Since June, I have lost 21lbs but I am still wearing the same size clothes They are all a bit looser but most things are really not that different...
Why am I not getting smaller?
I cannot see any difference in photos in my face or anything, although a friend of mine recently commented that I am looking slimmer. Then again, she knows that I eat healthily and she's my friend so of course she's going to say that.
I'm feeling so disappointed that it isn't happening very fast this time. When I went on Atkins a while ago, I dropped 2 dress sizes in a month!! It's been 6 months and I'm the same (I am calorie counting at the moment)! Will I EVER notice the difference myself?
Sorry that I'm rambling on and whinging, I think it's my hormones. Damn TOM.

I LOVE your avatar!

Trust me, if you've lost 21 pounds, you HAVE made a difference! Just keep working at it. You have done an amazing job!

Rest assured, there HAS been a difference. You just maybe can't see it, for a couple reasons.

1. We see ourselves EVERY day. Changes happen VERY subtlely, over time. When you don't see a change day-to-day, it can seem like no changes are happening at all, when really, we just don't notice them.
2. Our eyes need a bit of time to catch up to our brains in terms of weight loss. Brains are experts at what is called "pattern recognition" - it recognizes "oh, I'm looking at myself" and fills in the details with previous images of itself. When you're losing weight, the brain actually perceives you as bigger than you are because of this...and it takes some time to go away.

Did you take any measurements at the start of your journey? If you're clothes are looser, you're losing inches in addition to lbs, but sometimes seeing the sheer number of inches can be motivating.

What about photos? Do you have before and current? It is often easier to see a difference in a picture than to see it in a mirror.

In terms of not going down a size, everyone is different in how long it takes them to go between sizes. Stores, even, are different in their sizing. If you tried on a pair of the same jeans you're wearing now (the looser ones), in one size smaller, they might fit, but a different brand at a different store might not. That is why I prefer to rely on inches and pounds, rather than on sizes - they just vary too much to be reliable!

It is virtually impossible to lose 21 lbs at your start weight and not have a visible difference, so take heart! You just need some time to start seeing it.

Lots of to you.

Jadey
I wore the same pair of pants until I had lost 32lbs. Granted they were the kind of jeans that have a bit of stretch to them and I don't like clothes to fit tight but still. It was starting to get to me. You have changed. There is no doubt about that, 21 lbs is a bit of weight to lose. Maybe, like myself, you are losing all over at one time. When that happens clothes size change takes longer to happen.

Mandalinn-My measurements have changed-
start=bust-41
waist-36
hips-46

Now=bust-40.5
waist-33
hips-44

I guess they are only small differences so I can't expect a huge noticeable change...I'm being impatient as usual.

Thanks for your help guys, I'm seeing things a bit more clearly now...just got to stick with it.

Yup. Be patient and keep up your plan. I lost almost 35 lbs. before I finally stopped wearing my old clothes. Once I did, I dropped two sizes in 4 weeks. Then, over the next week, EVERYONE seemed to notice. You are SO CLOSE to a size change - hang in there!

THREE inches off your waist and TWO off your HIPS? And only .5 off your bust, no less!

ROCK ON. That's GREAT

Jadey - Those are some awesome stats!!! 21lbs down and 5.5 inches gone no less!!!!

As everyone has been saying sometimes it's hard to notice the difference b/c we see ourselves everyday. So the differences happen so slowly that we just don't see it.

Also I bet some of the weight has come off in places you don't even see or that wouldn't make a difference in the fit of clothing etc (lower arms, maybe your calves or other such none main areas...).

Just keep it up.

Also do you work out? If you want to see those inches come off, some strength training and cardio would just speed things up a lot by building muscle and burning fat, you might not see the great loss in pounds, but the body will change quicker.

Patience is a virtue. But also so hard to have sometimes. As long as you don't let a lack of pant size changes stop you from keeping up this lifestyle change.

I do power-walking for about 20mins (fast enough to get quite short of breath), then 5mins running 3-4 times per week. Plus I live in a city and don't drive, so I have to walk to the shops, my lectures etc. on top of that.
I don't do any strength training actually, that might be a good idea.

Does anyone have any ideas of ways I can do strength training at home? Would doing stuff like squats and push-ups help?

squats, lunges, pushups, tricep dips off a chair (http://www.tinajuanfitness.info/exer...ricepsdip.html)

I tend to wear the same size for a long time, but I notice that where the jeans ride changes, as I lose weight they ride a little lower.

I don't know about you, but my problem is that I wore clothes that were too small (in total denial) for so long that now they are just getting to where they actually fit me. I bought some new pants the other day, but bought regular instead of petite because the petites were too short. The petites were the size that I've been wearing too tightly for some time (8) and the regulars were a size lower (6) - both fit the same.

Also, for resistance training, try an exercise band, I've read in several places (prevention, shape) that they provide as good or better workout as free weights. I've just bought one and hope to get a lot of help for my "bat wings"

BTW - 21#'s is wonderful. You are doing great !

Agree with BuddysBuddy - going from TIGHT to LOOSE is great - i mean not a size smaller but comfy loose. That is all I have seen and that too hardly but wow now I can wear my uncomfy dress panst for hours and I don't feel a pinch or tug on my tummy!
So sometimes it is hard to see!

Now you mention it, my clothes were quite tight before. Not so tight that I needed a bigger size but tight enough that I was squished in slightly lol!
Thinking about it, my clothes feel comfortable, I'm not tugging them down or anything because I don't have to...maybe I just need to look a bit harder to see the differences in future!

It took me a long time. I just bought a new pair of jeans this weekend because my old ones were literally falling off. I'm down 55lbs and if it weren't for the clothing difference, I wouldn't notice it. When I see people who I haven't seen in a while(and ones who don't know I'm dieting) they comment that I look great but when I look in the mirror I still see fat.