Honestly, it took me losing 70 lbs or so before anyone said anything to me at my higher weight. Now I can lose 20 lbs and people are amazed. Also, it takes a while for people to really sink in that you look different. People may ask you if you cut your hair or changed your hair some way before they realize you are losing weight.

It also took a while for me before people noticed. I am thinking 65-70 lbs before people stopped asking me if I had cut my hair, etc. LOL! I agree with the measuring. You just can't argue if the inches are coming OFF.

Hang in there!

I've said this here before, but it's sooo true. It was several months and about 40 lbs before *I* saw any difference in me. Then suddenly I saw LOTS of difference all at once.

And even my coworkers and friends weren't mentioning anything for fear I wasn't actually dieting and that they might say something wrong. It wasn't until I'd lost nearly 50 lbs that people started saying "hey, wow, you look great!" (At that point I guess they figured I was doing it intentionally and going to stick with it!)

But about a month ago (a year into it) I started going through my closet and realized that nothing fit any more. I put on my old size 22 pants and gasped at how they feel off of me. I literally looked like one of those ads where the person puts their old pants on over their new ones and can fit nearly another person in there. I never thought that would be me ... and it took a year to get that far.

Hang in there. It *will* happen for you. You will look into the mirror one day and go "Oh my GOSH ... I have cheekbones!" or "Oh my GOSH ... I have collarbones!" just like the rest of us have. It just takes a bit longer than you sometimes expect.

I've only lost 12lbs, and while I am proud of it, I can't see it either. No one has noticed. I look forward to losing more and being noticeable, though. You have accomplished so much...be proud of it! Your attitude will go a long way in how people perceive your weightloss

Just as a quick note to those who say they've lost weight and no one else has noticed--sometimes, people DO notice but are afraid to say anything (I know this doesn't make sense to those of us who WANT to hear comments, but there are people who get uncomfortable in situations like that). Also, sometimes people who see you every day don't notice for the same reason you don't notice yourself--they see you every day, so gradual changes sometimes go unnoticed.

I stay in toush with coworkers from past jobs, and I went back to an old job to visit some people about a year after I'd left that job. One of the girls I'd worked with there was very overweight (probably slightly larger than me). The second I saw her when I went back, I could tell immediately that she'd lost weight. I told her so, and she almost started crying and gave me a hug. She'd been so upset that no one had noticed or said anything to her until I showed up that day. It's not that I was more perceptive than others or that I had some magical ability to determine her body weight; I just got more of a "before and after" effect since I hadn't seen her in a long time, whereas others in the office saw her every day.

Sorry--guess that wasn't as "quick" a note as I'd intended

that picture is my new computer desktop. I love it!!

are you tall?

I am 5'10 and it usually takes me a good 20-30 lbs to need a new pants size (that and the fact that when I'm larger I tend to squeeze into pants that are 2 small as some sort of denial mechanism so I really need to loose a size and a half). Being tall also has benefits, I can gain 10lbs and it does not make my clothes not fit (or make me look that much diffrent). Just make sure you keep going, and you will look diffrent eventually.

What about one of those disposable cameras they sell almost everywhere? They're pretty inexpensive too. I can't stress how important it is (or so I think anyways! ) to take pictures & take your measurements. Especially at the beginning of your weight loss journey. I look at my starting pictures & cannot believe that is how I looked. The before & now measurements are pretty amazing too. Pictures & measurements along the way are a tangible way to see how great you are doing & are a wonderful way to document your journey.

You can't go back & recreate them either. I forgot how big I was (other than the number of pounds) as the months wore on. A glance at my pics & measurements really is motivating to see how far I've come & where I NEVER want to be again.

My pictures & measurements (esp. those) are private to me & I'm not ready to share them yet...not even with my husband (like he doesn't know already...he's lived with me for years! LOL). I would take my measurements in private in the bathroom & often just snap a picture of myself in a full length mirror. Glad I did.

p.s. It took me close to 50#s before I started to look thinner.

I can relate....No one but my wife has noticed my weight loss yet either!!However my wife gave me some good advice....."It's possible that the people who don't mention your weight are using the "tact" you wished others would have used before your weight loss" That sounds good and all, but I do want others to notice and they will eventually. For now I am content to have more energy, have clothes fit better and to to be a lower health risk. Your doing great and I am proud of you!

WOW!!! I'm amazed at how many replies I'm getting. I see that I really touched on a subject that we've all dealt with. It feels good that I'm not alone. I know that I've lost weight because the scale tells me, but it's not just looking smaller. I don't feel any different either. I do however have a huge NSV. I suffer(ed) from low back pain so bad that I couldn't stand for more than a few seconds. I needed a chair in the shower. Now I not only can stand and walk, I don't use the shower chair anymore. And better still, the last time I went out (I don't go out much) I didn't take my pain killers to see if I really needed them. It made me nervous but I was fine, so no more pills. I can't stand for long periods but I can manage. I wasn't sure if that would ever happen for me. I'm glad that I didn't have to take off too much weight for such an improvement. I weigh less now than I have in years, less than I did when my back started to hurt. It's such a Godsend to be relatively free of back pain.

How long before you felt any different?

for everybody. on your weight losses. We will all do this together.

Congratulations on your weight loss so far!

I agree with everyone said about measurements and pictures. I'm down 26 lbs now and honestly I don't see a difference as I got about my day. The only way I can actually tell is when I look at the pictures I took at my starting weight. I took fully clothed pictures straight on and sideways and I take new ones every 20 lbs. My hubby is insistent that I look great and he can tell the difference but I still have a hard time seeing it.

I'll tell you a couple of the places that I have noticed the weight loss which struck me as odd because you never think to check these places. One was in my bathroom towels.... they literally fit around me better. Before I could barely get one closed... a larger one. Now it closes around me with an extra inch or so. Also, my watch is bigger on my wrist. Bizarre things but things I can focus on nonetheless. I lost 40 lbs. and can still wear some of my same jeans... What the heck?? That's why I started looking at different things cuz the weight had to come off SOMEWHERE!!!

I do take pictures every 10 lb. loss cuz I really feel that will be great when this is all said and done. You may want to even get a cheap disposable camera just for this journey.

Congrats on doing so well so far... keep up the good work.

25 lbs is a lot of weight, congrats! I went to Jenny Craig once years ago and lost 30 lbs in 3 months; here are some comments I got from loved ones: I "guess" your hips look a little smaller; and that would be a lot of weight on someone smaller but for you it's just a drop in the bucket; and the worst of all: the "counsellor" at JC said to me you're not exactly setting the world on fire are you. Immediately afterwards I quit, had to have my gallbladder removed, and the nurse said did you lose a lot of weight quickly recently? I told her, she said we see that all the time, people losing too fast and getting gallstones. So I couldn't win for losing.

This time I'm not letting any comments from ANYBODY throw me off track.

edited to add: I did not drop a single size from losing 30 lbs.

Congrats!! 25 is a BIG deal and even though the changes are visually minor so far... they WILL happen. I feel your pain. Notice my starting weight is VERY close to your starting... I hate to say that it took 40lbs before I started to notice some changes in myself... and over 60-70 before I started getting comments from others.

But you will get to a point where all of a sudden woosh! You can't help but tell!

Just keep going it won't be long... and the good news is the MORE you lose the less you have to lose to be able to feel the difference. I can tell when I've lost 5-10 pounds now. I was always puzzled why people complained when they gained 10 pounds... now I know it can make quite a difference.

Oh I need to add that to my "little things" list. I travel a lot for business and I used to always pack my own towel because those little bitty hotel towels wouldn't even begin to wrap around my body.

Now a normal bathtowel wraps around me with inches to spare and I can even (barely) wrap and tuck a hotel towel.

Yeah. That's a big one!

great thread... I love hearing about all the ways people notice the changes. I recently noticed that I have more room in the car between me and the steering wheel. It's actually more comfortable to drive!