Hey everyone, I'm new here but I started my journey almost 9 weeks ago. I am about 5'11 and started out at 196.6. I am now down to 178, so I've lost almost 18 pounds. The problem is that I am seeing no results! My pants aren't fitting any better, I don't have much more room in my shirts..nothing. Friends and family tell me that they can tell, but sometimes I feel like they tell me that just because they know I'm trying to lose weight, not because they can really tell. Am I the only one seeing no results or is this common for a lot of you too?

I'm really surprised that you haven't seen any physical changes other than the scale - someone recently posted something similar however and a board member told them to take out old photos from their starting weight. It wasn't until they looked at the photos that they really noticed any actual difference.

You might not see a change in your body because you are looking at it every day and smaller changes might not be as easy to see. Perhaps taking ACTUAL measurements weekly or bi-weekly can give you a better idea of where you're actually losing these lbs...I'd be really surprised that after a 20 lb weight loss there is NO change especially being your current weight - you definitely should see something. Otherwise, maybe you should just check too see if you're bloated or something along those lines...take photos, take measurements...just my advice.

Hi there,

We have similar stats. I'm also 5'11" and started out at 195. I lost 50 pounds last year and have been maintaining for 4+ months. A lot of people didn't notice my weight loss until I'd lost over 30 pounds. After that, the changes became more and more dramatic. After I'd lost all 50 pounds, a colleague who hadn't seen me in a while told me I looked like "a shadow of your former self." My pants size went down from 14 to 6. (I gain and lose mainly in my hip/butt area.) I'm very happy with my body now.

Just stick with it and I'm sure you'll see similar results.

Freelance

Seems you didn't take measurements or photos at the beginning, but do so now. Really, it's a gift to yourself so that you can see what others can see. our mind is really good at distorting reality.

I've lost 36lbs and even though I KNOW I'm fitting into smaller sizes, I still don't think I look any different. I obviously do, but I can't see it yet.

I think it just takes your brain awhile to catch up to your new body. I was higher than 190 for probably two years, I've lost this weight in 4 months.. that's a lot for my brain to comprehend when I'm looking at myself.

At your weight and height, 18lbs is noticable. As a matter of fact, I kept my weight loss a secret from my coworkers and 18lbs exactly is when they started asking me if I'm losing weight. I had 3 people in two days ask me about it when no one had said a word before. So believe your friends and family! Just because you don't see it doesn't mean someone else can't =)

Like others said, take photos, take measurements etc. Also, sometimes our bodies lose in funny places. My face lost quite a bit initially, I've also lost quite a bit in my bra band size while everything else was staying the same. The more measurements you take the more you see weight loss in unexpected places. Some women even report losing a show size and often even your hands lose weight!

I'm not sure what you're doing in terms of exercise but heavy weight lifting can make a world of difference in terms of inches lost. Personally, I have pictures of myself at the same weight before/after with weight lifting and there is a very noticeable difference.

Last time I lost weight I didnt notice so much that clothes were loser or anything like that it wasnt until I put before and after pics together that I saw a BIG difference. It wasnt my goal weight but my goodness I looked like half a person. The picture is in my profile if you want to see what I am talking about it makes a big difference to look at those pics I agree with the others I would start taking some.

Thank you everyone for all of your input and comments! I really appreciate it. Starting Sunday, I am going to start taking some measurements so that may help me notice a difference finally!