I’m a 36yo 5’3 mother of 2 with CW of 128 and a vanity goal weight of 115. I’ve been doing 16:8 with three small meals and one snack for awhile. I recently started eating super mindfully (sitting down, taking my time, putting utensil down between bites, realistic portions). I’ve always heard that IF can change your body composition but didn’t believe it until now. I’m at the same weight I was in high school but am way smaller than I was back then. I was a solid womens size 6 pants and size medium shirts in high school and I’m now a size extra small shirt and 0-2 pants! I was shocked trying on clothes today. I reached for the 0 because they didn’t have a 2 and didnt even dream it would fit. I’m pretty happy where I am and realizing that going further with weight loss may result in me looking too thin. It’s so interesting that you can be the same weight but way smaller. All this to say go by how your clothes feel, not the scale especially if you’re super close to goal.
Just to add to op’s post:
The scale doesn’t lie. It says exactly how much your body weighs as a whole, including your fat, muscle, water, feces, organs, bones, etc. Everything is weighed. If you weigh 128 lbs, you weigh 128 lbs.
What the scale doesn’t show is how much muscle or fat you have. You mentioned body recomposition and that’s exactly what you did. You might weigh the same 128 lbs as you did in HS, but clothes fit differently because you have less body fat and more lean muscle.
So, the scale isn’t a liar. The scale isn’t the most reliable way to track progress. Not dropping weight for a month and feeling bad about being on a plateau sucks but, if you drop 2” off your waist in the same month, that’s progress.
Congrats on your results.
Also, not to burst your bubble, but I think that even less reliable than scales are clothes sizes. I know from working in the fashion industry that sizes are pretty much a free for all when labels are creating their patterns. They make their sizes to appeal to their target market, there is a certain appeal to seeing a small size on a tag even if we know we are a different (bigger) size on a more accurate label..at least in America, in this industry we do often refer to European sizing when we want to be for sure of what size clothing we are, otherwise it all is just an illusion. I say the best bet is, reaching that body goal, regardless of size/weight, when you look at yourself and are absolutely in love with what you see and how you feel!