Top Tips For Measuring Your Weight Loss Progress

As you go about your weight loss program, the one thing that everyone always wants to know is how they’re progressing along.  Obviously the whole point of you putting so much effort into your workout routine and diet plan is so that you can reach that ideal weight you have set for yourself.

Or, in some cases perhaps you want to add more muscle tone and definition or possibly be able to lift a certain amount of weight.  Whatever your goal, you want to see that you are progressing onwards.

This said, it’s important that you take into account a number of progress evaluation techniques so you can get a complete picture of how you’re doing.  Far too often people place all the emphasis on the scale and whether or not it’s moving downwards and forget to take into consider other important elements.

If the scale isn’t moving in the direction you had hoped, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re failing on your plan.  By using all of the strategies discussed below, you can get a much better idea of how you’re doing.

Let’s take a look at what you need to know.

Your Body Fat Percentage

Before you go jumping on the scale each morning, it’s important to know the difference between body weight and body fat.  Body weight is actually a very poor indicator of progress because all this is telling you is whether you gained or lost weight.  It doesn’t indicate whether the change has been because of fat loss or muscle gain.

So theoretically, it’s really quite possible for someone just starting out to notice the scale goes up, which could very well indicate that they’ve gained muscle while losing body fat.

But, they just see that higher number and think they haven’t made progress.  Really, they’ve made fantastic progress and are exactly where they want to be.

By using a body fat measurement instead, you’ll get a much more accurate picture of what’s going on.

Your Total Workout Volume

Second, also assess your overall workout volume.  A quick tip to use for this is to simply multiply how many sets you’re doing each workout by how many reps by how much weight you’re lifting.  This is going to tell you how much total weight you actually lifted over the entire workout session.

Try and do this once a week.  Then, over time compare your results.  If you notice that there is an overall trend upwards, this means your body is now able to tolerate a higher amount of overall volume meaning you’ve become stronger and fitter.

Another sign you’re moving in the right direction.

Your Recovery Rates

Taking a look at your recovery rates is another good indicator of how well you’re doing.  Those who are showing faster recovery rates, that is, it takes them far less time to heal from a previous workout session and they feel fine again in the gym shortly after will be much more fit than those who take days after a workout to feel up to exercise again.

The more fit you become, the shorter your recovery typically is.  It is important to take into account the overall program however as sometimes those who are changing their program will notice declines in recovery if the program itself is much more intense.

Your Endurance Capacity

Along with your strength level, it’s also important to assess your endurance capacity.  Are you able to run faster than you were before?  Perhaps you can now bike for 40 minutes straight whereas before you could only go for 20 minutes.

Despite what the scale might be telling you, if this is the case it’s a clear illustration that you’re moving forwards in at least some aspect of your workout program.

Your Measurements

Finally, the last factor to look at is your measurements.  If you are unable to get a body fat test taken, a great alternative is instead assessing the measurements you show.  Have you lost inches off your waist, thighs, hips, or arms?

If so, you’ve made progress.  Again, since muscle is much denser than fat tissue, if you’ve actually gained muscle and lost fat you’ll notice the scale go up but the measurements should get smaller.  That will be key in illustrating that you’ve made progress.

So make sure you keep these assessment tips in mind.  If you do really want to get the most complete picture of how you’re doing with your workouts, it’s important to take them into account.