How To Measure Body Transformation Using More Than The Scale

“Try this to lose 50 pounds!” “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!” “The fastest way to shed those pounds!”

The above are all taglines I’m sure you’ve heard before. All focused on one thing. Weight. Why does that one number have such an impact on us as a population? For most people, they jump for joy when the number goes down, and their day is ruined if the number goes up. I have one question. Does this number hold power in your life?

The scale is only one way to measure your progress when instilling lifestyle changes to your routine. And to be honest, it is my least favorite. Some other ways to measure progress include:

• Progress Pictures

• Body Measurements

• Journaling

• Try on Clothing

• Building of Strength, Endurance and Stamina

• Improved Bloodwork and Health Parameters

Ok, let’s start with the one everyone always thinks about

Scale

The scale measures your weight, AKA how much mass you have. This can be a useful tool when someone is starting on their journey and wants to lose some extra pounds. That being said, here are some reasons I’m not a huge fan of the scale:

• It doesn’t consider the difference between your fat mass, muscle mass, water mass or bone density.

  • For our bodies to be more metabolically active (AKA burn more calories when we’re at rest), we want more muscle mass. If you are only going by the number on the scale and are only focused on it going lower, you could actually be doing yourself harm.

  • Most people will decrease their overall calorie consumption to lose weight. While a slight calorie deficit is needed, if the restriction is too great, muscle mass starts to be lost in addition to fat mass (and when I say muscle mass I mean skeletal and smooth muscles. Yes, even some of your organs!)

• The scale doesn’t take into account how your body is feeling.

  • Our bodies are smart, and when we fuel it with nutrient dense foods and participate in movement, we will feel better. This inevitably could lead to weight loss because the feeling of nourishing our bodies well gives us more energy. When we want to continue to feel well, we keep doing the habits that make us feel good!

• The number on the scale does not define your worth.

  • Many people give so much power to the number on the scale. Why? It is just a number. Don’t let it control you.

Progress Pictures

Progress pictures are when an individual takes a picture of themselves and at a later date (recommended 4-6 weeks) they take another picture and compare the two.

• What to wear

  • Female: Shorts + sports bra

  • Male: Only shorts

Keep in mind that it can take 6-8 weeks to build muscle, so be patient with your progress and don’t take photos too frequently. Progress pictures can show weight changes in a way the scale can’t. While the number on the scale may not be changing, you may notice more definition in different areas of your body.

Body Measurements

Taking body measurements can be helpful to see if there are body composition changes occurring. For example, if you lose inches around your waist, it is likely that you are losing fat tissue. It is best to take measurements while wearing fitted clothing. If you are unsure how to take measurements, check out this guide.

Journaling

If we don’t write things down it can be hard to remember the amount of progress that has been made. This is one reason why journaling can be a powerful tool. Write about your:

• Energy levels

• Sleep

• Mood

• Concentration

• Self Confidence

• Anything you want!

As you incorporate more healthful behaviors into your life, I can almost guarantee one, if not all, of these parameters will improve.

Try on Clothing

We’ve all been there. We’ve tried on a piece of clothing and it is either too loose or too tight. Trying on clothes can be another way to measure your body transformation. Most people want their clothes to fit looser, however know that this can be confusing in some realms. If you have been lifting weights more frequently, your clothing could potentially become tighter due to increased muscle mass.

Building of Strength, Endurance and Stamina

An absolute great way to measure your body transformation (and my personal favorite) is by measuring the changes in your strength, endurance and stamina.

If you can lift more weight than you used to, your body is changing.

If you can do more reps than you used to, your body is changing.

If you can run/bike/swim/etc. longer and harder, your body is changing.

At Strength in Nutrition we love to see the progress that our clients can make. If you want help in your health journey, be sure to reach out.

Improved Bloodwork and Health Parameters

Picture this:

You have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and pre-diabetes and need to take medications. You start to instill healthy habits and consume nutrient-dense foods and incorporate movement into your life. You go back to the doctor and your numbers are improved and you no longer need to take medications. THIS IS HUGE. You don’t need a scale to tell you that your body is changing, and quite frankly, I believe this is better than any number on the scale.

Wrapping it up

When I was younger I used to only care about the number on the scale. It really screwed with my head. I prefer to use a different approach to measuring my body changes. I know not everyone will agree with me, but hey, we are all entitled to have our own opinions!

As with everything, there are pros and cons to all the above ways to measure body transformations. Do you have a favorite way to measure your body transformation, or is there one that isn’t listed? We would love to know your thoughts in the comments!