In life, there are three types of people. There are those who desperately want to lose weight, those who are ready to do anything to gain weight, and others who simply want to maintain their current shape. All of them share one thing in common: anxiously checking the scales every day to see their progress. And for all these types of people, gaining just the tiniest amount of weight that is noticeable can either build up a lot of insecurities or be proof of your progress. But with that being said, how much of this weight gain is really noticeable?
A noticeable weight gain entirely depends on your build, height, and how your body distributes weight throughout its different body parts but generally speaking, on average, you need a minimum of 9 pounds before people start noticing a difference.
In this article, we’ll talk more in-depth about how much weight gain is noticeable and how long it takes to see it.
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How Much Weight Gain Is Noticeable?
Before answering this question, I’ll talk about my own experience that is closely related to this topic. Since I always struggled with being skinny, I decided to undergo my own body transformation that has lasted 3 years so far (still going to this day).
Not only did I just gain fat, but I also managed to pack on a decent amount of muscle mass since I weight-lifted and It took me about 6 months before noticing any sort of difference in my body. However, since it was my own body, I was always biased and thought I was getting bigger every time I looked in the mirror but in reality, there were only some minor changes.
I only started to get compliments from people after I had managed to gain about 17 pounds (8 kg). I know it took quite a lot of weight before it started to get noticed but that was due to three main reasons: I was really tall (6 foot 1), I was extremely skinny before, and my weight distribution was quite unbalanced. Let’s break down all those three factors:
Height
The main reason why it took so much weight before people started noticing any change is the fact that I was really tall. In other words, if I was short (under 5 foot 5), gaining those 17 pounds would make me look huge and people would’ve noticed right after I had gained 8 or 9 pounds.
If we take a look at this graph from the United Nations University, you’ll notice that weight gain velocity is heavily affected by height velocity.
The blue line that represents weight velocity becomes really low when height velocity is increased. In simpler words, the taller you are, the harder it is for you to gain weight and for it to be noticeable.
If you’re somewhere along the range of 5 foot 5 to 5 foot 7, just 8 or 9 pounds of weight gain will be noticeable. However, if you’re taller than that, then it will take about 15 to 17 pounds before people start noticing any difference.
Build
Build represents the amount that you used to weigh before gaining any extra pounds. Since I was extremely skinny before, I was at a disadvantage and had to work a lot harder in order to look “normal”. So the pounds that it took me to get to that level weren’t noticed since I was just starting to become average in terms of weight. That’s why the weight that I put on after that is what started to get noticed by people. With that being said, let’s break down the three scenarios:
- If you’re skinny, then it will take about 14 to 18 pounds in order for the weight gain to be noticeable.
- If your weight is average, then it will take 9 to 11 pounds in order for the weight gain to be noticeable.
- If you’re overweight, small fluctuations in weight won’t be noticeable since your body already has a ton of fat. This means that you’ll need about 16 to 18 pounds in order for the weight gain to be noticeable.
Weight Distribution
Weight distribution represents how your body acts when it’s time to store fat. There are some types of people who store fat in a balanced way and across all different body parts so it will take a lot more pounds in order for the weight gain to be noticeable, and there are others who store fat in one single area like the belly or the legs so the weight gain will be noticeable even with just a couple of extra pounds.
Unfortunately, this can’t be controlled and comes down to some very natural and specific factors. According to the Journal of Lipid Research, the main determinants of fat distribution are sex hormones, age, and genetics.
In other words, if your body distributes fat in a balanced matter, it will take 14 to 18 pounds in order for the weight gain to be noticeable.
If your body distributes fat in one specific area, it will be much easier to notice and will take only 8 to 10 pounds to be noticeable.
Let’s take the example of an average 20-year-old guy that’s 5 foot 6, weighs about 160 pounds, and has a body that distributes weight equally. It’ll take about 9 to 10 pounds of weight gain before it starts getting noticeable to people.
How Long Does It Take to See Noticeable Weight Gain?
Based on my own experience that I mentioned in the beginning, it took me about 6 months before starting to see some noticeable changes in my body. However, since I was biased and probably thought I looked big even though I was still skinny, I’ll only count the time when people started noticing a difference in me. And that took about a year.
The time that it takes to see noticeable weight gain entirely depends on the amount of weight that is required before people start noticing which depends on many factors like height, age, build, and weight distribution. But generally speaking, on average, it takes about 6 to 12 months before noticeable weight gain results.
Conclusion:
Seeing “noticeable” changes in your body shouldn’t be your source of motivation nor your reason for insecurities. If you ever wake up one day and notice that the weight is going the opposite way of where you want it to be, don’t panic, carefully check your routine and daily habits, and adapt your body to these changes. That’s because weight gain/loss takes a lot of time and effort and it’s not an easy path to go through but it’s definitely possible with hard work and dedication.
