Losing weight and gaining muscle may be your goal, but usually we aren’t the first to notice. Typically people see our face, attitude and body changing before we do. Once you begin to see your own progress, however, you motivation is boosted as you realize your efforts are paying off. Documenting your transformation is vital in maintaining that level of motivation. There are several ways that you can effectively track weight loss.

The scale

The most popular method of monitoring your progress is the old stand-by scale. Although it does not offer much of what other methods do, it is still a reliable way to track weight loss. People’s weight (especially women) fluctuates daily. One reason a scale is not the best method to track weight loss is because it doesn’t account for how much of your weight is muscle and how much is fat. It also doesn’t take into consideration where you are losing the weight.

BMI

Based on height and weight, your BMI will decrease as you lose weight. There are shortcomings to using your BMI as your preferred method to track weight loss, including the fact that, like the scale, no consideration is given to muscle vs. fat loss. Look here for more information about using your BMI to track weight loss.

Body Fat Percentage

Unlike using the scale and your BMI, testing your body fat percentage ignores poundage and instead focuses on how much of your weight is made up of fat. This is a great tool for tracking weight loss because it can show progress even when the scale doesn’t seem to budge. Monitoring your body fat percentage can be done is a few different ways. The most convenient and reliable method for at home use is a caliper. To read more about body fat percentages, check out this earlier blog post.

Before and After Pictures

A great motivational tool, before and after pictures allow you to see your body transformation in a different light. Often even when the scale or caliper readings are changing, we don’t notice an immediate change in how we look. Taking s before picture will certainly motivate you to keep moving. Monthly progress photos will track your weight loss in a visible and fun way.

Measuring Tape

Even when the scale doesn’t move, your body may be changing. Taking your measurements is a very detailed way of tracking weight loss. By measuring once a month or biweekly you can see where progress is being made and where your weight loss is coming from. Using a measuring tape to track weight loss can also tell you when it’s time for a new jean size.

 
Although there are several methods to track weight loss, some are better than others. Choosing a few approaches that fit your goals and lifestyle is a good way to ensure you are getting the full picture. For instance the scale is quite easy and everyone wants to know “how many pounds” they have lost. But pair this with tracking your body fat percentage or measurements and you will get a comprehensive view of your progress, making it easier to know when you are right on track or when it’s time to kick up your exercise and reign in your diet.

There are so any ways for you to determine your health level. While BMI (Body Mass Index) is the new way of determining if you are at a healthy weight, it doesn’t account for what percentage of that weight that is made up of fat or muscle. A body fat percentage test can tell you almost exactly how much of your body is made up of fat, making it easier to determine your health level but also to track your progress in a fitness or training routine. By tracking your body fat percentage you can ensure that the weight you are losing is fat and not muscle, as well as reassure yourself that progress is being made on the weeks where the scale doesn’t budge.
 
There are several ways of analyzing your body fat percentage. There are online tools that use measurements and weight to estimate your body fat, like this one from University Healthcare. More reliable, however, are body fat calipers that perform what is known as a “pinch test” to evaluate your body fat percentage. Of course, if you want to get pinpoint accuracy, you can go to a weight loss clinic and have your body submersed in water for an extremely accurate reading.

Analyzing your body fat percentage is a very good way of determining your physical fitness. Obviously 200 pounds on a man with 30% body fat will look very different than 200 pounds on a man with only 11% body fat.

So, what is considered healthy body fat percentage?
Although the answer to that differs slightly depending on where you look, this simple chart will give you a good indication of if your body fat percentage falls within a healthy range:

Women
Essential: 10-12%
Althletic: 14-20%
Fit: 21-24%
Acceptable: 25-31%:
Obese: More than 32%

Men
Essential: 2-4%
Althletic: 6-13%
Fit: 14-17%
Acceptable: 18-25%
Obese: More than 25%

The human body needs fat to function. Too little fat and your organs will not work properly. This “essential” amount of fat is the minimum your body needs to work. The female body needs slightly higher body fat percentage than the male due to the reproductive organs. While you may strive to get within the “athletic” range, know that as long as you are consistently improving your fitness level and your health, that your body will follow suit.

Check out this accurate body fat caliper for at-home body fat testing and a good progress management tool.

How to measure health has always been an issue. From height and weight charts to body fat percentages, the world has evolved through several methods of determining the obesity levels of its occupants. Body Mass Index first came on the scene in the 1980s and gained popularity in the late 1990’s when the government gained attention by lowering what was considered a “healthy” BMI.BMI calculators apply a mathematical formula to a person’s weight and height to determine their body composition. BMI calculators like this one from the National Institute of Health will take your height and weight to compute your BMI.
 
So, what is a healthy BMI?

• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
• Overweight = 25-29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

While it is said that BMI calculators are more reliable that old height and weight charts, BMI still doesn’t account for what percentage of the body is made up of muscle or fat. Because the BMI calculators only take height and weight into consideration, a sedentary man with a body fat percentage of 25% who is 6 feet tall and weighs 225 pounds will have the same BMI as an athletic man who weighs the same amount.

Because of the shortcomings of the BMI calculators, it is suggested that you and your doctor use BMI as only one indicator of your health and fitness levels. Things like body fat percentage and waist to hip ratios are other good indicators of your level of fitness and health risks.