Tip Of The Week: Measure Weight Loss Progress Without The Scale

The scale isn't the be-all and end-all for result on your Fat-loss efforts.

Skeptical? Disappointed?  Frustrated? Hopeless?

Whichever you choose, these feelings are enemies of people trying to lose weight—particularly when one feel like they have done everything right. We’ve all been there: That moment when you’re obsessing so much over the number on the scale that you can barely see how far you’ve come since the beginning of your weight loss/fitness journey. Well, it’s time for some real talk.

It's quick to get engrossed in the figures when you're weighing in every week. You worked very hard! You want the scale to show your hard work is … well, working. For many trying to shed some kilos, the motivation and or elation from that initial weight loss is brought to a screeching stop when the scale stops moving.

There is downside on depending solely on the scale for feedback. If it shows that you didn't lose or that you gained, you might feel upset. It may even feel like a setback. Scale only measure overall mass. It don’t take into consideration of muscle mass and fat stored on and around your organs (Visceral Fat).

So, instead of seeing it as a setback, you need to remember the factors above, i.e. what the scales don’t tell you, and take those factors into consideration.

There are other means to measure your weight loss/fitness progress without the scale. After all, good health isn’t always measured in kilos.

An Arsenal of Tools for Your Motivation

If want another way to track your progress or you don't have access to a scale, there are other alternatives to measure your health and weight, including:

1. Body fat assessment. A method called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), which is available at many gyms and on some home scales, is an excellent way in body fat measurement. Though BIA is more accurate than the traditional caliper, it’s an alternative to advanced scales that can be used for body fat measuring; it is cheaper to get and easier to store.
2. Paying attention to how your clothes fit over time. Pick a non-stretchy cloth or jeans and use that as a tool to tell you if you are reducing in size. You also use clothes as a barometer. Pick out cloth(es) you want to fit into, and keep trying it on until you fit into it perfectly.
3. Use a tape measure to track changes in your shape. When you want to embark a weight loss program, take measurements of your arms, neck, waist, and hips. Even if you are not losing kilos, you very well may be losing inches all over your body as your figure shrinks down and tones up with muscles. Measuring your body is more reliable than the scale alone.

4.      Take progress photos. Yep, it’s selfie time. Tracking your progress regularly is extremely helpful – you can tell exactly how you are progressing by just looking at your pictures from a month ago even without taking any measurements (although they are also helpful). Take a picture of yourself — ideally wearing the same cloth, standing or posing the same way, and in the same place — once a month or every few weeks. This will help you see the changes you might not notice when you’re looking at yourself every day. And don’t let term ‘before’ and ‘after’ make you think to stop leading a healthy lifestyle. Fitness is a lifelong lifestyle, saying ‘before’ and ‘after’ implies “you are done”.  But we’re always improving. 

5.  The mirror or other people. If you stare into the mirror and feel like you’re looking good – own it! Or if somebody gives you a compliment – remember it! We’re too quick to remember the bad pictures or comments and forget the good ones.

Some people are very motivated by not only the scale but by seeing inches. If you are someone who is motivated and elated by looking at figures, measuring yourself is a good idea. Or if you don't want to go that step, just using your clothes in your wardrobe and knowing if something was tight on you few months ago is now loose, that's really an exciting, tell-tale sign that you're doing something right. 

So, please don’t let the figure on the scale mean anything more to you than simply as a possible indicator of progress.