I had people notice after only 10 pounds or so. Then it tappered off and nobody is saying anything now. Maybe cause I've been stuck between 16 and 18 pounds forever. I need to try harder again!
It strange to me that your doctor wouldn't say anything. I mean he has your chart right in front of him. Don't they weight you every time you go in?
As far as everyone else, well, I didn't get comments until I'd lost almost as much as you have. Some people still haven't said anything. I think a lot of people are uncomfortable about bringing it up. I've noticed that people only compliment me when they want to know how I did it. Then, of course, their eyes glaze over when they realize that I did it the hard way and that there was no magic to it.
I lost 80+ pounds to get down to the healthy BMI range. My loss was slow, but steady, over the course of a year and a half, so it probably wasn't obvious to people who saw me on a daily basis. Even looking at pictures taken every month or two, it was hard for me to tell the difference. I didn't tell hardly anyone I was working on losing weight, so they weren't specifically looking for it, either. Almost no one said a thing for the first half of my loss, except for those few that I'd discussed it with.
I developed a few theories of my own along the way, due to things people said to me. Unfortunately, for some people, once you're over a certain level of overweight it all seems to be the same to them, they perceive no degrees of size. Above whatever weight, I was simply fat to those people. I also think that people tended not to look at me very much. Once when I was heavier, my co-worker that sits right across from me complimented my haircut, and I had to tell her I'd gotten it done two weeks earlier (and I had a LOT cut off). She's better now, she noticed that last one within three days, LOL.
Being a shy person, I felt like I was almost invisible to some men, above a particular weight (definitely not invisible to all of them). It varied from man to man, but I seemed to "become visible" to those men within maybe 20-30 lbs of the healthy weight range. When I'd been losing weight for well over a year, within a month's time I had three different guy co-workers give me compliments such as:
"How did you lose that weight so fast? What was it, a couple months?" (from a guy that really did want some weight loss tips from me).
"Whatever you've been doing the last couple months, keep it up, you're looking great!"
"Hey, have you lost some weight? You're off to a good start!" (When I was 60 lbs down).
Because my weight has gone up and down over the years, and I was working on losing weight due to some specific health concerns, I am very sure this wasn't due to my attitude, either. I've been told my attitude is much the same.
Even though I don't discuss my weight unless someone else asks me about it, I've had plenty of kind and encouraging compliments. They just took quite a while to get started. They really picked up after I bought some new clothes that fit me better and were more flattering to my changing figure. The baggy clothes hid some of my progress.
Heather, you're doing great! You know you're looking and feeling better. Congratulations on your wonderful weight loss!!!
I forgot to add to my above post- I know folks won't notice my weight loss until I am around 190 or a bit less. Why? Because of my huge stomach. The fat around my stomach is always the very last to go, and unfortunately, it's the first thing anyone sees when they see me. As soon as my stomach starts going down is when folks notice my weight loss. Until then, I don't expect anyone to notice my weight loss until I lose a total of 108 pounds, which is 71 pounds away for me.
Are you wearing the same clothing? Everytime I wear something new -- people go crazy for how much weight I have lost -- but if I wear the same outfits I did when I was a bit larger -- they don't.
But ironic don't you think that doctors are so oblivious? Hope there is nothing wrong with you because the doctors won't notice.
Very interesting - I find the same thing. I wonder if the height thing plays into it at all - I'm constantly told I don't look my weight (even by my dr.).
Also, I think a lot of people are shy to say anything for fear of saying the wrong thing so they wait until they are certain you've lost.
I have a few philosophies for why people don't notice weight loss:
-You're losing it slowly. People often only notice rapid weight loss.
-You were rather heavy initially. It's unfortunate but true that if you're heavy and then lose, say, 50 pounds, but are STILL technically heavy, people seem to not notice. However, if you're heavy and then get down to a normal weight, I've heard that everyone marvels at you and tells you how tiny you are, even if you're still a little overweight or at the very high end of the BMI chart.
I actually have had a lot of people noticing my weight loss, but I lost 15 pounds in around a month and a half before I slowed down (I'm trying to speed things up again, though). My face fat was one of the first things to disappear, which probably helped a lot, though.
I have lost 19 pounds. A big accomplishment for my small stature! My stomach no longer looks like I am pregnant and my face is slimming. ( Although I do not like the wrinkles that are suddenly appearing! Fat hids those well!) Yet NO ONE has said anything to me with the exception of my SIL I saw Friday night. She goes " Are you losing weight?" Nothing more. Just the one comment. But at least she noticed!
I think it is like everyone said. When you are heavy and have been heavy for a long time, no one notices until you get down to what they consider a "normal" weight.
Keep up the good work and remember we're here for you!
This is my BIGGEST gripe of all!!!! But hey, now they are forced to notice!! It has to be the clothes. I've been wearing my big clothes and one day I wore a new shirt to work and people went crazy!!! But it took until 50+lbs for them to say anything. Just hang in there-eventually people will notice.
-Jan
Wow, Heather, congratulations! Fifty pounds is a lot of weight. Don't let people's not noticing get you down. You are doing this for yourself!
I have to admit that I am one of those people who doesn't notice others' weight loss. My friend lost 50 lbs and I couldn't really tell until I noticed she had a lot of wrinkles in her face. I think that was awful of me.
I have lost 26lbs which is about half of what I need to loose. I can just barely tell that I have lost weight.
Finding something that weighs what you have lost is fun. I have an unopened bottle of laundry detergent that weights about 25lbs. I lift it every so often just to feel how much I have lost.
I agree with the posters ..if you lose but are still overweight, people wont notice. I think people in general train themselves not to really LOOK at overweight people.
I have some friends...honestly it wasnt until I saw their wedding photos around their 10th anniversary that I realized that in the time I knew them they had both gained well over 100 lbs each. They were obese when they got married and steadily have gained. I hate to say it but I dont see changes in them when they gain OR lose.
My best friend was 298 and had the WLS, she hadn't seen her cousins, aunts, grandma etc in almost a year. She was down 150 pounds!!! Out of like 20 people only ONE person said anything!! She was really upset!!! I think they noticed, they are pretty catty over there and probably waited til she left to say anything.
Thanks! I just got a great abdominal workout after reading this comment. Too funny!
