal" item of clothing.

Also, looking at your original post - I notice you're going under your calorie goal. I would, personally, not recommend that for a couple of reasons:

1. There's usually no reason someone at your height and weight should be eating so few calories. It's difficult (not impossible) to get all the nutrition you need from that little, and you might be going hungry when you don't have to. Also, if your weight loss slows down in the future, which happens in many cases, you have nowhere to move your calories.

2. It becomes easy to think of ourselves as virtuous or good when we're eating so few calories, and then it's a short step to being "bad" when we eat up, even to our regular calorie range. This was a problem I noticed for myself, so it might not apply to you, but for me it led pretty quickly to slightly obsessive thinking.

Just my two cents. Good luck!

One more thing, as some encouragement to exercise.

I have been exercising regularly (4-6 times a week) for the last 10 months. I still dislike it. Not to the passionate level of hate I first felt, but more like the "Oh, it's workout time again? Didn't I just do this yesterday? Sigh, I guess I'll get it over with now" level.

The reason this applies to your situation is this - all, and I mean ALL of the early physical signs that I was losing weight were apparent to me because of my exercise. My arm muscles started to become defined. My thighs got this really cool line of defined muscle down the side. My knees started to feel bonier, and my inner thighs didn't touch anymore. Best has been my abs - they still need lots of work, but I touch my stomach and I feel muscle! Ditto my rear end.

I definitely think you can be successful with weight loss without exercise, but I think you will like your results, and feel them earlier, if you do exercise.

I was thinking about doing pilates...... but I think anything more than that would be a little much for me. I know that sounds lazy but I am a) dieting b) a recent non-smoker and c) have a very stressful job so I really feel as if I have my plate full of unpleasant things.... does that sound terrible?

Thank you so much for all of your advice.

Trying on and wearing clothes that are a size smaller than you used to wear can have a huge impact on helping you see the difference. When I kept wearing the same clothing....even others were not noticing....but when I put on smaller clothing...suddenly, I was getting comments and compliments from everyone.

Since I'm not wealthy and could not afford a new wardrobe every time I went down a size....I simply went to Goodwill and traded in my prior size for my new size.....and did this every time I dropped a size...and cost me very little. BUT....it made a huge difference in helping me to see the weight I was losing in the mirror.....and was almost totally responsible for causing others to suddenly notice the weight loss.

And this is just my opinion....but unless a person is truly oblivious of their weight and eating better for health only....one needs to measure SOMEthing....be it pounds, sizes, measurements, etc....just to help stay motivated and on track.

deena

I think one of my problems is always going to be that I feel a fairly deep sense of hatred for my body, and that changes aren't necessarily going to stop that. So maybe I am cutting down too much, I suspect 1200 cals is too low, and I suspect that has a lot to do with a difficult relationship between my mind and body.

I'm a recent non-smoker too--congratulations to you for taking that plunge! I smoked three packs a day and started my habit when I was fifteen; I'm now forty-one. I just got tired of the expense and quit cold turkey in July. It was nowhere near as tough to quit as I'd once thought it would be.

One thing that I've found since quitting is that exercise is not as unpleasant as it used to be. In fact, the way I feel after I've done it is downright pleasant--something I never thought I'd say. If you're someone who doesn't enjoy most physical activity, you may find your opinion's changed after quitting smoking. Until I quit, I'd forgotten that when I was a little girl, I liked riding bikes and climbing trees as much as any kid. While I don't try to haul my fat behind up a tree, I do like being out in fresh air.

Not trying to nudge you into it, just saying that you might wind up liking your Pilates class or video surprisingly much. It's been an unexpected and welcome bonus for me to rediscover that decades-lost pleasure in motion.