- Take a before picture of yourself in an outfit that shows off your body (swimsuit, sports-bra & shorts, etc) Make sure you snap a front, side, and back view pic. Lovely!
- Weigh yourself on a scale that you have frequent access to. Always weigh yourself the same time of day (note: in the mornings you only weigh less because you’ve been sweating all night, so your dehydrated and you haven’t eaten all night so there is no food in your tummy. As soon as you eat and drink your weight will go up, so weighing in the AM before eating, isn’t necessarily accurate. However, weigh yourself whenever you want, just keep it consistent) ONLY weight yourself once a week!!!!
- Body Fat Test. A lot of gyms will have one of their trainers take your body fat for free. The best ways to get tested are:
- Hydrostatic (underwater)
- Caliper (pinch test). If you do it with the calipers, make sure the same person measures it each time.
- Bioimpedance test (electric current) Is not as accurate as the other two; however, it will give you an idea where your BF is. These days many scales can tell you your body fat by standing on the scale. These scales use bioimpedance body fat testing. For this form of testing to be somewhat accurate you MUST have similar hydration levels each time you measure, and you must take the BF measurements the same time of day to be most effective. Measure your body fat only ONCE a week.
- Take your circumference measurements.
These measurements are done with a measuring tape on the areas of the: neck, chest, upper arm, forearm, belly, hips, thighs and calf. Take your circ measurements once every 2 weeks.
This is one of my favorite ways of tracking progress because it doesn't require any fancy equipment and anyone can do it. Taking your measurements at certain areas can give you an idea of where you're losing fat, which is important since we all lose fat in different areas and in a different order. It can also help reassure you that things are happening--even if you're not losing fat exactly where you want just yet, or if your scale weight isn't decreasing.
Procedure: Start by wearing tight fitting clothing (or no clothing) and make a note of what you're wearing so you know to wear the same clothes the next time you measure.
Here's how to do it:
Neck: Measure around the middle of the neck
Chest: Measure around the chest right at the nipple line, but don't pull the tape too tight.
Upper arm: Measure around the largest part of each arm above the elbow
Forearm: Measure around the largest part of the arm below the elbow.
Waist: Measure right at your belly button
Hips: Place tape measure around the biggest part of your hips (should go around the biggest part of your butt)
Thighs: Measure around the biggest part of each thigh (about 10 inches above your knee-cap)
Calves: Measure around the largest part of each calf
You can us this Progress chart to record your measurements, or learn how to calculate your BF & LBM here
- Eyeball It
It may seem obvious, but don't overlook one of the simplest ways to track progress. How you look in the mirror and how your clothes fit is the biggest tell-all! Each month, take a new picture...you'll be surprised at how many changes you notice in a picture as opposed to just seeing yourself in the mirror. You can also use your clothes to keep track of your progress.
Use one or all of the methods above to keep track of how you're doing, keeping in mind that realistic goals are essential for your success. And don't forget, it takes time to lose fat properly so don't panic if you don't drop 10 pounds in a week. Most people don't see significant results for weeks or even months. If you're losing weight the right way, your progress will be slow and steady but permanent.
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