Setting weight loss goals is all good and well, but actually executing your plans and keeping track of them? That’s a whole other ball game. It can be really difficult to stay motivated if you’re not seeing the results you would like to see. This is 5 of The best ways to track your weight loss (and how I managed to track and lose over 40kg (90 lbs.)!
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I am not a doctor, fitness coach or nutritionist. This is just my advice and what has helped me. Please see my disclaimer here.
Why you NEED to track your weight loss
So we all know what weight loss looks like. You drop a dress size, you feel lighter, you look better etc. But how do you know when you’ve reached a milestone? It takes a long time before you begin noticing physical changes in your body. We’re constantly looking at ourselves in the mirror so its harder for us to see changes in our physical appearance.
This is why it is so important to track weight loss. Knowing that you’re making progress and getting closer to reaching your goal can keep you motivated, even on your down days.
Most people track their progress through weight. Weighing yourself is a great way to quantify your progress, however, it is not the most reliable way to see how much weight you have actually lost. It can be really disheartening to see no weight loss after a week of sticking to your calorie deficit and workout regime.
That’s why the best approach to effective weight loss is to track through a variety of ways. I am going to let you in on 5 methods you can use and combine to track your weight loss and ensure you stay motivated and on target.
The best ways to track your weight loss
1. Progress pictures
One of the best ways to track your weight loss is by taking progress pictures or videos. Progress pictures are just pictures you take of your body from various angles at various intervals throughout your weight loss journey. The pictures themselves don’t show much until you put them side by side. When you put the images side by side, you can see just how much you have lost throughout the weeks/months. This is a really great way to motivate yourself, especially when you are not seeing results on the scale.
How to take progress pictures
Taking progress pictures is really simple. You only need to take 3-5 pictures! Try to wear the same outfit in each picture as this makes the images just about the progress (the way your body looks can change massively with different outfits).
Use a camera/phone with a decent quality so you can clearly see yourself in the pictures. Take the pictures in a clean, full-length mirror, or use a self timer. Make sure that your whole body is visible in the images – from your head all the way down to your toes!
I would recommend you take pictures from these angles:
- Front
- Side (both)
- Back
- Face
How frequently should I take progress pictures?
Progress pictures show better results the further apart they are. Taking them everyday won’t really show much of a difference as the changes, if any, will be so little you won’t even notice them (I totally understand the urge to want to see how different you look everyday)
I would recommend you take progress pictures at the start of your journey, then every month as this will give your body 4 weeks of time to change between each picture. That is enough time to see upwards of 4 lbs. of weight loss! If you want to see progress sooner, you can take them two weeks apart. You won’t see as much progress as you would at one month but you will definitely still see some changes!
2. Measurements
Taking measurements is another easy way to track your weight loss. You don’t need any special equipment or devices, just a measuring tape and your body. One major benefit to taking body measurements is you can see exactly where you’re losing weight.
It can be discouraging to feel like you’re not losing any weight or seeing the results you would like. Taking measurements is a great way to show you that you’re shedding those inches. You won’t be able to see a 1/2 an inch of fat loss on your arms in pictures but you certainly will by taking measurements.
How to take body measurements
You just need a tape measure and you’re good to go. Make sure you’re using a good quality, flexible tape measure that will last you a while. Also make sure its not elastic or any material that may stretch as this can give you inaccurate measurements.
Take measurements at the same time of day each time – I would recommend in the morning before you have had anything to eat or drink. Try to take measurements at the same point on each body part each time. Take measurements of each body part twice and if they’re different – take the average of the two to ensure accuracy.
I would recommend you measure these body parts:
- Arms – stretch your arm and keep it relaxed. Measure around the biggest part of your arm, repeat this for both arms.
- Bust – measure around the chest, in line with your nipple.
- Waist – measure around the narrowest part of your abdomen – above the belly button.
- Hips – measure around the lowest part of your abdomen, right above your thighs where the hip bones are located.
- Thighs – measure around the largest part of your thigh, repeat this for both thighs.
- Calves – measure around the largest part of your lower leg – in between your knee and ankle.
Make sure you’re wearing the same tight fitting clothes each time you take a measurement.
How often should I take measurements?
Similar to taking pictures, you want to give your body enough time to process the changes. I would recommend taking measurements once at the start of your journey, then every month after that. You can take them sooner but you might not see as dramatic of a change as you would after one month!
3. Weight loss tracking apps
There are so many weight loss apps out there that it can be overwhelming to pick one. Weight loss tracking apps are such a great way to have all of your progress in one spot. Most of them offer so much more than just tracking your weight loss.
You can find amazing recipes, fitness regimes and healthy tips! My favorite app to use is MyFitnessPal. I have been using MyFitnessPal since the beginning of my journey and it has been incredible. There are so many deals and extras but honestly – the free version has so may features already there’s no need for the extras!
MyFitnessPal is the only weight loss tracking app I would recommend -and I have tried a lot, A LOT of different apps. You can track your weight (it even gives you a handy chart to show your progress), your calories and your exercise.
One of my favorite features of MyFitnessPal is the calorie tracker. You can set goals for calorie intake and even a breakdown of your macros. It has such a large food database that even on days when you eat out, you can still track your calories! You can create recipes and meals as well as being able to scan your foods using the barcode function.
4. Weight loss journals
If you’re not much of a digital person, weight loss journals are for you. I love writing down my goals using old fashioned pen and paper. You can also track anything you like using a journal.
You can use a simple notebook and dedicate that to your weight loss journey, or you can use a journal with prompts. Here is a weight loss journal that I have been working on for a long time. It contains everything you need to track your weight loss. You can track your weight, measurements, calorie intake, exercise and water intake. It is full of motivational quotes to keep you going through each step of your journey. There is also a section dedicated to your weight loss goals and you can create an action plan for getting there.
With a weight loss journal or notebook, you can track absolutely everything all in one place that you can access whenever. Whatever you choose to use, just make sure its dated so you can refer back to dates when looking over your progress.
5. Weight
And finally, we’ve arrived at the dreaded scale. My goodness does this little thing wreak havoc. I have a love-hate relationship with scales. At the start of my journey, it was my best friend! I would weigh myself every week and see a huge difference. After a few weeks though, this dwindled away. I was losing fewer pounds and it was driving me crazy as nothing had changed. I was working just as hard so why did I stop seeing such great results?
The reason scales are not the best measurement to go by is their unpredictability. Your weight can change (you’d be surprised by how much) if you’ve eaten vs if you haven’t, if you’ve been to the bathroom vs if you haven’t etc. It doesn’t differentiate water weight from fat or from muscle.
Another reason people may not see the best results with scales is because they weigh themselves too often(I’m so guilty of this). You can’t expect to see much a weight change in one day or even one week. The best way to use weight as a progress tool is by weighing yourself every two weeks or every month (if you can hold off for that long – I didn’t have the patience AT ALL).
When you have been losing weight for a few months, you might notice the number on the scale stop decreasing or even possibly going up. This is totally normal but it often discourages people. This is usually just an indicator to switch up your calorie intake or exercise routine and can be fixed quite easily. It could also simply be due to muscle gain.
I would still recommend weighing yourself throughout your journey, but pair it with other tracking methods! Weigh yourself at the same time (ideally in the morning before you eat/drink anything) each month. Wear tight fitting, light clothes and wear the same clothes each time you weigh yourself.
FAQ’s
I’m using different methods to track my weight loss and I’m still not seeing results, what shall I do?
Sometimes, you just stop seeing results. This often happens after a while of doing the same thing and your body has grown accustom to it. This is known as a plateau. The best way to get yourself out of a plateau is by switching things up!
Don’t feel discouraged by this, instead, use this as an opportunity to try something new. Maybe if you’ve only been doing cardio, you can try strength training and vice versa. Or you could begin a totally new exercise regime. You could also change your deficit. Try decreasing your calorie intake by a small amount – providing this doesn’t take you below the minimum requirement for your body and certainly not below 1,200. You should start seeing results again in a few weeks.
How quickly will I see results?
I get this question sooooo often! It is completely different for everyone and is so subjective there’s no way you could quantify it. Some people notice a difference within a few days, others a few months.
Don’t worry too much about the timeline, just focus on the process and progress. Try improving poor eating habits and make sure you’re getting enough sleep, exercise and outdoors time.
I will say though, you’ll probably notice a difference in how you feel before anything else. I remember feeling so much lighter and easier on my feet in my first week of being in a deficit (there was no physical change at all)!
Can I track my weight loss using just one method?
Absolutely! You just get more of a broader sense of what’s actually happening when you track your progress using multiple methods. If, for example, you just weigh yourself, you may notice a yo-yo effect. You may lose weight one week and stay the same or gain weight the next. Anything – and I mean literally anything, can cause changes in weight. Even being bloated can make your weight a little higher and that’s why I suggest using multiple methods.
As long as you keep the method of tracking constant and do it as similarly as possible each time, one method is totally fine.
No matter what method(s) you choose to use to track your progress, be easy on yourself. This isn’t an easy journey and your body will need some time to adjust. make sure you’re taking care of yourself and always consult a doctor before making any big changes.
With love,
Veera.
