When starting a healthy initiative to lose weight, you want some kind of sign that the weight and inches are decreasing. How will you know?
1. Body Weight/Percentage of Fat:I recommend weighing yourself on the same scale, same time of day (preferably before eating anything), and naked. Digital scales seem to be best as long as you change the batteries as needed. Choose a flat surface, usually with digital scales, you have to touch the scale with your toes to turn it on, then step on it. Certain digital scales can calculate your percentage of fat and muscle mass and have a phone app where you can keep track of the data. Weight yourself before starting any health initiative and then weekly from there. Daily weights usually cause anxiety and can reflect fluid changes in the body.
2. Clothing Fit: I often hear, "The scale says I didn't lose weight, but my pants are loose". Sometimes the scale takes time to catch up and you will see your clothes fit differently. This is definitely a great feeling!
3. Progress Photos: Great idea to take a picture in your underwear or bathing suit before starting and then monthly as you lose weight. Sometimes pictures can keep you motivated as well.
4. Body Measurements: Measure at the start and then monthly. Keep track of your progress.
Measuring various parts of your body can be helpful for tracking fitness progress or getting accurate clothing measurements. Here's how to measure your waist, hip, chest, arm, and thigh:
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Waist:
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Hip:
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Chest (for men):
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Bust (for women):
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Arm:
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Thigh:
Always use a flexible measuring tape designed for taking body measurements to ensure accuracy. When taking measurements, it's a good idea to measure each area twice to ensure consistency. Additionally, try to measure at the same time of day and under similar conditions each time to get the most accurate results.
For the waist:
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Stand up straight and relax your abdomen.
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Locate your natural waist, which is typically the narrowest part of your torso, just above your belly button.
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Wrap a measuring tape around your waist, ensuring it's snug but not too tight.
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Make sure the tape is parallel to the ground and doesn't twist.
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Exhale and record the measurement in inches or centimeters.
For the hips:
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Stand with your feet together.
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Find the widest part of your hips, typically around the hip bone area.
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Wrap the measuring tape around your hips, ensuring it's parallel to the ground and not too tight.
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Record the measurement in inches or centimeters.
For the chest (men)
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Stand up straight with your arms relaxed at your sides.
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Place the measuring tape around your chest, just under your armpits and across the fullest part of your chest.
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Make sure the tape is snug but not too tight.
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Record the measurement in inches or centimeters.
For the bust (women)
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Wear a well-fitting bra (or no bra) and stand up straight.
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Place the measuring tape around your chest, over the fullest part of your bust.
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Ensure the tape is snug but not too tight.
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Record the measurement in inches or centimeters.
For the arms
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To measure your arm, you'll need someone to help you.
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Stand with your arm extended straight out to your side and parallel to the ground.
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Bend your elbow slightly.
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Have your helper measure from the top of your shoulder down to your wrist.
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Record the measurement in inches or centimeters.
For the thighs
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Stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
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Locate the midpoint of your thigh, which is roughly halfway between your hip and knee.
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Wrap the measuring tape around your thigh at this point, making sure it's snug but not too tight.
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Keep the tape parallel to the ground.
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Record the measurement in inches or centimeters.
