When did YOU finally notice the weight loss? 54 lbs down...so where did it go??

jaguar

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For anyone who had a significant amount of weight to lose, was there ever a point where it felt like it took forever before you could actually see a difference?

I'm asking because I'm 5 months in and down 54 pounds, but I genuinely cant tell much of a difference. I started with about 165 pounds to lose (which I know is A LOT), so maybe that's just the reality when you have a lot more weight to lose. I also wonder if people who only had a lot less, say ~80-50 pounds or fewer to lose notice changes much sooner.

I just find it so odd. All of my clothes still fit (it's not like they're falling off of me), my rings aren't loose (they're looser, but I've been waiting for that dramatic moment where one goes flying off while I'm washing my hair.....still waiting), and when I look in the mirror, I swear I look damn near the same as I did 54 pounds ago.

Im lifting weights, eating in a pretty strict calorie deficit, prioritizing protein, keeping carbs low...and I don't feel like I'm seeing much body recomp yet either. You'd think losing 54 lbs would make a world of difference! I have absolutely no idea where the 54 lbs has gone...because it doesn't look like its coming off of me.

Don't get me wrong -- I know 54 lbs is a huge accomplishment in 5 months, and logically I know my body has changed. And the biggest difference is I feel like I can move around more freely; walking doesn't make my heart pump harder like before, and I don't feel so exhausted doing normal activities. My brain knows that somewhere deep down. But my heart is over here like...what the hell? Is this what body dysmorphia feels like? I don't think I've ever experienced it; but I know I'm not crazy, there hasn't been many changes or my clothes would be loose and my rings would be falling off.. so it can't be my mind playing tricks on me when I look in the mirror.

Did anyone else go through this? When did you finally have that "Whoa...I actually look different" moment? Were there little signs I should be paying more attention to besides clothes fitting differently or rings getting loose?

Maybe by the 65 lbs mark I will start to see changes in my body.
 
jaguar said:


For anyone who had a significant amount of weight to lose, was there ever a point where it felt like it took forever before you could actually see a difference?

I'm asking because I'm 5 months in and down 54 pounds, but I genuinely cant tell much of a difference. I started with about 165 pounds to lose (which I know is A LOT), so maybe that's just the reality when you have a lot more weight to lose. I also wonder if people who only had a lot less, say ~80-50 pounds or fewer to lose notice changes much sooner.

I just find it so odd. All of my clothes still fit (it's not like they're falling off of me), my rings aren't loose (they're looser, but I've been waiting for that dramatic moment where one goes flying off while I'm washing my hair.....still waiting), and when I look in the mirror, I swear I look damn near the same as I did 54 pounds ago.

Im lifting weights, eating in a pretty strict calorie deficit, prioritizing protein, keeping carbs low...and I don't feel like I'm seeing much body recomp yet either. You'd think losing 54 lbs would make a world of difference! I have absolutely no idea where the 54 lbs has gone...because it doesn't look like its coming off of me.

Don't get me wrong -- I know 54 lbs is a huge accomplishment in 5 months, and logically I know my body has changed. And the biggest difference is I feel like I can move around more freely; walking doesn't make my heart pump harder like before, and I don't feel so exhausted doing normal activities. My brain knows that somewhere deep down. But my heart is over here like...what the hell? Is this what body dysmorphia feels like? I don't think I've ever experienced it; but I know I'm not crazy, there hasn't been many changes or my clothes would be loose and my rings would be falling off.. so it can't be my mind playing tricks on me when I look in the mirror.

Did anyone else go through this? When did you finally have that "Whoa...I actually look different" moment? Were there little signs I should be paying more attention to besides clothes fitting differently or rings getting loose?

Maybe by the 65 lbs mark I will start to see changes in my body.

Click to expand...
Great job on the progress!

I can tell you, after losing 27% and being at goal, I did not realize that I needed to buy new shirts until I was told I looked like I was swimming in them.

We look at ourselves everyday, and the changes are harder to track.

What I did notice was:

I did not feel like crap after eating 3rd helpings of spaghetti

I did not have the afternoon food coma crashouts

my walking became easier.

Eventually I really started seeing the difference, mostly from looking at old pictures.. you know the ones.. that made me want to do this in the first place!

If it helps, get a measuring tape.

But really just keep up the good work, the new you will come out of there 🙂
 
Skidude said:


I did not realize that I needed to buy new shirts until I was told I looked like I was swimming in them

Click to expand...
That's interesting. Welp, if someone doesn't tell me Im swimming in my clothes soon, I'm going to crash out ..haha JK. Thanks for your feedback dude, and congrats on your weight loss too!
 
I am on almost the exact path that you are on. I have 167 total lbs to lose, I'm 2weeks from being on Tirz for 3 months. So far I am down 45lbs. I bought 4 of the exact same T-shirts when I started my journey on May 7th.

1=current weight on May 7th - 4xl Tall

1=tight but not ridiculously tight 3xl Tall

1=clearly I have lost a lot of weight-2xl Tall

1=hell yeah, I'm not fat anymore, just a big guy - xl Tall

I'm currently in the 3xl comfortably with room to spare. Try this! It will tell you exactly what you need to know to feel like you are winning throughout the process.
 
Do you have a measuring tape, like a sewing tape measure, to measure your waist circumference at the navel? That's the measurement that decreases the fastest with gLP-1 agonists.
 
Measuring tapes as others have said will show your hard work, but the toilet roll analogy works here, removing a couple of sheets on a full roll doesn’t visually effect the size of it much until you get down to much less and then you notice every sheet removal dramatically effects its size. I didn’t go down in size for good number of pounds lost and over 3 months at the beginning of my weight loss , +60lbs, but lately I seem to be going down in size every 5-6 weeks. Still about 10-15lbs to go.
 
Yes absolutely! And that's amazing progress you've made, congratulations!

I started at around 200 lbs and should lose at least 80 (I'm 5 feet tall). I've lost almost 50 lbs now since starting tirz in March. I wasn't always obese, years ago I was around 115 and lifting a lot, and I would fluctuate between a couple of different sizes back then. When I started to gain over the years, I noticed that the bigger the size, he more weight in between. So now for example going from a size 14 to a 12 has been around a 30+ lb difference for me, but the difference gets smaller as I go down in size. Back then the difference between two small sizes might have been only 5 pounds.

We notice these things suddenly, I definitely felt like nothing was noticeable until I didn't have even one shirt that wasn't falling off my shoulders. I also went back to the gym almost a year ago, and felt like there was no improvement but then all of a sudden a few months ago I noticed that it was taking at least 15 minutes for me to start feeling warm. When I started, I was a sweaty mess within seconds! There are lots of little things we'll notice out of nowhere, and the tirz keeps me from feeling discouraged like I did during all of my past efforts to lose the weight when it was always a huge mental struggle. It helps us to just keep going.

The toilet paper analogy is a good one, in the beginning it stays looking full but then near the end, all of a sudden it runs out 😄
 
FLglpguy said:


Try this! It will tell you exactly what you need to know to feel like you are winning throughout the process.

Click to expand...
Hell ya! That's nifty. Wish i had thought of this at the beginning
 
Angelique said:


The toilet paper analogy is a good one, in the beginning it stays looking full but then near the end, all of a sudden it runs out

Click to expand...
Thank you for your feedback; it's giving me hope!
 
TacoLifter420 said:


Take a picture once a month and a waist measurement. You'll see the change in appearance and numbers pretty quickly.

Click to expand...
I should have done this more. I suppose its not too late to start. I've only taken pictures twice. Once at the beginning, and once about mid-way through my 5-month journey. I compare the photos and they look the same to me, but my husband says "are you crazy?! you can see a huge difference!" Must be my mind playing tricks on me. You've inspired me to take more photos! I'll do that starting tomorrow morning👏 I should have been measuring too
 
I turned into a fatty without even noticing until I saw a picture of me. I literally was like who is that, wait what? Me?

I noticed my waistline back after losing 32lbs, down from 258lbs. 🫣 If I never looked at that picture I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have known how big I got.
 
moodymama76 said:


I turned into a fatty without even noticing until I saw a picture of me. I literally was like who is that, wait what? Me?

I noticed my waistline back after losing 32lbs, down from 258lbs. 🫣 If I never looked at that picture I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have known how big I got.

Click to expand...
😭 it really be like that. when they say cameras add an extra 10 pounds.. uhm no. they're telling the truth, lol
 
jaguar said:


For anyone who had a significant amount of weight to lose, was there ever a point where it felt like it took forever before you could actually see a difference?

I'm asking because I'm 5 months in and down 54 pounds, but I genuinely cant tell much of a difference. I started with about 165 pounds to lose (which I know is A LOT), so maybe that's just the reality when you have a lot more weight to lose. I also wonder if people who only had a lot less, say ~80-50 pounds or fewer to lose notice changes much sooner.

I just find it so odd. All of my clothes still fit (it's not like they're falling off of me), my rings aren't loose (they're looser, but I've been waiting for that dramatic moment where one goes flying off while I'm washing my hair.....still waiting), and when I look in the mirror, I swear I look damn near the same as I did 54 pounds ago.

Im lifting weights, eating in a pretty strict calorie deficit, prioritizing protein, keeping carbs low...and I don't feel like I'm seeing much body recomp yet either. You'd think losing 54 lbs would make a world of difference! I have absolutely no idea where the 54 lbs has gone...because it doesn't look like its coming off of me.

Don't get me wrong -- I know 54 lbs is a huge accomplishment in 5 months, and logically I know my body has changed. And the biggest difference is I feel like I can move around more freely; walking doesn't make my heart pump harder like before, and I don't feel so exhausted doing normal activities. My brain knows that somewhere deep down. But my heart is over here like...what the hell? Is this what body dysmorphia feels like? I don't think I've ever experienced it; but I know I'm not crazy, there hasn't been many changes or my clothes would be loose and my rings would be falling off.. so it can't be my mind playing tricks on me when I look in the mirror.

Did anyone else go through this? When did you finally have that "Whoa...I actually look different" moment? Were there little signs I should be paying more attention to besides clothes fitting differently or rings getting loose?

Maybe by the 65 lbs mark I will start to see changes in my body.

Click to expand...
All totally valid points and first of all- CONGRATS on your commitment to yourself. You are crushing it. Are you on the taller side or petite. I feel like weight coming off a tall person is usually more noticeable for some reason. Maybe it is the way to spreads over a longer surface, but I'd think that you'd notice it more on a smaller framed person. I dont know. I feel like weight is such a weird thing and Dysmorphia even weirder. Like, ive gone up and down many times in my life and after I get skinny, when I gain weight, I feel like I look thinner, but Im like, how is this possible, I weigh more, but I look leaner? I think our brains mess with us, but damn Jaguar, keep up the great work and I hope you see the positive changes like you are feeing them. Try using measurements, I bet you will see a difference 🙂
 
eidos said:


Do you have a measuring tape, like a sewing tape measure, to measure your waist circumference at the navel? That's the measurement that decreases the fastest with gLP-1 agonists.

Click to expand...
It's funny, im only on 3 weeks, into the 4th and already I see my face slimmer and my waist. Yay!!

moodymama76 said:


I turned into a fatty without even noticing until I saw a picture of me. I literally was like who is that, wait what? Me?

I noticed my waistline back after losing 32lbs, down from 258lbs. 🫣 If I never looked at that picture I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have known how big I got.

Click to expand...
isnt that so wild!
 
jaguar said:


Did anyone else go through this? When did you finally have that "Whoa...I actually look different" moment? Were there little signs I should be paying more attention to besides clothes fitting differently or rings getting loose?

Click to expand...
I have struggled with this every time I manage to lose around 50 pounds. It feels like a lot but my clothes all have a lot of stretch so they fit for a decent range of sizes. The ONLY thing that helped me see it was to take side, front and back full body photos once a month. When I compared the starting photo to the 50 pound lost photo I could absolutely see the difference. Looking in the mirror every day...I couldn't tell. Try regular photos!
 
whimsps said:


I have struggled with this every time I manage to lose around 50 pounds. It feels like a lot but my clothes all have a lot of stretch so they fit for a decent range of sizes. The ONLY thing that helped me see it was to take side, front and back full body photos once a month. When I compared the starting photo to the 50 pound lost photo I could absolutely see the difference. Looking in the mirror every day...I couldn't tell. Try regular photos!

Click to expand...
It’s actually a good money saving tip if you look at it another way. Buying new clothes in smaller sizes whilst exhilarating at first soon gets old and expensive. But mentally can be difficult if there doesn’t seem to be any reward. A cheap blood pressure device might also give you some positive feedback if yours is on the high side. I didn’t take many photos except the ones needed by my online prescription provider every 3 months, which stopped when I went to grey. I must do some more for my private record. If you are like me, photos have been something to be increasingly avoided. It’s time to try and enjoy the progress.
 
eidos said:


Do you have a measuring tape, like a sewing tape measure, to measure your waist circumference at the navel? That's the measurement that decreases the fastest with gLP-1 agonists.

Click to expand...
this is the way.
 
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