When it comes to losing weight, it is obvious to measure success in terms of weight loss and fat percentage. People trying to lose weight are always curious to know how much they shed after every day of practice doing cardio. However, weigh-ins can be frustrating or intimidating for some people as the scales don’t tell you the whole story. It may not track your progress accurately and show nearly the same weight day after day.
The results you see on your weighing scale are precise if there is no error or problem in the scale. The actual problem is that human weight fluctuates naturally throughout the day. So if you start working out or make changes in your workout, you may see your weight going up on the scale. Instead of focusing on the scale, let us check some ways to measure your success while losing weight. But before moving forward, we would like to suggest you to visit https://www.
How to measure body fat
Measure weight may be useful to know, but it’s even better to know the percentage of your body fat. That is important because the weight of the scale is not always telling the whole story. A bodybuilder has far more muscle than is normal for his weight, and traditional height-weight ratios like body mass index (BMI) will rate him as overweight, even if he has very low body fat.
Don’t measure every day
Checking your weight once a week or every other week instead of weighing every day. Body fat doesn’t disappear overnight, and if you test every day, you may not see those small changes. Each time you have the same person, you weigh. Different trainers measure you in different ways, so always stick with the same person and make sure the person is very experienced in body fat measurements.
When using a scale of bioelectric impedance, ensure that you calculate each time under the same circumstances. Hydration, dietary intake, and skin temperature can affect the measurement of body fat.
Problems with scales
Scales don’t always show you the whole story of success with your body or weight loss. Because of that, weighing scales are not the best way to track the changes in your body. The problem with bodyweight scales is they measure many things — fat, muscle mass, organs, bones, and even water or food you’ve had.
The scale won’t tell about the weight loss or gain, that is essential if you are working out to lose weight — and what we mean by weight are actually fat. A bodybuilder may have more muscle mass that is typical for his weight. Moreover, the weight standards like BMI may rank him as overweight, despite very low fat in his body.
Why scales show nearly the same reading
When you try to burn fat, the gym instructor advises you to do a mix of cardio and lifting weights. Also, you increase your protein intake and reduce fat and calories in your diet. Doing cardio and reducing fat in your diet helps you burn fat. But lifting weights and consuming protein helps you gain muscle.
Take your body measurements
Taking the body measurements is a great way to track your weight loss progress. Taking your body measurements can give you an idea of your progress while losing weight. As we lose fat in a different order in different body parts, it is essential to measure every part to track your success.
Make sure you wear tight and fewer clothes while taking measurements of various areas of your body. The most important areas to measure are the chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves, and upper arms.
If you are losing fat from the areas you want, it means your workouts and diet are right. If you are not losing fat from the required areas, you need to make changes in your workout and diet.
Measure your body composition
Weighing scales measure only the overall weight of the body. However, you can measure the body composition to check the fat percentage and lean muscle in your body. There are multiple ways to check your body composition, and you can use any of them. The common methods include handheld fat analyzers, skin calipers, weighing scales that measure body fat.
Final Words
These are some ways to measure success in your weight loss journey. The device or method you choose to measure your weight, fat percentage, or body mass index depends on your requirements. There are a variety of devices available with different uses. For example, you can use waterproof weighing scales if you want to check your weight in the bathroom. However, to get accurate results, it is best to use other methods in addition to weighing scales.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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