2d ago

How long do I need to exercise for before I start seeing a difference?

I just turned 40, and for the past 5 or so years I have been unhappy with the way I look.

All my life my metabolism has been insane, I could literally eat anything all day and not gain a gram, which has its downsides as well, but not the point.

My weight went up to 80kg and I formed a pot belly which I didnt like. One night I decided enough was enough, started a diet and exercise routine.

I did look at gyms but they are stupid expensive where I live, so I bought a resistance band thing from InnStar. Its like a Gymproluxe if you have been bombarded with Facebook ads. I use it every day for bench press, preacher curls, and some other things I dont know the name of.

I also started using a body weight exercise app that claimed results in a month.

The diet I thought would be hardest, but I immediately stopped all snacks and moved onto a weightloss protein shake which are amazing and I cant believe it took this long to taste them.

Its been a week, and I feel better, Im not sleeping as much, I look forward to exercise, I am much more physically active than before, but I dont feel like I look any different. I am not expecting instant results and I havent booked myself into a Mr World contest this weekend, but I am curious to hear real experiences of when people started to notice their own changes.

55 comments

Some basics:
2-4 weeks for you nervous system to improve.
4-8 weeks for your muscular system to improve.
Diet for weight loss.
Lift heavy to failure. eat and sleep for big muscles.
- why do you think it takes less time for the nervous system to improve than muscles?
  
  Mostly it's the science of how the two systems function. The nervous system is more adaptable at up/down regulating transmitters/receivers in the neural junctions which doesn't require a lot of energy. The muscular system needs to literally grow, which is somewhat even against biology. Big muscles are often not only unnecessary, they're only really made when they're forced to be made, and if you stop lifting, they'll go away. The nervous system will down-regulate too given the chance but its a faster responding system.

Abs are made in the kitchen, but you sound on the ball there already so:
Yeah in 2-3 months without missing many days you'll start to notice.
Edit: In my experience it's other people who see you often/semi often who notice external changes first. Not sure if that's just me or not.
- I believe it’s true too that other people might notice first. I think it might be because we look at the mirror often, especially when working out, and don’t notice the small changes our body has gone through during the process. But when you see someone you haven’t seen in weeks, the difference is much more noticeable

Measure your waist monthly. Yep just your waist. For me, I generally see weight loss over a few months of increased exercise. You will get better results with strength training, less weight loss but more lean, so just as much change in volume. Bodyweight will get you there but at some point you may want to pick up weights.
Remember that physical activity does a lot more than keeping your size where you want it. It's good for your mental health, your bones, your heart, digestion, it's an important part of a healthy life, be glad you are able.

Exercise is going to have the least effect on your weight unless you’re wildly out of shape.
It’s all about diet for the most part.
You should try intermittent fasting.

Make it to a month, and it will be come a new habit. After three months of dedication, you'll probably be able to look at yourself in the mirror and see real changes.

Its been a week, and I feel better, Im not sleeping as much, I look forward to exercise, I am much more physically active than before, but I dont feel like I look any different.
One week and you already feel it. Keep that in mind. It is something.
Five weeks here, about the same.
I heard that it takes as long as for building it up as for tearing it down. I have also heard: the older the longer. So: not sure :)

It takes a long time to lose weight, and it's about 80% diet and 20% exercise. But after a few weeks your heart/breathing should already be better. I'm 55 and wen I started jogging I was without breath and heart in top after 400 yards. Now I can run 2 or 3 miles non stop without too much suffering :)

I recommend you to try and ignore looking at your weight on the scale or how your belly circumference changes or the like for the first month or so. Your weight also is a rather broad metric. A kilo of muscles is not the same as a kilo of fat.
Just focus on doing your exercises well and feeling how they will get easier/you can do more reps week by week.
Another quick thing you will notice is your pulse going down. After a stamina exercise right when you stop, take your pulse on your neck. take it for 10 seconds and multiply by six to get your hearts bpm. Then after two minutes of rest take it again.
Do this every week and you will see a difference right away as your body adjust into moving.
Also i know most people want to build up big muscles and go with high weights. For getting fit i recommend looking for muscular endurance training first. This will help burn fat as you do many reps. It will improve your general endurance and it will help build muscles in a way that protects against injuries. Think of this like warming up your muscles before you enter into training to increase your max power. Alternate these two types of training over time.

First off, if you’re looking for major changes you need to make this a lifestyle change, or you won’t last long enough.
The good news is that you found diet easy so far. That’s the biggest part. A few weeks is not long enough to get rid of a pot belly. Depending how much of a belly you got, probably looking at closer to 6 months for a really visible change. By 3 months you’ll probably notice a difference but might not be where you want to be yet.
Just stick with it, but try not to focus on it.
- Its hard not to focus on! But I try not to dwell, and keep pushing through the exercise.

Take a photo; check back 30 days later. Rinse and repeat.
Progress can seem slow, that if you look at yourself day-to-day you’ll not notice it.
Scale isn’t the best judge either, because even if you weigh at the same time every day (first thing post BM is good) - your weight can fluctuate due to hydration and quality of sleep.
Consider measuring your waist as an alternative, seeing as that’s what was your initial motivation.
If you aren’t already, add walking to your daily routine - or even consider programs like Couch to 5K or ZombieRun if you want some motivation and a tougher goal. It’s great for your heart health, and will help contribute a small amount of additional burned calories.
Lastly, diet is the most important facet of weight loss. I highly recommend logging everything you eat (at least for the first week or two to get your bearings) using an app like Cronometer.
- Another thing to add on to why weight isn't a great measurement - You will put on muscle as you lose fat, especially if you shift your diet while you workout. It's fully possible that you lose 5 lbs of fat in a month while putting on 5 lbs of muscle. Both are great strides forward, but the scale will show no change.
  If you are going to use a scale, get one that will do body fat analysis as well. They aren't 100% accurate, but its another measurement that gives a closer look at your actual fitness.

I started at 35. From skinny fat to visibly "are you lifting" took me about 1 year. Looking "big" took 3-4years. I gained about 15kg of bw, probably about half fat and half muscle. The hardest part now is trying to diet down a bit again. Much harder than actually working out imo.
I did workout using a squat rack at home.
Still the best decision I ever made.

I'd keep the focus on your performance. You can do x amount of push ups etc. That is easier to notice and keep track of. I had a notebook where I wrote down every exercise session so I remembered.
The problem with seeing a difference is that you see yourself every day, and the difference from day to day is so small that you'll just update your "before" image in your head.
The obvious solution is to take a before and after picture, longer between the better. At least a month.
- For me it's about not worrying about the day to day appearance/weight/progress, and instead just focusing on accomplishing my daily goals, with no loftier intent.
  Time will help guide your intent.

Obligatory reminder that "Gyms aren't the only way to exercise", find a sport you enjoy with people you like and you'll spend time having fun rather than feeling like exercise is a chore. Most clubs gladly take adult beginner (who are the volunteers who'll run the club in 10 years)
As you said, weight loss is in the plate rather than in the gym. But exercising helps with overall physical and mental health

The routine you stick with is the one that works. It has only been a week. If you consistently keep your calorie count down and exercise routine on track, you will see gradual improvements after weeks and months of consistent effort.
Think about how many years it took you to gain to 80kg. It will take time to transform the other way as well.
It took me about three months to really notice visible improvements. The problem for me was maintaining consistency in diet and exercise once I noticed the changes.
- I am currently in the honeymoon phase and enjoying it. Apart from cardio on the exercise bike, because the daily squats turn my legs to jelly.
  
  Squatting daily is too often. Your body needs time to recover. The older we get, the more recovery time we need.

6 to 8 weeks for others to notice and 12 for you to really notice.
But you have to be consistent.
You can easily undo a week's work with a day of binging

It’s going to be an uphill battle to get in shape without proper gym equipment. Even among those who start going to the gym, most end up quitting because it’s a lot of effort and the results don’t come fast enough. Trying to work out at home makes it even harder. To gain muscle mass, you need to be lifting at the absolute limits of your strength - and that’s really difficult to achieve outside of a gym setting. It can be done, but I generally advise against it, because the odds are stacked against you.
Also, keep in mind that you can’t effectively lose weight and build muscle at the same time.
- I disagree on it being difficult to build muscles without a gym. Most exercises with your body weight will be more than enough for the first years of training.
  For people who start at maybe being able to do 5 push-ups, hitting the point where push-ups wont train them for muscle growth will take a long while. Also what kind of muscles do you want? big packs that can do 10 reps at huge weight, but fail you while unloading a moving truck? Or muscles that are well trained for endurance and stamina? For being fit and healthy i recommend the second style.
  
  The issue isn’t that you can’t get a proper workout without gym equipment - it’s that most people simply don’t stick with it. They start training at home, but it becomes more and more infrequent until they stop altogether. Getting a gym membership tends to create more accountability, and I think going to the gym is actually an easier habit to build than working out at home.
  Even for me, with a gym membership, I’ve noticed that if I go home between work and the gym, I’m much more likely to skip the workout. But if I go straight to the gym - having already decided to do so and with my gym bag packed - then I might as well do the workout since I’m already there.
- Thanks, I appreciate the input.
  I understand that this whole process is going to be more difficult without a gym, but financially its not feasible just yet. Also because I am at the beginning of the process, I figured I would wait until I knew I could stick at it, rather than start a subscription I dont use.
- I gained a reasonable amount of muscle mass from just doing pushups 100+ every day, no weights at all.
  Enough that my t shirts felt a lot tighter anyway, and friends noticed too.

Somewhat similar to my situation. Active job, a bit of bike riding and stable between 105-110kg. Fall one and a half years ago as the cycling season wound down I took the plunge on a black friday/week and got me some basic gym gear and got a rebated membership. Chose the one with the most classes because I knew myself, that without exterior pressure (having signed up to a class) I would drop off. Half a year later I was down 20kg by having many evenings taken up by fitness classes. Which made me get home later. Have dinner later. And didn't get time to get snacky before bedtime. That the snacking got cut out did the heavy weight loss and all the training have revitalised me.
Then the last year dropped another 5kg while getting stronger and more visibly fit. So the excess fat loss (which I'm more concerned about) is probably greater.

That depends on a lot of varying factors, such as your metabolism, genetics, diet, physical activity, your daily routine such as work and what kind, and so forth. You may also initially gain weight when trying to lose it because muscles are more dense/heavier than fat, and working out for example obviously encourages muscle growth as well.
Overall you will probably start to notice some improvements within the first 3-4 weeks, although it helps a lot to do before/after pictures since the gradual changes are easily missed if you see yourself every day in the mirror.

I am going to the gym 1-2 times a week for about 2 years now. I think I started to see the first signs after about half a year.
I am not super well defined as I would need to go more often than 2 times a week, but you can see I am a bit more muscular than the average. However, my belly is still there, and if I am not cruel to myself it won't get away. If you want to lose weight, 90% is diet.
I recommend to shoot some photos to track your progress. When you see yourself daily in the mirror, it's much harder to tell a difference.
But yeah as others said, especially in the beginning it's much more about feeling healthy than seeing a lot of difference.
- But I want to be ripped now!
  I do have a before photo which I will use as a bench mark.

The good news is the first few pounds are the easiest to lose.
The bad news is that you will not see a meaningful difference in just a week, or even one month, not enough to be the only thing keeping you motivated, at least. Depending on what you are after, caloric weight-loss might not even be enough to reach a very specific look, though it will go a long way.
My advice to you: find a way to stay motivated that is not based on results. This needs to be a new mindset, a journey you are undergoing. You'll need a sizable adjustment to your routine. Find a laborious project you are excited about to keep you off the couch and on your feet.
Most importantly, realize that weight loss is almost all about what you eat. It's very hard to go on a caloric deficit just by exercising, because a) exercising will make you more hungry, b) will convert fat to muscle which is heavier (though leaner), and c) it's a LOT more work and time. Instead, physical activity is more of a way of attaining a deficit without an extremely boring diet of lettuce and it also takes away opportunities to eat out of boredom.
You'll feel more hungry than you are used to, especially in the first couple of weeks as your body learns a new metabolic normal. Drink lots of water to both stay hydrated, and to feel full.
- Thanks, that makes me feel hopeful!
  The diet and exercise is making me feel hungry, because I was eating out of boredom I am eating a lot less, but I am now drinking a lot more water, so I am getting up to pee in the night more.
  I should have just stuck to the cakes.

Something to keep in mind is that after 30 male testosterone starts to decline and decreased testosterone can result in carrying more weight around the mid-section and may make it harder to lose.
https://trtaustralia.com/testosterone-levels-by-age-chart/
https://rexmd.com/learn/low-testosterone-and-weight-gain
- Thanks, i had read some bits about it, but not how dramatically it can affect. Might be worth a test to see what my levels are.

Visually at first it's going to be mostly weight loss. How much depends on how much caloric deficit you are running - rule of the thumb if you eat 500 calories less than what you burn per day you will lose about a pound/0.5kg per week. Diet is 80% of success. Your muscle gains will be low while you are losing weight, but your existing muscles will become more visible.
You see yourself every day so it's going to be hard to spot differences - compare monthly photos.

Hell yeah, props for taking the first steps. I'm 23 right now and I started doing calisthenics about 3 years ago and I'm very happy with the results. When I first started I was skinny fat and spent most of my days behind a computer screen eating lots of snacks. Even with basic exercises like push-ups, squats, pull-ups, I started noticing a difference in strength after about two weeks. I felt much better, slept better and had no more back problems. During that time I also stopped snacking and started drinking protein shakes, which really showed after about a month. After 3 months I lost around 6 kg of fat.
What I love about calisthenics is that it builds functional strength and is very fun and dynamic. You also don't need a gym because YOU ARE THE GYM.
If you're interested, you can check out Yellow Dude on Youtube.
- I am using a calisthenics app and I really like it to be fair, but augment with the resistance bands and some cardio.

So I have always been one to count calories and attempt to keep my weight in check, I always found it to be hard work and while I maintained a pretty healthy weight, I never really lost like I wanted to. I cut out sugar long ago, and I try and only eat whole grain products and be cognizant of my carb intake. It just wasn't quite enough.
Then I got a physical and saw I had high cholesterol. High enough that it needed to be addressed. I had to go on a diet and the only restriction (aside from stuff I was already doing as I described above) was: keep your intake of saturated fat no more than 13 grams per day.
So I use an app to keep a diary of everything I eat and I make my own food mostly and I have all the things I eat regularly in the app and I have been doing this for years, so I am lucky in that regard. If you can't/won't do this or just aren't bent that way, this will be much harder. But with my app and my eating habits, I have very little problems knowing exactly what I am ingesting - down to the gram. I had to re-do almost all of my regular recipes to create versions that were lower in saturated fat and it was a process.
But holy shit, I can't keep weight on. I eat and eat and eat as much as I want (I make this sound easy, it's not - every goddamn thing in the world is loaded with saturated fat, particularly animal products and you might as well just say goodbye to beef my friend). But between my regular (simple and not hardcore at all) exercise and this diet, my body changed dramatically within 3 months.
Also, my cholesterol is perfect now. Score.
- Good work.
  I dont eat a lot of meat anyway, but god damn I love beef. Maybe its time to start looking at vegetarian alternatives like Quorn, its great in a pasta sauce.
  
  I wish you the best of luck, but be aware, many vegetarian/vegan "solutions" have more saturated fat (and other bad shit) than their animal counterparts. Vegan isn't necessarily the answer. The answer is: whole foods, minimal processing, mostly vegetarian.

I've heard something like 1 months for you to notice, 2 until family will notice and 3 until other people will notice.
Not sure about these exact numbers but you get the gist.

You may seem to get slimmer after a long session of sweating, which is just you losing water. That will come back a while after you drink water, so don't consider that.
Cardio is useful too and depending upon your current condition, might make a big difference in QoL or just a small one. You might want to talk in detail about it with someone knowledgable and decide your pacing.
As far as duration goes, do it at least until you start getting the feeling that breathing is not giving you enough power anymore. Less than that point and you will not be getting better (this would be in terms of performance and not in terms of slimming); More than that and you risk falling (and I don't like falling, so that's the tip I use) due to dizziness.
As long as you are feeling better, I'd say, don't really worry about visual results. As the main result that comes, is becoming more able to do what you want with your body.
My weightloss happened when I was a kid and I'd say, it was around a year after I noticed the change. But my memories related to it are more of, eating low quality food (which was also more expensive) and having multiple ailments, so not much of a +ive.

Just adding to „It will take a while“. It would be faster if you‘d been fit before because the body remembers. But you should feel strength improvements and you should feel better quite soon. And clothes might be less tight. But visible results take longer. And after a while you’ll hit a tableau and you’ll have to power through that without giving up. It will be best if you don’t focus on looks too much but rather on feeling good and fit. Kudos for starting this path!
- Oh I was not fit before! Fitness was always tomorrows problem. I am definitely starting to feel changes in my shoulders, and my arms feel tighter.

I've gone for months and months without seeing a change. Which then discouraged me enough to stop entirely. These days I just hope to die ASAP so the point is moot lol.

At least 5 minutes.
- Good thing I'm not here to entertain you, then! :)

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