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1 How to track weight loss measurements accurately

4 Other important stuff: Wellness metrics

7 Free printables and my creations to support you

If you have weight loss goals or any other health and fitness goals then measuring your progress is a must. The truth is, without taking measurements, you’re essentially just guessing. Would you want your doctor to guess your blood pressure?

In terms of tracking weight loss measurements, this can be a source of anxiety for many people, but in my experience, a lot of this is due to a lack of understanding about what these measurements mean.

As such, gaining a deeper understanding of the “context” of your measurements and what to expect can help you make more informed long-term health decisions because you’ll have solid evidence to base your decisions on.

Like anything else, there’s a right and a wrong way to assess, so first let’s talk about how to set up for accuracy.

How to track weight loss measurements accurately

For accurate tracking of weight loss progress, you’ll need to track body your weight, body fat percentage and circumferences. The tricky bit is though, nothing moves at the same pace and depending on what measurement tool you use, when you use it, the time of day and what’s going on in your body at the time, the numbers will vary and, in some cases, by the minute!

In terms of your body weight, any one of the below can cause your weight to go up or down at any given time and hence determine how “much weight” you carrying:

Your current water intake status
Water retention or loss due to salt intake
Different periods of the menstrual cycle can cause water retention and water loss (water weight)
Current carbohydrate intake, for every 1g of carbs, your body will hold ~3g of water
A diet low in fibre can restrict bowel movements
Your current stress load can increase water retention due to cortisol spikes

As you can see from the above, if your goal was to lose a few pounds and if any or all of the above was true to you, if you only hopped on the scales once a week, the number may not be telling the whole story. To make sure you get a better reflection, it’s best to smooth out the data. For this, your weekly average weight read is best

Track your average weekly weight

Stepping on the scales first thing daily every morning after you’ve used the toilet and then taking a seven-day average is by far the best way (and time) to keep track of your measurements. To illustrate the point, take a look at a full week of daily weigh-in data from a previous client of mine:

As you can see above, if she only jumped on the scales on Thursday morning, they might think that their approach isn’t working. But when you look at the AVERAGE across the week, the data shows they’ve lost weight (~0.6kg/1lb).

I know “many voices” in the industry would say, “don’t weigh yourself all”, as it causes too much stress, but the research shows that when people understand the “context” this is very useful for accountability as well as making better choices subconsciously throughout the day.

Other useful areas to track are circumferences.

Track circumferences weekly

Taking weekly circumference measurements of different areas of your body is another very informative piece of the puzzle. When used in conjunction with weekly weigh in average, circumference measurements will help tease out muscle growth and fat loss in different areas. Waist circumferences, for example, can tell you if fat loss is trending despite no changes in weight.

To be as accurate as you can be, I suggest you purchase an automatically tightening tape (Myo measuring tape is one brand I recommend). This makes measuring easier, and the tightening of the tape will be consistent each time you do it.

Below is a good tutorial on how to measure your waist circumference. To interpret what the results mean, the below progress table is something I’ve used for years to help people understand the bigger picture regarding metrics. Credit to superb researcher Alan Aragon who was the first to unveil this.

What about tracking body fat percentage?

Unfortunately, body fat estimation tools like BIA machines (Tanita scales), Callipers and Bodpods have inconsistencies and inaccuracies. For the main, they are all predicting, NOT measuring. So, you always have a moving variable which means you’ll never be spot on. This is why using weight along with circumferences over time is a better reflection of progress as you have “measurements” to go off, not predictions. That is, of course, if you are measuring correctly.

Other important stuff: Wellness metrics

While tracking wellness metrics won’t tell you how much weight you are losing, I have my clients track these for a period of time because it can help uncover the root causes of the lack of progress.

You see, everything affects everything when it comes to your health. However, if you don’t have something to join the dots, it isn’t easy to uncover the root cause when it comes to challenges. Understanding how all these areas are interrelated gives you a deeper insight leading to better decision-making overtime.

Here is a brief overview of the big four:

Sleep quality will affect hunger levels, recovery and exercise performance, subsequently affecting your ability to retain muscle. So, if you notice that you have excessive hunger and your workouts feel like a real slog, paying more attention to your sleep and getting more of it is the most likely solution.

Stress again will impact your workout performance and can cause water retention due to cortisol – a hormone that impacts fluid balance. This can mask weight loss. So, if you’re eating in a calorie deficit but your weight hasn’t been coming down on the scales, but your stress levels are through the roof then water retention

Hunger can be a sign of severe undereating for your needs (work out yours here). However, as mentioned if you have poor sleep and high stress these can impact cravings also. Regardless, looking closely and tinkering to make improvements will likely lead to improvements in other areas.

Energy or feeling tired will also affect workout performance and mood throughout the day. This, again, could be a sign that you need to take a closer look at your energy needs. However, it could also be due to the other factors mentioned above. So, assess each, see what stands out the most, and go with that. You can always adjust based on the outcome.

To start assessing these areas, a simple 0-10 scale can be used to rate each day:

Sleep quality? (0 = poor sleep, 10 = great sleep.)
Stress levels (0 = poor stress, 10 = stress load is fine.)
Hunger/satisfaction? (0 = starving, 10 = completely satisfied.)
Energy/Tiredness (0 = no energy, 10 =full of energy.)

For the above wellness metrics, you could buy a pocket-size notebook (weight loss journal) and pop their scores in as you go.

Weight loss expectations

We live in a world now where instant gratification is the norm. Unfortunately, the diet industry isn’t very well regulated and this is part of the reason so many people run into problems physically and psychologically.

The result being in today’s world obesity is one of the leading causes of death. First things first, setting realistic goals is key. Rapid weight loss might sound tempting, but it’s often not the healthiest route. Aim for achievable short-term and long-term goals that let you celebrate victories along the way. This not only keeps you motivated but also ensures that your body adjusts to changes in a sustainable manner.

Those fad diets and intense workout routines might give you a quick high, but can you keep it up all the time on your fitness journey? The best diet and workout programme is always going got be one you can stick to – for life. If you can’t see yourself at the start sticking to the approach you’re considering long term then why consider that approach at all? You’re only going to have to shift in the future again at the end of the day.

With all that said the table below, provides a good honest picture of what weight loss expectations should be:

As mentioned above, when on a weight loss journey, you shouldn’t only be looking at the number on the scales, improved body composition (your muscle-to-fat ratio) is the ultimate goal, so looking at circumferences while following a structure resistance programme that supports an increase in muscle mass is key for best results.

This is because the more lean muscle you build the more calories you’re going to be able to burn at rest which in turn supports the weight “staying off”.

Seen as most people put on all the weight they’ve lost within a 5-year period, building lean muscle is a great way to offset weight gain. Research shows this is one of the most powerful tools along with a sufficient daily protein intake in weight gain prevention. The good news is that you can build muscle no matter what your experience level.

Final words

Accurate body measurements will help you make more informed decisions about progress towards your weight loss goals and overall health. But remember a weight loss program is only as effective as the healthy habits a person adopts. Make sure that your approach first off leans into long term behaviour change.

Before you go…

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