Visible Differences
 

I know that things like clothing sizes differ greatly among women, but how long until you noticed in the mirror, or by your clothes, that you had lost weight? Were you two months into your diet or exercise routine and saw that your stomach didn't look as big, or maybe after 25 pounds, you noticed you could wear a size smaller pants?
And how long was it when other people, even people who didn't know you were dieting, or exercising,noticed that you were looking different?
Thanks
and congrats to all of you who have got there already :)

Squeaky bird

I just hit the 25 pound gone mark and now I am noticing a difference in how I look. Others noticed it before me. Most days I'm still very dissapointed in my weight :( but keep on working at it.

I noticed it pretty quickly because I started lifting weights and that really made the difference. I'm down 34 lbs and I had on clothes all weekend that I was miserable in because I was just swimming in them! I will have to invest in a few casual pieces. I've heard that a size is equal to 15 lbs in the larger sizes (which I've been in...)

Best wishes!

maggie

Are you using hand weights in combination with aerobics or straight weight lifting?

I dropped clothing sizes, but by looking at myself in the mirror, I didn't notice it until I'd lost somewhere over 50 pounds. I didn't keep a record of the day I started noticing, but I'd lost a considerable amount, my husband commented that he could see the difference, and I still couldn't tell. He had to show me before and after pics in order for me to see it that day. Somehow, my perception of myself in the mirror was just unrealistic or else it was because I was seeing it on a daily basis and the loss wasn't registering on the visible scale.

Honestly, I still see myself as being over 300 pounds when I look at myself in the mirror sometimes. That was one reason I was put into treatment for bulimia last summer because I kept struggling with that. It just doesn't happen as often now for some reason, when I look in the mirror, I see myself a little thinner, but then I see that excess skin hanging from my arms, thighs, my butt, and that my stomach is still big and where the fat has been lost on it, it looks like a shriveled up orange (*yuck*) and I think, "I have worked so *$(#@ hard to get to where I am already, why do I still have all of this fat hanging off of me?" It sucks because I don't date now since I broke up with that j/a that I broke up with in January. That was the first and only boyfriend I'd ever had. Now the guy I'm always talking about on here that I've had the crush on for the past 6 years...that's another story and it always makes me happy because I think and hope eventually I will wind up with him:D But my fear is that if ever it does happen, I am extremely self-conscious about that excess fat. He saw me last weekend and said he never would have guessed it was me if I hadn't come up to him at the mall because I look so different, but when I see myself in the mirror like before I get in the shower or whatever I just think, WTF?! There's no way I'd let anybody see me not covered up. *yipes* I went from a size 28/30 and now I'm a 14, the exact same size my mother is, but she's only 2 inches shorter than me and weighs 157. How it worked that way, I have no clue. My mother is nowhere near big, and when I see her, I think, "Physically, I'm the same size she is, but I don't feel like I'm that thin." But even still, after now having before been down to around 180, I still feel like this last 30-50 pounds is going to make or break the whole thing and sometimes I end up binge eating and paying for it with stomach pain that I can only get rid of by purging:( Then again, the one thing that keeps me going is that the guy I have the crush on experienced the same thing a few years ago, and knowing that he conquered it and made it through is an encouragement to me as well.

When I first started, I could lose 20 pounds and not notice, even though my family did. Now I can lose one pound and go, "Heeeey, my love handles are disappearing."

I think the only reason other people noticed is because I stopped going outside when I reached my heigh weight. Stupid teenage paranoia. Ahem, anyway, yeah. When once-very-obese Sarah started coming outside again, she was kinda-chubby-and-two-years-older Sarah (yes, my weight made me stay inside, locked in my room, for two years). Heck, not many people even knew it was me.

I started noticing that my clothes fit looser around 15 to 20 pounds (I think). People started noticing when I had lost about 35 pounds or so. Although most people didn't notice a huge change until I had lost about 50 pounds. Now, if I lose 3 or 4 pounds people notice.

Mandy

I think I was around 14 pounds down when I first realized that some of my tight size 18 clothes now fit properly. I've lost about 18 now, and I have a couple of 1x sizes that now feel big on me, my 18's fit fine, and I can get into my 16's, but they are actually still a bit too tight. I was hoping when I started to get into a 14 by the end of June, but that is not going to happen. If I can get into a 14 by Labour Day, I will be very happy.

Mrs
 

Yup. Kinda like that for me. I couldn't notice for the longest time. But once I was close to my goal weight, every little bit was noticeable to me. I just dropped a few more pounds and it made such a noticeable difference in my stomach that I finally felt comfortable in a bikini.

I didn't notice until I was going through some old clothes to get ready for a yard sale! I've lost 39 lbs in 3 months. I knew my pants were getting big because i was wearing my belt tighter on my pants to keep them up. I was wearing a 22/24. I tried on clothes in bags packed from college and I fit (a little tight but works for me!) in my 18's! I was so giddy that I had to call my best friend (and my biggest support)

I had people ask if I was losing weight around the 15-20 lb loss range saying they could tell in my face. In the words of my friend one day, shes staring at me and I'm like do I have something on me???? She blurts out 'your double chin is gone!' I didn't know whether to be offended or happy. LOL I just laughed cuz I couldn't really notice.

To me, the better my clothes fit is my biggest clue that i'm still on the right track. You always have times where you slow down, your monthly joy makes you bloated and you think great I'm fat again. This weekend I was invited to a BBQ type party. I ate fruit and lots of water (was realllllly hot out) BUT my biggest thing was that I was wearing things I would have never wore last summer. Form fitting jeans and a cami tank. Even my EX watched me as I walked by. :) Instant confidence builder!

I noticed a change after 25 lbs or so, but I didn't start to think "wow, my tummy is way smaller than it used to be" until over 30 were gone! :lol: The other day I was poking at the bottom of my belly, and I thought to myself "Wow, my belly feels weird. It's like there's something under there." Then I realized, there IS something under there! It's called MUSCLE! :rofl:

Well, my clothes always feel looser if I stay OP all week. :)

The first visible notice of weight loss is in my neck.

People didn't really start to notice until I was about 45-50 lbs down. And I had a bad week last week although others can't see it i can feel and see the difference but I'm back on the healthy wagon and doing it up the right way ::D:

I've just started really noticing. Since about 25 or 30lb.

Some people I know commented on it earlier, but I didn't see it so much. But then I never thought I looked fat in the first place when looking back I know that I clearly did...

But now I end up looking at myself whenever I walk past a mirror noticing where the weight has gone from.

I've lost 10 pounds since I started in May, and just a few days ago I looked in the mirror and went "WOW". I don't think I've ever looked this skinny before. I can't wait to see what I look like with the next 10 pounds lost. :)

Congrats ! Isn't it an awesome feeling when you finally look in the mirror and say Wow!

Indeed it is. It's very motivating. :)

Other people remark that I look thinner, but I don't see it in the mirror. I feel it in the way some of my clothes hang and how my watch and rings fit, but I don't SEE it.

40 lb gone. Other people are definitely noticing. Even if they don't notice my weight, they notice my appearance and realise something's changed. Like "nice suit". "Nice haircut". I'm not saying they're not nice, but I don't think people would have noticed the same were it not for the slimmer body they were adorning. Someone came up to me today (a couple of hours post haircut) and said he had no idea who I was from behind. According to my secretary some of the other support staff have been asking her if I've lost weight. Ask me yourself you cowards!

But if I look at a photo, or in the mirror, there are times when I don't see it. There are times when I do, but there are still times when I see myself and think I'm huge.

I don't really see it that much,but I carry myself differently.For some reason,I feel thinner,but I don't think I look that different in th mirror.Except for my flappy arms(between the elbow and shoulders).Lol.My double chin feels and looks smaller too.My face seems to be thinning out.Overall,I don't see that much of a change,but my family thinks I look thinner,and that my waist is more defined.I've lost 20 lbs so far.

Hello to all~

Well Ive started my diet and im on 3weeks of hard hour long workouts and dieting with low cal and low fat food. I started at 285lbs now im 273lbs and I can not tell at all, Im getting very disapointed in the fact that i see no results and that noone is telling me that i look good. I need that!!!! my parents have been big on saying things like they see results however I think they r just saying that. My question is how can i work harder so i can see results like excerises or diets.. im going crazy my goal weight is to weigh 125lbs and i want this by Dec. of this year!!!!

Hi Viana:

First of al congrats on the weight loss. I just wanted to tell you a 100 plus weight loss in 6 months is not going to be real healthy for you. Please be careful and again congrats. Sometimes it just takes us longer to see the real difference.

I am down 26 pounds now and I can see a little bit of a difference, mostly in my chin (my double chin is smaller, soon it will be gone!) and in my neck and collarbone area. I am wearing a size 18 pair of jeans today and I was a (tight) size 20 when I started though. So I have to be losing everywhere even if I don't see it. I really can see a difference if I look at pics of me from about 3 months ago. That's how I can really tell that I'm making some changes.

I first started really noticing in the car! I live in Philly and I don't have a car, but a few times a week I was part of a carpool in a little '90 Honda Accord. I was ALWAYS nervous if I didn't get the front seat...'cause I knew I'd crowd people.

But after about 30lbs or so I wasn't afraid to squish into the back with two other people. I didn't feel like I was crowding anybody.

And now that I'm home for the summer and get to drive my car again, I find that there's just alot more room between me and the steering wheel.

woo! :D

Mrs
 

That's kinda how I felt about my first airplane trip home after losing weight. I was soooooooo glad that the airlines finally decided to widen their seats. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I was looking at pictures from my friends wedding back in january. I was her maid of honor so I was in a lot of the pictures, all i could think was OMG I was FAT! The double chin roll, the dress not fitting right, the huge arms. I still say I'm fat but I'm making HUGE progress and those pictures PROVE it! (aside from that time of the month which is completely depressing, I swear I gain 10 lbs in water that week!!!!)

Everyone keep up the great work!!

I've lost 16lbs so far ( Started LC on 6/1/05 ) about 3 weeks ago and I haven't noticed much of a change in my appearance, clothes fit the same - well now that i think about it they fit a little less snug, I feel Better and have more engery - stepping a little lighter and all is right with the world :) I think I once I am down 50lbs I will be able to tell....