Best way to track progress?

H

Hypra

New member
I'm in the process of 'losing weight' - such a vague term!

At my highest weight I was 179, a number that shocked my into exercising. But I was very casual about it - no real routine or goals, taking the bus slightly less, maybe doing intentional cardio once or twice a week. About 2 years of that and I'd lost close to 20 pounds, I'm down to about 160 now. (at 5'7-5'8)

A couple weeks ago my life got really hectic- classes started, i got a promotion at work, there was a death in the family. I realized I actually enjoyed exercise as a way to relieve stress and have been doing it almost religiously ever since. I've been doing lots of cardio but also doing strength training moves: I've gotten adjustable hand weights that I've been using and I've been doing things like lungesand ab exercises.

I'm doing things that will build muscle, which i understand weighs more than fat. So is using my scale an inaccurate way to track my progress? I only like to check in with myself once a week - right now that means weighing myself ever sunday. I'm afraid of stepping on the scale for my weekly weigh in and be the exact same number... and either think falsely think it's because I've gained muscle weight when I just haven't been doing enough OR feeling bad that I haven't lost anything when in reality I've actually lost fat.

I think it's worth it to same I'm not very fueled by numbers. I generally go by how I fit into clothes and how I feel/look. I just like seeing something concrete once a week to give me a little boost for the next week and see how I'm doing.

Long story short- whats the best way to track my progress if I'm doing a mix of muscle building exercises AND cardio? Would tracking inches be better? or is there a way to measure fat%? BMI's just seem to calculate the weight-to-height ratio without taking muscle into account.

EDIT- I found several sites online that calculate fat percentages using tape measurements, but I got a different % from each place using the same measurements, anywhere from 22%-29% :( Is there a site thats known for it's accuracy?
 
Last edited:
Personally for me it was the scale. A lot of people on here will say that "mentality" is wrong. I just think they have crappy scales :)
 
Carthonn said:
Personally for me it was the scale. A lot of people on here will say that "mentality" is wrong. I just think they have crappy scales :)
Click to expand...

That doesn't really work for people who are down to their goal weight, are trying to build muscle.

You can see NO difference on the scale yet lose fat, weight is determined by a number of things - not usually fat loss/gain.
 
EDIT- I found several sites online that calculate fat percentages using tape measurements, but I got a different % from each place using the same measurements, anywhere from 22%-29% Is there a site thats known for it's accuracy?
Click to expand...
is it going to be accurate? No... none of them really are...

However, if you consistently track those same measurements in the same place at regular intervals - you will see changes and that's what you want -

i have a scale that measures body fat/water/muscle/bone density - and the instructions that come with the scale basically say its not going to be accurate but you're looking at trends andseeing where your results go over time...
 
maleficent said:
is it going to be accurate? No... none of them really are...

However, if you consistently track those same measurements in the same place at regular intervals - you will see changes and that's what you want -

i have a scale that measures body fat/water/muscle/bone density - and the instructions that come with the scale basically say its not going to be accurate but you're looking at trends andseeing where your results go over time...
Click to expand...

Exactly. My scale said 226.4 this morning but if I stepped on the doctor's scale it would be different. It may be +/- 5-10lbs. And that's OK. I weigh myself on the same scale and record those weights. I don't care if I "officially" weigh 226.4 or not. All I know is that my weight on my bathroom scale is 30.2lbs less than what it was in early July, and that I'm now getting consistent high-normal blood pressure readings and pulse rates below 80bpm. In May my doctor sent me to the ER for a BP reading of 170-something/120-something. I think she overreacted as my BP an hour later was high-normal, but there's really no excuse for a BP as high as what she recorded four times over a period of 20 minutes in her office. None.

But I digress.

Mal is right. Consistency and a downward trend are what matter, not the precise number on the scale. Recording what you eat helps too; I've gotten to the point where I can predict some fluctuations due to certain foods. Indian food and Tex-Mex make me retain water like crazy, which sends the number on the scale higher. I anticipate the fluctuation and it doesn't bother me, because I know I'll eventually tinkle it off.
 
txsqlchick said:
Exactly. My scale said 226.4 this morning but if I stepped on the doctor's scale it would be different. It may be +/- 5-10lbs. And that's OK. I weigh myself on the same scale and record those weights. I don't care if I "officially" weigh 226.4 or not. All I know is that my weight on my bathroom scale is 30.2lbs less than what it was in early July,
Click to expand...

:iagree:

I like this answer
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top