When can I expect to see a change?

A

amy1985

New member
This is something of a repeat from my food diary, but I wanted to ask this question directly. At what stage in diet/ exercise can one expect to see a difference in weight, size, or how well clothes fit? I've been at the gym three weeks now, 3-5 times a week (30-40 min cardio, the rest weights, at the gym usually about 1.25-1.5 hours a time), and although I think I was already eating ok, have started calorie counting and have cut right down on things I didn't realise were bad for me (white bread, for example). Today I weighed myself in the gym, and no change. Zip. They weighed me on the first day at the gym and my weight has not shifted from there. I've been dwelling on it all night and I'm really down in the dumps about it. I'm not asking for miracles, and I know it takes awhile to get started- but I thought I'd see something (a pound, maybe?) by now.

Is anyone else going through or been through this? Should I be worried? How long did it take people to notice a difference? And probably most importantly, how do I keep myself motivated given how crushing I find this?
 
First tip, from my experience at the gym I go to it is NEVER a good idea to use their scale. Before I got on the scale I decided to check its true "zero", um its true zero was at 6.something lbs. WTF.... Anyway that is at the gym I go to, I'm not sure if they're trying to pull the same thing in your gym.

Are you measuring your progress through the scale alone? I would like to suggest on buying a measuring tape (mine cost 98 cents) to measure yourself at the bust waist, hips and thighs. By measuring you can see progress where the scale won't show it.

Anywhoo, as for seeing change. In my journey it played out like this, from 198-the 170s no one noticed that I lost weight, my clothes were looser but all I had to do was put a belt on. From the 160s to 150 I went from 12 to 10( and 10 fit a little loose). In the 140s (where I have been these past couple of months) I went from a waist of 32 to 28 and my size 8 jeans and even new stuff I try on is fitting a little loose. My belly has significantly flattened, not a washboard ab (God I wish!) but I had belly pooch that was highest at my belly button which is now evened out.

Seeing change will also depend on your body type, and where your body prefers to store fat. For me my belly and breast are always the slowest to go down, however I did notice significant slimming of my legs and arms when I was in the 170s.

Good Luck on your Weight Loss Amy!!!
 
Thanks for the reply. I suppose I have a silly reason for not using my scale (well, that and the fact I didn't have a scale when I first joined the gym)- the scale at the gym weighs me a kilogram lighter than the one I now have at home, and I'd rather weigh 73kg than 74, if that makes sense.

If they're doing it in my gym, the instructor I was speaking to didn't know about it. He was surprised my weight hadn't shifted.

I'll get my boyfriend to start measuring me. He's the only one who's noticed a difference, but I wonder if he only says that to keep me from getting demoralised (that being said, he did point to the area where I usually do lose weight first- you're right about that).

I am interested in how well my clothes fit (a very small reason for doing this is that I can't afford to buy new clothes and most of the clothes I own are too small for me), and I'm trying to go by that metric too, but I suppose it's not as good as measuring yourself.
 
Keeping motivated is one of my biggest issues as well. I've managed to lose 11 pounds but I don't notice it on the shape of my body or the way my clothes fit, just the scale. It's nice to see the scale move but I'm ready for my jeans to be lose!

Are you weighing yourself after you workout? I gain water weight when I work out. If I were you I'd weigh myself at home in the morning after you've gone to the bathroom and naked in order to keep things more consistent.

Also, are you getting close to your time of the month? sometimes that causes the scale to rise which means it may not be showing loss... Also, do you drink lots of soda or high sodium because that will cause you to retain water weight.

Have you counted how many calories you used to eat vs. what you've cut down to? Go on a website and figure out your exact necessary caloric intake per day.

Just some ideas, hope it helped?
No matter what just keep at it, you can do it!
 
Thanks :) Yes, I calorie count (and I've been recording it in my diary)- I don't drink soda as a rule (sometimes a little bit of sugar free cordial, but apart from that only water, tea, and coffee). My calorie counter is recording my sodium as being quite high, and I'm not sure why. Minor issue at this stage although it is bothering me. I don't know what I used to eat- I didn't keep track, and I think that was part of my problem, not paying attention to what went into my mouth. I've got a deficit of 500 calories going at the moment (I used the Harris Benedict equation to work out my maintenance level), although most days I don't quite reach that (I'm aiming- not sure if it's reasonable- at a deficit between 500-1000, preferably at the 500 end, as 1000 gets me perilously close to 1200 calories- and I don't want to be hungry). I basically eat when I need to (generally three meals plus a couple of snacks) and try to keep it low calorie/ meeting nutritional requirements (I think I'm going ok so far, would love feedback), with the mind to "save" some of my calories for a treat every so often (I don't feel I can completely do without, but if I make it small, controlled, infrequent, and accounted for it doesn't seem so bad).

I noticed my jeans felt a little looser today, and my thighs seem firmer, both of which I choose to interpret as positive steps.

Yes, I generally have been weighing myself before or after workout. I think I'm going to stop weighing myself at the gym and pick a day of the week (just one, I don't want to worry about probably meaningless daily fluctuations) to weigh myself first thing in the morning.
 
I measured myself on my scales again, this time, as suggested, first thing in the morning with no clothes on (except my glasses, it's kind of counterproductive if I can't read the scale). As compared with previous attempts (one of which was first thing in the morning with my very lightweight summer pyjamas on- there's no way they weigh anything close to a kilogram), which have shown over 73kg- between 73.5 and 74 in the last week- this morning I read 72. I'm not sure how much to make of this, given I have some difficulty reading my scale (it's set up for stone/ pounds and in any case the markings are quite small- but it was a freebie so I'm not really complaining), and given this is the first morning I've done it exactly as recommended. Do I chalk this up as a weight loss or wait and see what the scales say next week? (I know it's not the be all and end all, but it is my original metric and so is more pressing on my mind, plus it's smaller and more objective steps than my other measures- clothes size, which is going to take awhile, and feelings of fitness/ health/ mental clarity)

:D ? maybe? Not sure how to interpret this.
 
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