How? How can this be?

Right, I'm 3 weeks in and the scale is steadily going down. Indeed I have lost 6lb. And yet my clothes don't seem remotely looser and I still appear to be as flabby as before?

Why?

Help

:'(

How much do you weigh?  I've heard that it usually takes a 10% loss to notice a difference.  I started at about 240 and didn't notice a difference until I lost about 30 pounds.  It can be frustrating but hang in there!

Ah ok - nowhere near the 10% mark. Thanks for that I feel encouraged!

x

I have a related question - if it takes a 10% loss to notice a difference, how come it doesn't take a 10% gain to notice a difference?? Lol.

Unless you're starting out really small, you're not going to notice a small loss at all. It takes about a month for it to start showing up to the eye - skin takes a little while to contract and muscles take time to firm up. But if you're a bit patient and keep up the diet and exercise, those first visible changes can be dramatic - nothing seems to change for weeks and then overnight you realise that you've lost about two inches around your widest point.

I started at 265 and I didn't really notice any changes until I'd lost about 20 pounds, and I didn't go down a dress-size until I'd lost about 35!

Besides the 10% thing, it also depends on where you're losing it from. If it all came from one area, you'd notice it. You're less likely to notice if you're losing a little bit from everywhere, which is probably what's happening.

the waistline is the last place I lose. Needless to say, my clothes get looser only after a long period of weight loss. Stinks, but that's just the way it goes.

You should see some difference at 6lbs but only with a measuring tape most likely. It takes a while before you start droping clothes sizes. Just keep on going and you'll get there.

Unfortunately we can't pick and choose where the fat comes off but no that it does. It also depends on how overweight you are as well. If you are only slightly overweight then every pound dropped will show a difference. But as most of us start at the state of being obese, changes take time to show up.

But once they do you will enjoy the double takes that people do and the compliments. Since I've dropped down in size and I am now wearing new clothes people make even more remarks about my weight loss. So you have that to look forward to. Just keep going :)

I've noticed loss all over, but the most noticeable is in my KNEES!  That doesn't help the dress size though. 

(It's true.  There is bone under all that knee flab.)

I started at 284 and after losing 20 lbs. saw nothing, after 30 lbs. noticed my pants fitting better but in the mirror I saw no change, after 40 lbs. I had definately dropped a size at least, but in the mirror I still couldn't see much, now at 50 lbs. I see a difference!!

At 233 lbs (51 lb. loss) the belly isn't gone by a long shot, but it is much smaller and doesn't hang down, I comfortably fit into size 18W (before I started 24W was tight).

The bigger you are the more it takes before a difference is noticeable.

Your height is also a factor. On TV celeb spokespersons for the various weight loss products/clubs/systems go from being HUGE to svelte after a 40 lb. weight loss.  Well, I'm 5'10" and I'll need to lose about 100 lbs to see such a big difference.

We are all anxious to see results and to reach our goals.  That's human nature. But we have to be realistic and understand that this is a lifestyle change, the results will come in due course, but it's going to take lots of time and effort.  In a way that's great: it gives us a chance to settle into our new healthy habits.

I changed my lifestyle February 1st, so it's only been 4 months .... but I'm hoping that after a year or two my healthy habits will have become such a part of my lifestyle that I'll live like this automatically.  I really look forward to no more out of control eating, followed by guilt and diet after diet after diet.

I'm tired of having a closet full of clothes, ranging from size 14 to 24 and when it comes down to it, still very little to wear because so few items are actually in the size I am at.