How long did it take you to notice a difference?

I have been eating pretty healthy for the past month and a half, but have only been exercising regularly for the last 2 weeks.  I have noticed a slight decrease in my weight on the scale, but I care more about seeing a change in how my clothes fit.  I have been working at it pretty hard.  Spring fever is probably just making me antsy!  I guess I am  just wondering about other experiences and how long it took you to notice a real difference.  Anyone?

It`s not that easy to spot a difference if you`re checking for it on a daily basis. Can`t say for sure, but I pretty much remember it taking at least a couple months for me to start having to pull my pants up, and a few more to tighten the belt a knotch.

The important thing is to keep at it. :)

It depends on your stats.

For example I began my diet when I saw a change in one of my friends.  I didn't see him for about 2 months and could barely recognize him when I did. He was a very big guy about 330+ he lost 55 pounds in those 2 months.  So I think the change is more noticeable if you are heavier.  I on the other hand i'm close to 1 month of dieting and haven't notice a change. ( Started at 234 and as of April 16th at 215.6 haven't weighed myself since.

I agree with ily51...  You yourself probably won't notice a huge difference initially, but other people will.  I still can't tell too much of a difference when I look in the mirror, but in clothes I can tell after about 2 months.  My brother, who doesn't see me very often coudn't believe how much weight I've lost!  I haven't weighed myself since I started so I really don't know how much I've lost!

Thanks for your replies!  I'm 5ft 2 in and weigh 133.  I want to be about 115 to 120.  I figured I was just getting a little too antsy!

I do agree with baby08...you will notice if you lost weight through your clothes...and through the people who don't see you that much...people you haven't seen in 2 months or so can see if you lost or gained weight...

Original Post by eleanor27:

Thanks for your replies!  I'm 5ft 2 in and weigh 133.  I want to be about 115 to 120.  I figured I was just getting a little too antsy!

 I have same stats:

I am 5ft 2in and I started my weight loss at 130lbs on March 15, 2009. Since then I lost 8lbs and probably a dress size. 7lbs fell off within 1st month.

I don't know how old you are. Assuming that you are the same age as I am (28) you should see results within first couple of months.

I think it also depends on how active you are. When I first started losing weight a year ago (I was 136lbs) back then it took me at least couple of months to start seeing results as it took a while to kick my methabolism in. Since then I was pretty active all the time but was not eating healthy and ended up gaining some of the weight back. So I think that is why I lost 8lbs fairly easily this time, once I started counting my calories. I guess my weight loss is going to slow down from now on though :-((

Good luck!

I've been using this side for 2 months and can fit into some older pants and shirts. I went from 185 to 170.

I take a pics of my self every week so I can see the slight changes over time.  If you just look in the mirror it is hard to notice.

After about a month clothes fit less snuggly, but after 2.5 months, I started feeling lighter and sexier in my clothes (about 12 pounds later).

Well, it's been only three weeks of my new lifestyle. I am 5'5 and was 153 three weeks ago. I am very scared to weight myself (it might set me up for a binge if I don't see sufficient weight loss), but I deffinetely see that I got smaller - my thigts did not have even a tiny gap between them, but now there is, now I can suck in my stomach so it looks completely flat and even concave (but I have to suck in really hard :)). And, most important for me: my double chin IS DISAPPEARING and my face is thinner.

I think those are amazing results. I eat 1200 calories and worked out only 5 or 6 times for an hour in three weeks (yeah, I hate working out, I am this lazy).

I have lost 8 pounds and I haven't noticed much of a difference. some difference but not much. And as far as I can tell no one I know besides my husbaned notices anything different. At least nobody says anything. I really wish I looked noticeably different. I feel like I have been working really hard and it sucks that nobody notices. I think once it gets to the point where people start commenting on my weight loss I will be a lot more satisfied with myself. But that's just the kind of person I am.

I don't know.  I have lost 75 over the past year, i went from size 26 jeans to 18, but i still don't "SEE" it.  When out with my husband i have to ask him, "am i about her size? When i started, was i that big?, etc"  i guess i have to go dig out some old photos and compare side by side.  Even when i pass my reflection in a store window, etc, i still see a big girl. Currently 5'9, 240 (still big) Beats me.  Maybe i have a body dysphmorphic (Sp?) thing going on.

Oh, I think the weekly or monthly photographs are a great suggestion, especially because it will probably break the bad habit of looking for changes every day. You can easily miss them and get discouraged if you check too often.

I know how hard it is to be patient; unfortunately, you have to make an effort and keep reminding yourself that in the CC race the tortoise always wins. You don`t just want to lose pounds quickly, you want to keep them off, and that`s well worth the extra wait, trust me.

I still don't notice the difference in myself. Ive lost 25lbs, got about 5-10 lbs to go, just gonna play it by ear.

I obviously notice the difference on the scale and my clothes size has gone down about 2 sizes, so the evidence is there. However for how i feel and view myself. I look pretty much the same in my opinion. In fact some days i feel i look heavier then when i started.

For me personally I think i never really paid that much attention to my body really. It was there and i was use to my wobbly bits and there location. However since ive been losing weight I am far more aware of how my body looks, how my clothes fit and what bits stick out where. Which is probably why I am a harsher critic now.

As for other people noticing? people started commenting around the 10 -15 lb mark.

x

I think it took me about 4 weeks to notice a difference and about 6 weeks to notice a real difference and now at 8 weeks it is very very noticeable.

I think it depends too how much you look in the mirror, I have never been a big mirror person so I have noticed mine more by the fact that my skirts now need belts and my blouses billow on me rather than by looking, although I have noticed that my tummy is receding fast which is nice.

I think kawnd11 is my twin (only I'm two inches shorter)!!  I am exactly where you are.  I got serious about my weight loss in May of last year.  Started at 298 and as of this morning at 230.  I also went from a 26/28 (pushing a size 30/32!!! UGH) and am now in a 16 or 18 (depending on the brand) and I really didn't and still don't sometimes see the changes.  I ask my kids if I am that big or was I that big.  As for comparing photos I was one of those people that did not ever let anyone take my picture because I was so big so I can't compare.  I wish I did have something, it would be nice to see it in print.  Pictures never lie!  I knew something was going on when people started asking me "Have you lost weight?" or "You look different?".  When you think about it, you are like "Hells ya...I've lost 68 pouonds" which is awsome, yay us!!  But I to still see a big person in the mirror.  I have seen little changes....the double chin disappearing was nice.  If I touch my legs or my arms, suddenly its like "Hey I didn't have that muscle there before!".  I am seeing subtle differences in my body.  But I still have the GUT!!  But with the exercise and calorie counting I know have a handle on it and know what to do.  I even like exercise now (addicted to spinning)!  Keep with it kawnd11!!  We've come this far and have a long way to go...but we can do it!!

I think in the very first week for me. I felt mentally good..like I was doing something about what I was unhappy with (the 15 pounds I had gained) and I don't know..I felt lighter somehow even if my weight did not immediately change.

The gym when I used to go obsessively...noticed a difference quickly. My arms are always quick to tone and firm when I'm doing it religiously, so it wasn't long at all before I felt like hey..I look better in this tank top or t shirt already.

My shoulders and arms got sculpted quick..they still do when I pick up the weights. Second is always my legs..I just feel all around more firm, a bit stronger, leaner..even if I don't necessarily lose weight.

I lost the weight, and have kept it gone without working out much at all, so..I would say it took me about a 2 months to drop the first bit, then 7 weeks to drop the rest.

I was stressed like mad though and ate very little, so it happened faster. That was a couple of months ago now, and it's still off..actually, I just lost another 2 pounds somehow, but..anyway yeah..it doesn't take forever to see a change.

I'm sure you'll notice it any day now.

For me it's definitely the clothes.  Things that had gotten too tight to wear before fit fine now.  I own 2 pairs of jeans.  The pair that have always been comfortable, I can now take off without unbuttoning.  The other pair had been kind of snug and are now quite comfortable.  I think it took 2 or 3 months for me to notice a difference.  And the scale isn't particularly helpful with that.  I think if I relied totally on the scale to track my progress, I'd get discouraged and quit because it takes a long time for it to move much (less than 2 lbs a month) and there are a lot of ups and downs in between. 

I'd never seen the Biggest Loser before, but I happened to catch the weigh in the other day and was horrified when a woman who had lost 95 pounds in 16 weeks was crying because she only lost a pound that week, and another woman who had lost 116 pounds already was upset because she had gained 1 pound after working really hard that week, and she was eliminated.  I'm sitting there thinking, "It's called MUSCLE and WATER weight, people!"

Hey ocean, good job "twinny" -glad to know i am not the only one who does this. Keep in touch! We will get there!

As of today I have officially lost 39lbs since my HW and only 4 away from my ultimate goal :D