My favorite rain shell now fastens all the way

The car-sit test is an underrated metric. Chest/waist clearance is basically a leading indicator; the scale is lagging.

I keep a “tight clothes” bin and try one item every two weeks—if it zips while seated, it graduates. What hunger number do you cap breakfast at? Protein in the morning moved my 10am score more than anything else.

For what it's worth, Nice NSV. I’ve got a similar benchmark: one denim jacket and how a seatbelt sits. Sharp follow-up: what’s your weekly loss pattern been?

I ask because at 11 lbs over 9 weeks, clothes often change in weird spots first. For me, upper back/armhole looseness showed up around week 6, waist later.

I use a tape at chest, waist, and upper arm every 2 weeks, plus one monthly photo in the same tee. Also curious—did the rain shell get easier after you added the evening walk, or was it more gradual?

I’m trying to figure out if my own fit wins track inches or just bloat.

That car zip moment is such a good one. Not dramatic to anyone else, but your body keeps a secret scoreboard. I lost about 30, regained 20, and the seatbelt not digging in was my first real sign I was back on track.

One thing I added: a monthly photo in the same outfit, and I note how it zips, not just the scale. Keeps me from spiraling when weekly weight is flat. Question for you: now that the shell fits, is the chest what changed most, or are the shoulders/sleeves still snug? Either way, enjoy the rain without the unzip.

Hi, I’m brand new here—only week one, so this is really encouraging. Sorry if this is a silly one, but I noticed my rain jacket’s armholes used to grab my shirt when I took it off, and now they slide off easier. Not sure if that’s a real sign or just less bloating.

Did you notice the shell changed before or after your weekly weigh-in? I’m trying not to obsess over the scale, so I’m looking for more non-scale things to watch. Thanks for sharing this.

heck yes — zipper victories are undefeated. Dorm protein hack that doesn’t taste like sadness: plain Greek yogurt + peanut butter powder + whatever frozen berries are on sale. It’s basically dessert that lies to you.

Sharp follow-up: what’s your breakfast protein when the dining hall eggs look like yellow sponges? My new weird metric is the towel-wrap test. I used to need a second towel after showers; this week one actually overlapped. Not glamorous, but I’ll take it. Keep the rain shell win.

Your rain shell victory made me smile. One small tracking habit I added after each weekly weigh-in is jotting down a sentence about a specific clothing fit: where it still pulls, where it has loosened, and how it feels when I reach or sit. It gives me something to compare when the weekly average is flat.

Did you notice any change in the shoulders or sleeves, or was the chest the main difference this time?

Night shift here. My benchmark is work pants. Used to leave the top button undone by end of shift. Now I can keep it buttoned and bend to grab my bag. Small, but real.

Question: do you check the shell at the same time of day? My weight and water swing a lot after nights. Some weeks I fit better at 7am than 7pm. Tracking weekly is smart. Also, that 20-minute walk—after shift or before? I’m trying to move mine so I don’t crash.

The shoulder/armpit test is a good one: after walks, I can cross my arms over my chest now without the fabric pulling tight.

Have you noticed whether the shell feels different around your shoulders and arms, not just the chest? That was my first sign before the scale caught up. Also, how do you log your hunger numbers? I’ve been scribbling 1–10 in my notes app but

love this. My weird benchmark is the dorm stair-laundry test: how many trips before my breathing gets loud.

Started at one trip and a lie-down; now it’s three and only mild wheezing. Concrete question: what’s your cheap dorm protein breakfast? I’m doing instant oats + peanut butter + whatever yogurt the dining hall doesn’t guard, but I need variety.

Also, rating hunger before and after meals has saved me from the “dining hall closes in 10 minutes, eat to an 8” panic. Keep that zipper gliding.

Tbh nice NSV. A concrete thing that helped me trust these wins: I take waist/hip/upper-arm measurements monthly, same tape, right after waking, and note where the tape sits.

I had a 3-week flat scale stretch where my waist dropped ~0.5 inch anyway, so clothes became my early signal. Curious: when your weekly weight stalls, do you change anything, or wait for the 3-week trend? I’m trying not to overreact to one data point.

love this. I’m in week 7 of a stall and the scale is doing nothing, but my old cycling jacket now Velcros at the wrist without leaving red marks.

I started hanging one “test piece” on the bedroom door and trying it every Sunday after my walk—same time, same outfit. It’s kept me from spiraling when the number is flat. What’s everyone’s non-scale test piece? Mine’s a denim jacket I haven’t worn since 2021, and I’m about two inches from buttoning it.

The car sit is such a good one. My equivalent is the collar/hood test: zip all the way, turn my head like checking a blind spot, and see if the collar chokes or the hood drags.

Neck/upper chest seems to change early for some people—maybe subcutaneous plus posture/bloat—but in the trials it’s pretty individual. Zero-stretch rain shell fabric is a brutally honest gauge, too.

One caveat I remind myself: after a salty meal my zip can feel tighter for a day or two, so I log that as fluid, not failure. Does your shell have a collar or cuff that gives you a similar read?

yes! The car-sit test is so real. My travel version: I can now cross my legs in a coach seat without my knee playing bumper cars with the tray table.

Also, hotel towels actually overlap now instead of me doing the tiny-towel shuffle. I don’t weigh daily either—I just note which clothes pass the “bend over and tie my shoes at the gate without gasping” test.

Curious: does your rain shell have pit zips? Because if so, you’ve unlocked the true final boss: zipped, seated, and not feeling like a steamed dumpling.

This is the kind of win that keeps you going. My equivalent was the towel wrap: after showers, the towel used to gap, and now it overlaps by a full hand.

I also keep a note on my phone called “non-scale wins” and date them. During my long stalls, those entries were the only proof anything was changing.

The scale is the headline; these