Wait, what? How do you measure weight loss without scales? Well for starters, we don’t really like the term ‘weight loss’, because what most of us are actually striving for is fat loss. We want that ‘toned’ look. We want a flat belly. We want more muscle definition. We want less cellulite. In order to get more ‘toned’ what we are actually trying to achieve is a change in our body composition, rather than just a change in weight; AKA preserve and (preferably) increase our muscle mass, while decreasing our body fat percentage. If you are achieving fat loss while you are putting on muscle, this might mean little to no change in the number on the scale, and this can actually be a good thing!
There is only one piece of information the scales are able to tell us: total body weight. This number is made up of many things; bone, muscle, water and body fat to name a few. Additionally, our weight can vary day-to-day depending on many factors such as the clothes we are wearing, our hydration levels, time of the female cycle and so on. The scales don’t tell us how much each of these factors is contributing to our total body weight, and specifically how much body fat we actually have, and it can therefore be disheartening when we weigh ourselves and don’t think we are seeing the improvements we were hoping for.
Now don’t get us wrong. The scales can be a useful tool for tracking improvements when used in conjunction with other tools, but as a stand-alone measure, it just doesn’t tell us the full story. So what other ways can we track our progress?
Progress photos
As confronting as it may be to strip down and take photos of yourself in your undies when you’ve just committed to changing your lifestyle, this is one of the easiest ways to visually see your hard work paying off. You don’t have to show them to anyone, but if you take some photos of your physique at the beginning of your fat loss journey we can pretty much guarantee you’ll thank yourself for it a few weeks down the track. Sometimes it can be really difficult to notice physical changes in ourselves, but photos don’t lie. When you take your comparison shots each week and put them side by side, you can instantly see even the smallest of changes and it can help keep up your motivation to stick to your lifestyle changes long-term!
Measurements
Girth measurements are another great tool for measuring fat loss, as they can more accurately tell us if we are getting smaller. Because we generally take measurements from multiple different sites we can see specifically were we are losing fat from. Additionally, if we see some measurements decreasing and others increasing, this is a great indication that we are both losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time; remember – this is a good thing and can often explain while the scales just aren’t budging! If you haven’t yet, we highly recommend organising a time with one of our trainers to have your measurements taken properly – just make sure you have the same person do it each time for accuracy!
