How To Measure Weight Loss Progress Beyond The Scale

They say the scale never lies, but with so many factors that go into body weight, it’s possible that the scale is only telling half-truths. The scale isn’t always the best way to measure weight loss results. Factors like water weight, the time of day you step on the scale, and even muscle gain can cause the needle to fluctuate. That’s why it’s important to learn how to measure your body for weight loss the right way.

Everyone’s body is different and responds to weight loss differently. That means success will look different from person to person too. We’re covering the places to measure for weight loss, as well as seven non-scale ways to measure weight loss success.

Healthy Ways To Measure Weight Loss Success

As you look to move beyond the scale, you still want to be able to see, track, and measure your success. That’s why it’s important to learn how to measure your body for weight loss in other ways. Here are seven ways to measure weight loss success that you can use as alternatives to always stepping on the scale:

Focus On Your Energy Levels

When losing weight, your sole focus shouldn’t be on how you want to look in the mirror. There are a number of health benefits to weight loss, and how you look is only one of them. As you lose weight and improve your health in general, you will likely see your energy levels increase. If you’ve just started getting more active, you may be tired for the first few days, but increasing your activity will eventually improve energy levels and boost weight loss.

Think about activities you perform regularly that may leave you out of breath or feeling tired. Maybe it’s walking up your stairs, or playing with your children. Have you noticed any improvements since you started losing weight and being more active? If you pay attention and can see a change in your energy levels, you’ll know that what you’re doing is working.

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Pay Attention To How Your Clothes Fit

Even if the scale doesn’t seem to budge, you might still be losing weight. If you notice your favorite pair of jeans slide on a little easier, or aren’t such a struggle to button, then you’re making progress. Paying attention to how your clothes look and feel can be an indicator of weight loss success. Plus, it can be a big confidence booster too.

Weight gain and weight loss show up differently from person to person, so your clothes can help you see the changes as they happen. You may start to notice a difference in the way your clothes look, or the way they fit around your waist and thighs. Maybe they are a little looser around your chest and arms. Whatever the case may be, your clothes can help you track your weight loss better than a scale ever could.

Take Measurements

The scale may lie, but the measuring tape does not. Your clothes fitting better will tell part of the story, and inches lost will put a number to your success. Learning where to measure when losing weight and what body parts to measure for weight loss is easy. Here’s a breakdown that explains how to measure arms for weight loss, and answers questions like where do you take measurements for weight loss?

What You’ll Need: Flexible tape measure

Things To Remember Before Measuring:

Make sure the tape stays close to your skin without pulling too tightly.
Use a tape measure that is flexible but doesn’t stretch.
Write down your measurements for comparison throughout your weight loss journey. You can find a downloadable Xyngular measurements tracker here.

Right And Left Arm: Take your tape measure and measure the circumference of your upper arm, above your elbow, at the widest part of each bicep.

Chest: Measure around the fullest part of your chest, at the bust line.

Waist: Wrap the tape measure around your back at the narrowest part of your abdomen, generally just above your belly button and hip bone. Or, measure around your body at your belly button. Make note of which method you use so you can use the same one every time you take measurements.

Hips: Bring your tape measure around the widest part of your hips. Make sure the tape measure is roughly parallel to the floor for an accurate measurement.

Right And Left Thigh: While standing, wrap the tape measure around the fullest part of each upper leg.

Use Progress Photos

You know that saying, “A year from now you’ll be glad you started.” Taking photos of your weight loss progress is kind of like that. When you’re at the beginning of a weight loss journey, the last thing you want to do is take a picture of yourself. But when you’re a month or two down the road, you’ll be glad you did. So when considering how to measure weight loss progress, don’t dismiss the idea of taking photos of yourself. When you see yourself every day, it’s harder to notice the little changes that happen, but you can’t refute the evidence of progress that you get from a photo. So while it may feel uncomfortable now, you’ll appreciate it in the long run.

Do A Benchmark Test Regularly

Performing a fitness related test on yourself every month or two will help you see improvements in your overall health. One good way to measure is to see how fast you can walk a certain distance, like a half mile or full mile. Record your time and then repeat the test in a month or two and compare your times. For the assessment, you could also bike a set distance, climb stairs, see how many pushups or squats you can do in a set amount of time, or anything else that challenges you. The point is that as you work, you should see improvement in your overall fitness level.

Measure Body Fat Percentage

Weight is just a number. When you measure a person’s weight, you are measuring their fat, muscle, organs, skin, bones, and everything else. So the number on a scale doesn’t paint a true picture. If you really want to know how to measure weight accurately, or rather, how to get an accurate picture of your health, you should measure your body composition. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat both weigh the same—one pound. However, muscle is more dense than fat, so takes up less room. That’s why people say muscle weighs more than fat. If you’re losing fat and gaining muscle, the number on the scale might not move much, but your body composition will change, and your shape will too. You can use calipers, a specialized scale that measures body composition, or a calculator such as this one to see how your body fat percentage changes over time.

Track A Healthy Habit

Sometimes the victory lies in simply putting one foot in front of the other. Perhaps you have a goal to eat a certain number of vegetable servings each day. Maybe you want to drink more water, or get more sleep. Or maybe you want to reach a step or movement goal each day. Whatever your goals, keep track of every day you meet them. On discouraging days, or when you’re struggling to lose weight, you can look back and see all you have accomplished, and you may find some inspiration to keep pushing forward.

Measuring Success Is Important For Weight Loss

Once you know how to measure your body for weight loss without stepping a toe on a scale, you’ll be able to see positive results in other ways. The scale doesn’t have to be your go-to. The important thing is that whether you’re seeing fast weight loss results, or things are moving a bit slower, there are ways to see changes for the better in your body.

The scale isn’t the only indicator of success. When you look beyond the scale to your overall health and fitness, your body composition, how you look, how you feel, and how you are consistently making lifestyle changes for a healthier you, you will begin to see just how successful your weight loss is. This will help you keep pushing forward in the little ways that will add up to help you achieve big results.

Xyngular X Bundle: A Small Step For Big Change

If you’re looking for more small steps that lead to big results, learn how Xyngular’s X Bundle can help you maintain weight loss or help you lose weight. The Xyngular X Bundle comes with a 30-day supply of six of our most effective weight loss products. The X Bundle comes with a simple daily schedule, and each product is designed to fit into your daily routine. It will take you from breakfast through to the end of your day, and will help you control your appetite, resist cravings, burn fat, and increase your metabolism. Most importantly, it will help you continue to see the results you deserve as you journey to a healthier you.

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To try the Xyngular X Bundle for yourself, reach out to your Xyngular distributor, log in to your Xyngular account, or give us a call at (801) 756-8808.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.