No lie-down, no sucking in

Friday at 8:11 PM

Not a scale thing this time. I've been at this since early 2023, and like a few of us were talking about in the Tuesday check-in thread last month, the tape measure has been moving slower than the scale for me.

Yesterday I needed jeans for a work thing and grabbed a size 14 off the rack without really thinking, mostly because the 16s I've been living in have gotten baggy in the seat. They zipped. No lie-down-on-the-bed, no sucking in, no weird gap at the lower back. I stood in that little mirror for probably two full minutes just staring.

For context: I started in a snug 22, so that's four sizes. It took 61 weeks. Nothing dramatic — I walk 20-30 min after dinner most nights, I eat protein first, and I've stopped keeping chips in the house because I have zero self-control around them. I still have a long way to go and my brain definitely hasn't caught up to my body yet.

Anyway, mostly posting because I remember reading these when I was starting out and they helped. What's the NSV that surprised you the most — the one you didn't see coming?

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Saturday at 11:23 PM

That no-suck-in zip is the real test. I’d log it like a PR: same jeans, same lighting, front/side pic, and a flat-lay waist measurement. I lift 4x, keep protein high, and my tape often stalls for 2–3 weeks, then drops almost overnight. Scale can move while waist lags, or vice versa. Quick question: were those 14s rigid denim or stretch? A rigid 14 is a way bigger win than a stretchy one. Either way, that’s the kind of NSV that keeps me off shortcut nonsense.

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Tuesday at 12:38 AM

Same pattern here. I log waist at navel and hip every Sunday morning, fasted, after exhale, no sucking in. Scale dropped ~9 lb between Jan and Mar; waist stayed ~102 cm until it didn’t—then lost 4 cm in three weeks. Clothes were the early tell. The 14 zipping is a real data point. Quick question: are you measuring at

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Tuesday at 1:37 AM

That no-suck zip is a great feeling. This reminds me of the old “jeans don’t lie” thread from last summer — we all swore off measuring at night after that.

One thing that helped me when the tape stalled: I measured a retired pair of rigid denim flat on the bed once a month, buttoned, no stretching. It showed the change my waist didn’t. Was your 14 a stiff work pant or a stretchy one? That detail would change how I’d read the win.

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Yesterday at 12:18 PM

Nice. The zip is the only metric that matters some weeks. I’m on nights too. I measure after I wake, whenever that is, before coffee, at navel and widest hip. Same tape, no shirt. Thigh finally moved when the scale stalled. Question: are those 14s high-rise? Rise changes everything. A high-rise 14 can zip while a mid-rise 14 still fights. I also hang the winning jeans inside the closet door. Not for motivation. Just proof for the 3 a.m. doubt days.

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Yesterday at 8:47 PM

That hour-three test is such a good one. I’ve started wearing new-size jeans around the house for 20 minutes before deciding: stairs, sitting cross-legged, then the car. If the waistband doesn’t dig after that, I trust it more than the mirror. Did the 14s stay comfy through the whole work thing, or were you ready to peel them off by lunch? Also, laying your old 16s flat over the 14s can show the side-seam shift when the tape is being stubborn.

Today at 1:10 AM

For what it's worth, did you do the sit-down test yet? I keep a pair of “audit jeans” in the hall closet and try them on after dinner/bedtime chaos, not first thing. If I can sit on the floor doing Magna-Tiles without unbuttoning, that’s my real 14 win. Also, I moved the kids’ snack drawer to a top shelf and put my own jerky/cheese sticks in

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No lie-down, no sucking in — the 14 zipped