Do you feel frustrated because you aren’t seeing the results you want from weight loss?
The best way to see results is to measure those results.
Results are the key to motivation.
When changing the body, it’s essential to monitor progress each week.
Just like if we want to adhere to a budget, we routinely check in and monitor spending. If we like to get to a destination we have never been to, we would want to check the GPS periodically throughout the drive. Allow your weekly progress check-ins to be confirmation that you are on the right path.
I often find that people struggle or feel frustrated that nothing is working when, in reality, it is. Without collecting these data points, it can be hard to notice change if we only look in the mirror, mainly because we see ourselves daily.
The solution:
Each week, hold yourself accountable for a check-in on your biometrics. I recommend doing this on Sundays or Mondays to account for the weekend.
I recommend doing three types of check-ins:
Photos – front, back and side
Weight – you know this one
Body tape – arms, back, legs, neck, waist, and hips (I usually instruct people to measure the area with the largest circumference)
Often, we get too focused on the scale, but the pure pull of gravity alone doesn’t tell the entire story, especially if you are strength training and building muscle simultaneously.
Tips for collecting starting data
It’s crucial to know where you are starting and just as important to understand where you are going.
Photos:
It can be uncomfortable to take photos of your body for the first time, especially if you want to change it. What I recommend is keeping your face out of the photo. It creates a disassociation that the person you are looking at is you, and it seems more objective or just like a body.
Keep your end goal in mind whenever choosing an outfit for your photos. If you eventually want to achieve a lean body fat percentage, you will want to show as much skin as possible to count for minor changes each week. Changes will be small in the final weeks of your transformational journey, so showing more skin for those minor details is essential.
Remember that you may also want to share these before and after photos with anybody who wants to become inspired by your journey. A level of consistency with similar clothing, backdrop, and lighting is essential to be able to to be able to showcase a true before and after.
Ensure you capture full-body photos or at least from the back of the knees.
You can use an iPhone camera or a tripod with a ring light for photos.
Measurements:
Measure the parts of your body you want to change. If you wish to lose fat on your inner thigh, that would be the area you want to measure when recording notes about the legs.
I prefer using a body tape measurer like this one instead of tailor tape. It makes taking the circumference of particular body parts easier and more accurate.
Keep your measurements in a spreadsheet with dates so you can see the trends week over week.
Closing notes:
Be as consistent as possible while changing or even maintaining. Continually doing this will prevent you from rebounding or trending in the undesired direction.
It helps if you smile. You may feel a little bit crazy, but the more positive association we can bring on your transformational journey, the better. We change when we feel successful. Learn to show up each week expecting success and results with a smile.
Changing the body is a science. Like all good science experiments, we must collect consistent data to monitor the outcomes of the hypothesis. It’s a good way to know if your plan is working or if you need to change something.
You can download our free comprehensive guide here for more tips and tricks to help you along your weight loss journey.
