Measurements and photos
Every two weeks, you’ll have a chance to track your progress with your measurements.
Body measurements are one way to record progress. You’ll find how to update the app towards the bottom of this page along with how to take body photos.
Depending on your goals, direct body measures may not be the best for you. Remind yourself of your goals and what changes, specifically, are meaningful for you to track. You choose the indicators, according to your goals. For example, if you are just aiming to be healthier, tracking the measurements below may not be applicable but if a change in body composition, a reduction in body fat, or an increase in lean muscle mass is on your agenda then monitoring certain circumferences will be important.
Measurement isn’t a judgment!
Be neutral as possible when measuring. Sometimes taking measurements can be frustrating because you may be comparing your data to old measurements or ‘what you think’ your hips or waist should be. Remember that you are taking measurements to track your progress on your journey to achieve your goals and provide feedback on how your tasks, lifestyle habits and exercise/training programme is working.
Measurement is a tool for moving forward.
Taking the time to record measurements every other week will provide insight into how you are doing. It will also make you accountable to keep on top of your tasks and exercise/training programme if you have one.
Spend a moment to analyse the numbers and ask yourself,
- What’s your best assessment for why the numbers are trending as they are right now?
- Given this new data, what specifically do you want to do differently next week?
- What’s working? What are you happy with, and will keep doing more of
Record your thoughts in your journal. This will help you move forward with more objective awareness which provides more power to change.
Getting started: How to track consistent data
Measure at the same time, same place.
- The most reliable time for consistent measurements is often first thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom and before eating.
- Weight normally fluctuates between 1 and 2 kg’s during the day. Using different scales or the same scale at different times will skew your data.
- You may also notice that your weight changes with hydration, eating a salty meal, or drinking alcohol the night before. It will also change with hormonal cycles.
Weight fluctuations
Please also remember that your weight is a reflection of hundreds of bodily functions and reactions that can add weight normally in the form of fluid. It can be very disheartening to have been trying very hard with eating and/or exercise only for the scales to deliver bad news. Bear in mind that it takes days of constant excessive eating to add body fat quickly. For example, if you eat a dessert that you may have wanted to avoid, the additional 0.5kg on the scale is not fat, but it could be fluid. To explain the biological reasons why will bore you to death so just remember, according to science, about 3500 = 0.5kg of body fat. Meaning, if you ate an entire cheesecake (one slice is between 250 and 350 cals) every night for 3/4 days, then it could be assumed that the 0.5kg could be body fat.
These fluctuations are why I recommend weighing yourself on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then taking a mean average. We are monitoring long-term trends, rather than small daily variations. Nothing will happen overnight and this includes weight loss and weight gain.
