There are a lot of ways to judge your progress when you’re on a program to get fitter. Weight is just one of those. If your goal is to lose ten pounds, then weight matters. However, if your goal is to be thinner, then weight doesn’t really matter as much. Muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue does, so a cubic inch of muscle weighs more. Ten pounds of muscle could fit into a smaller container than ten pounds of fat. If you lose fat and build more muscle, you’ll look thinner, but may not lose a single pound.
If you lose weight all over, except your belly, your weight loss isn’t helping.
Inches around the middle come from excess visceral fat, so taking that measurement is a good way to judge. Visceral fat is deep inside you and crowds your organs, unlike subcutaneous fat that’s just beneath the skin surface. Visceral fat is the most dangerous type of fat and is what causes a Buddha belly. The more you have, the more risk you have of metabolic disease and cardiovascular disease. Take a measurement around your middle, then divide it by the number of inches in your height. If the number you get is 0.5 or less, you don’t have too much visceral fat.
What about your clothing size?
Basically, your clothing is like your container. You know when you’ve gained weight because it’s tight, like you’re trying to stuff everything into it. Find an outfit that is too tight It’s going to be your standard by which you measure your progress. Try it on a month after you started your workout or weight loss program. Is it still too tight? Keep using it until it’s simply too loose to judge your progress, find a new “tight” piece of clothing for measurement.
A picture is worth 1000 words.
That can be true if you’re talking about weight loss, too. A picture is worth 1000 visits to the scales. Take a picture of yourself wearing revealing clothing, like a bathing suit or tight pants and T-shirt. Have something in the background to show perspective. Take note of the spot where you took the picture and do a selfie there every month, keeping the camera the same distance from you as you did in the first picture. It’s not always easy to remember how you looked, since change occurs slowly. This is a good way. You’ll have visual comparison of your progress.
- Track your BMI, blood sugar, blood pressure or waist circumference if you’re trying to lose weight and get healthier. Those are valuable ways to see how much working out does for you.
- Don’t weigh in every day. Scales don’t always give an accurate picture of your progress. Too much salt the night before or even an upcoming period can cause distressing fluctuations.
- Skinfold calipers were created to check the subcutaneous fat directly beneath the skin. You can use an old technique called, “pinch an inch” to get similar results. Check out the area above the hip bone, thigh, abdomen or tricep.
- Track your energy level, strength or endurance to see if you’re making progress. If you couldn’t climb a set of stairs without stopping for breath and now can do two floors, you’re getting fitter.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym