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Measuring your body to track weight loss

Learn why, when, and how you should measure your body to track your weight loss gains and stay motivated.

Why measure?

How do you know whether you have lost 1 pound or 10 pounds within a month? How do you know whether your body fat percentage has gone from 30% to 25%?

The truth is that you wouldn’t know how much of anything you had lost unless you took measurements from the start of your weight loss program, several times during your weight loss program, and at the end of your weight loss program.

How often should you measure your body?

How often you measure your body is a personal matter, but any frequency more than every couple of days or even every week wouldn’t make much sense, because your body goes through small changes at a time.

Think about it for a minute. How long did it take you to gain the weight you currently have? A day, a month, a year, longer? You see, people usually take months or even years to put weight on, so your body isn’t likely to change drastically overnight.

Taking body measurements once a week should be enough; first thing in the morning when you get up.

What type of body measurements should you take?

The following are the 3 most important measurements to register on a weekly basis:

1. Body weight
2. Body fat percentage
3. Circumference measurements several places on your body

The logic behind this is as follows: If you know how much you weigh and what your body fat percentage is, you will be able to more accurately calculate the true amount of body fat and lean muscle tissue you are carrying on your body.

This will help more accurately calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Total Daily Caloric Intake (TDCI), and depending on whether you lost body weight or not, you could then make adjustments to your overall weight loss strategy.

The circumference measurements can serve as a good way to motivate you to keep going, that is, if you are succeeding at shedding those pounds!

What should you use to take body measurements?

First of all, invest in a good scale. While you can calculate and estimate some body measurements by using formulas, you cannot do so for your body weight. So you need a good scale to start with.

The next item on the list would be a tape measure, which is also required before you can use any formula.

So a scale and a tape measure are the two basic items you’ll need to take measurements. Everything else is optional.

Final words

Measure your body weight, body fat percentage, and circumferences every week. Write these body measurements down in a weight loss journal to keep track of your progress.

By measuring your body, you’ll not only know whether you’re gaining or losing weight, but you’ll also have a way to motivate yourself to keep going if you’re losing weight.