5 Ways To Track Your Weight Loss/Gain Progress

When you first start out living a life of health and wellness, it can often feel overwhelming. How to eat right, how to exercise, how to say no to things you once loved. A lot of those things can make it feel like an impossible task to get healthier. However, there are many tools you can use to make sure you are on the right path and I'm here to share them with you. They might seem like they are common sense, but a lot of people don't do them. SO DO THEM :D

1. Weigh yourself. This is the go to for most people. They get on that scale and they record a number using an app or writing it down or just remembering it. This one is always an easy way to see what your progress is. However, if you're like me and you track every day, it can often feel like it's not moving or moving backwards. So while it is important to track your weight this is not the only way to get some progress out of your lifestyle changes.

2. Take before and after pictures. Many many many many people forget to do this. They do a day one pic and then never touch that camera again. It is important to see what you are doing. Not just see a number. At some point, you are going to be gaining as much muscle as you are losing fat (if weight loss is your goal vs gaining weight). So it is nice to see how that really looks. Some tips: do a pic for the front, back, and both sides. Keep your arms down. RELAX YOUR MUSCLES. Don't suck it in. Wear the skimpy outfits to see your body (don't worry, no one is going to see them buy you). Get some good lighting. Invest in a ring light if you live in a dark apartment. Do this and you will SEE the progress. This is something that no mirror can provide.

3. Take measurements. Sometimes you don't see the changes and sometimes you don't see the number moving. It could be daunting. Take measurements when you start. If you are anything like me, seeing change in yourself is very difficult. Maybe I've got that face blindness thing for my body. HA! But numbers do not lie. Measure yourself first thing in the morning each time you need to check on your progress. I do this about once every three months. Inevitably, those numbers change and give me a boost of confidence.

4. Record what you do in your workouts. In the words of Tony Horton, "How are you going to know to do, if you don't know what you already did?". This one stuck with me y'all. If you've got goals, and I know you do, you need to keep a record of what you are doing for your exercise. Whether it is lifting weights or running or climbing, record what is going on during those exercises. That way when you do it again, you know what you have to work for in order to make progress. After a few weeks/months/years, you will see where you are started. Not all progress is weight and size. It can be strength and endurance progress too. Don't discount that!

5. Try on old clothes. This one is my personal favorite. I recently tried on a pair of jeans that used to make me feel like a stuffed sausage. I thought they would fit perfectly now. They wound up being a size too big. I never would have thought. Those were my favorite jeans too! This can often be a great reminder of how you used to feel in certain clothes. Clothes have a lot of emotion tied to them. So if you want to see some progress, try on those jeans you used to wear and see how you feel then.

Let me know what you think about these tips!

Love yall,

Andy

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