Let’s say you want to lose some weight. You started watching what you eat and hitting the gym on a regular basis. You feel good about the changes you made and decide to buy a scale to monitor your progress. However, after a couple of weeks the number of the scale barely budged. What gives? Are you really not making any progress? Or are you simply looking at the wrong things?
Changing your body is a long process. Often, the mental game trips us up more than anything else. It’s crucial to be patient and kind to yourself while building new habits. If you rely too much on the scale, it’s easy to get frustrated and miss all the other evidence that you’re moving in the right direction.
Below, I discuss several ways to measure changes to your body. If you’re feeling frustrated with your apparent lack of progress, or simply want a more effective and honest way to measure progress, you may benefit from looking beyond just the scale.
All about the scale
Bodyweight is the most obvious metric to track if you want to lose weight. I’m not going to tell you bodyweight doesn’t matter or that you shouldn’t pay attention to it. However, it’s important to understand what your scale is telling you and put this number in a broader context. Bodyweight by itself can be very misleading.
Unfortunately, bodyweight is often the only progress metric people track. Sometimes this causes people to abandon plans that could lead to great results if only they were more patient. Others step on the scale and let whatever number they see dictate their mood – or worse, their sense of self worth – for the rest of the day. This can fuel body image issues, trigger obsessive behavior, and even contribute to disordered eating.
If you have a poor relationship with the scale, I strongly encourage you to throw yours away and measure progress with some of the alternative metrics discussed below. You are worth so much more than the number on the scale!
How to use the scale and keep your sanity
Scale weight fluctuates based on many factors: what and when you last ate, hydration, salt intake, when you last exercised, stress levels, menstrual cycle, etc.
I’ve seen my own weight fluctuate more than five pounds in a day. Does this mean I gained five pounds of body fat? Absolutely not. The changes in weight were due to water and glycogen manipulations. True weight gain and loss happens much more gradually.
For this reason, I never want my clients to weigh themselves just once per week. It’s too difficult to get an accurate of picture of what’s going on. Instead, I recommend weighing yourself 3-7 times per week. It’s best to weigh yourself first thing in the morning just after using the bathroom. Record your weight in a journal or on your phone. At the end of each week, take an average of your daily weights.
Your weekly average is what matters as you monitor your progress. Are your averages trending down? You’re probably losing body fat. Trending up? You’re most likely gaining weight.
I love the Happy Scale app for tracking weight. This app smooths out the daily ups and downs to give you an accurate average weight. It also shows you whether your weigh ins are trending up or down. This takes some of the anxiety out of daily weigh ins because you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction, even if your daily weight fluctuates.
Keep in mind fat loss takes a long time. For most people, losing one pound per week is an excellent rate of progress. You may also drop more weight initially and then experience slower progress, which is totally normal.
Beyond the scale: other ways to measure progress
One of the easiest ways to tell you’re making progress is to pay attention to how your clothes fit. If you’re trying to lose weight, baggy pants, looser waists, and moving in a notch on your belt are all signs you’re heading in the right direction. Lots of progress here may necessitate a wardrobe update, which can be a fun way to treat yourself and celebrate your success.
If you hear someone talking about how many inches they’ve lost, they’re referring to the total of body measurements they’re tracking. I often have clients take body measurements as a way to quantify the changes happening to different parts of their bodies. Body measurements should be taken using a cloth measuring tape once or twice per month. Waist measurements (just above the belly button) are particularly valuable to measure fat loss. If the scale isn’t budging but you’ve lost inches around your waist, you’re still making progress. You may also choose to measure your neck, shoulders, chest, bicep, hips, thigh, and calf. Be sure to take the measurements from the same place every time.
Changes in body fat percentage provide another way to measure fat loss. If your primary goal is fat loss, you want to see this number decrease. If the scale stays the same but your body fat percentage goes down, you’re still losing fat and likely building some muscle.
Unfortunately, body fat percentage is difficult to track. Accurate methods like a DEXA scan are costly and usually require you to visit a specialized facility. Tracking with calipers is somewhat accurate, but you’ll need another person (like a trainer) to take these measurements for you. You may still see big discrepancies depending on the person taking the measurements and the calipers used. The easiest methods, handheld body fat scanners or scales that measure body fat, are also the least accurate. If you decide to track your body fat percentage despite these challenges, use the same tracking method every time.
Progress photos are perhaps the best way to measure body change. Many of us chase an “ideal weight,” but what we are truly after is changing the way we look and feel. Sometimes the numbers we want to hit date all the way back to high school and simply aren’t realistic or appropriate for our adult bodies. It won’t matter if you never hit your goal weight if you love the way your body looks and feels.
I recommend taking progress photos once a month. Wear the same form-fitting clothes or bathing suit each time. Take one photo each of your front, side (profile), and back. Take the photos in the same place with the same lighting if possible. You can take mirror selfies or set your phone to countdown if you’re not comfortable asking someone else to help you.
Comparing these photos side by side over the course of many months can be a very eye-opening and inspiring experience. Often we don’t notice the amazing progress we’ve made because we spend every day living in our bodies.
Beyond your body: even more progress measures
Sometimes it’s helpful to forget about the way your body looks and instead focus on all the amazing things it can do. There are many ways to track this kind of progress in and out of the gym. Here are some of my favorites:
- Increased energy levels. This was the very first benefit I enjoyed when I started working out. Before I started working out, I needed multiple cups of coffee at lunch just to stay awake during my afternoon classes. After, I had tons of energy throughout the day and was able to focus for extended periods of time. Are you experiencing similar benefits from your workouts? This is an early sign your body is changing and making positive adaptations.
- Increased performance at the gym. Are you adding weight to your exercises on a consistent basis? Has your endurance improved during your cardio sessions? Are you completing more workouts during the week? These are all indications that you’re getting stronger and fitter. Although exercise is only one piece of the puzzle (especially if your primary goal is fat loss), it can dramatically improve your quality of life.
- Fewer aches and pains. One of the unfortunate realities of being overweight or out of shape is that you’re at an increased risk of pain in your muscles and joints. Getting active, improving your movement quality, and strengthening your body can all help reduce this discomfort.
- Getting through the day with greater ease. Are you walking up the stairs without getting winded? Can you sprint to catch a bus or train? Are you able to carry all your grocery bags in one trip? Can you comfortably bend over to tie your shoes? Sometimes progress is most noticeable in the mundane things we do everyday.
It takes time, patience, and perspective to change your body. Looking at more than one measure of progress is a powerful tool to keep you motivated and on track during the journey.
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