4 Ways To Track Your Weight Loss Progress

When you are exercising and changing your nutrition habits, you are not only improving your physical appearance, you are also improving your circulation, your mental health, and your heart begins to learn how to work more efficiently. All of these changes contribute to weight loss, however, they are not always easy to see or feel. This makes it difficult to get excited about these changes and continue on your weight loss journey without discouragement. So if the scale is not measuring these changes, how do you know if you’re making progress? Here are a few other ways you can track your weight loss progress without relying on a scale.

Why You Shouldn’t Always Rely On The Scale

An important factor to note about the scale is that it measures the weight of everything. This includes water weight, muscle mass, body fat, and your organs. The scale cannot detect the percentage of fat versus muscle you have which is what matters most when it comes to weight loss. A pound of muscle is equivalent to a pound of fat, however, muscle is denser and takes up less space, whereas fat has more volume. This means you can have two people who weigh exactly the same yet have completely different body compositions. 

As you lose weight, you will first start seeing the number on your scale decrease. However, as you progress through your weight loss journey, that number might start to creep up again. When this number starts increasing, most people become discouraged and think that they are not making progress and are gaining weight. You are indeed gaining weight, however, that new weight is healthy muscle. While you should not strictly rely on the scale to track your progress, it does not mean that you have to completely boycott it. Use the scale as an indication that you are going in the right direction while using these other tools to track your weight loss progress. 

Take Progress Photos

Most often, you are oblivious to the changes occurring with your body even though you see yourself every single day. Taking a few photos before you embark on your weight-loss journey is one of the best ways to compare your progress without being fixated on the number on your scale. When you feel ready to compare your progress photos, you will be amazed at the changes you have made even if you do not feel like you have. A lot of weight loss programs use this tool to track progress to allow you to see the changes in your physical appearance throughout the program which is a great source of motivation. 

Keep A Diary 

Making daily diary entries to track your energy levels and exercise routines will help you recognize patterns and habits that work well for you and which ones do not. Keep note of how well you sleep each night, what you ate that day and how it made you feel, and how you feel after each workout. If you notice exercising before work instead of after makes you feel better, then stick to that routine instead of trying to force a workout after work. Or, if you notice certain meals give you more energy than others, then learn from that experience and opt for those meals rather than others before your workouts. 

Test Your Fitness Level

Losing weight and improving your fitness is not just about decreasing that number on the scale. Measure your progress by the amount of weight you can now lift or how long and fast you can run for. By evaluating your workouts, you will see improvements in your fitness. If you can lift more, run faster, or do an exercise you couldn’t before, then who really cares about what the scale has to say?

Hire A Personal Trainer Or Weight Loss Coach

A personal trainer or weight loss coach will guide you along your weight loss journey while holding you accountable to complete your workouts and make healthy decisions. A personal trainer will keep track of your progress for you and will know if you start to veer off the fitness plan they designed for you. Not only will they hold you accountable, but they will also keep you motivated to show up and work your hardest to achieve your fitness and weight loss goals. 

Calgary’s Best Personal Trainers And Weight Loss Programs

The scale can either be your best friend or your worst enemy, therefore, only relying on it to track your weight loss progress can be inconsistent and sometimes discouraging. There is a lot more than just losing body fat when it comes to weight loss. You are also gaining muscle and improving so many other aspects of your health. By using these other tools to track your weight loss progress, you will be more inclined to keep working hard and will have a healthier relationship with your body since you will not be constantly stressing about the number on the scale. Measure your success in these more meaningful ways to keep you motivated and on the right track to achieving your fitness goals. 

If you have struggled to hold yourself accountable in achieving your desired weight loss or fitness goals, or you don’t know where to start, contact Jensen Fitness today.  Our personal training, fitness coaching, and weight loss programs will provide you with all of the support you need to achieve your personal goals while keeping your surge of motivation at an all-time high. To start your weight loss journey, contact our team of personal trainers by calling (403) 200-0199 or by filling out our online contact form.

FAQs

Q: Is diet or exercise more important for weight loss?
A: Both exercise and diet are crucial factors to help you lose weight. Healthy nutrition goes hand in hand with a consistent exercise routine to receive the best results. 

Q: How many calories do I need to eat in a day to lose weight?
A: The number of calories you need to consume will depend on your current weight, gender, and activity level. Typically, to lose weight you will want to eat in a calorie deficit. This means you need to burn more calories through exercise than you consume in a day. 

Q: Is sleep important for weight loss?
A: Yes, sleep is extremely important for weight loss success. Adults should at least be getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night. According to studies, poor sleep has been linked to obesity, high blood pressure, depression, and strokes. Have a set bedtime to allow your body to get the rest it needs to recover each day.