Do You Measure Up?
Learn how measuring yourself will help you track progress during weight loss.
Weight loss is challenging and is made even harder by using a scale to measure progress. Scales report everything in your body from food and water to fat, muscle, bones, tissue, blood, and your organs. So if the scale shows an increase, how do you know if it was because of poor nutritional choices, retaining water, or gaining muscle? The simple answer is you don’t.
We can often see our progress in photos, and I strongly urge you to consider taking those. However, I know some people believe in more black and white facts than subjective results, like those we’d see in photos. For those with a mind that needs concrete proof, I think it becomes next to impossible to see anything other than the number on the scale.
My friend, there is another way! Get out your tape measure (you know that soft kind used in sewing, not the one found in the tool section) and measure yourself!
The Basics
This task can be time-consuming and tedious. Do it anyway. Start by putting on tight-fitting clothing, or do it naked. Take note of what you are wearing (or not wearing) and always measure in that same get-up. Stand with your feet together, and remember to keep your body relaxed as you measure. “Measure twice and cut once” is an old saying in woodworking; a similar concept applies here. Measure twice to ensure accuracy.
I like to take my measurements in the morning before eating or drinking anything for the day. When you vary the time of day you measure, you will likely see some fluctuation in your measurements because of the expected changes our bodies endure throughout the day. Knowing where to measure can be tricky; I like to follow the philosophy that I’d rather have too much information than not enough.
Where to measure
When you measure, you want the tape measure to be pulled taught but not compressing your skin. The measuring tape should be flat and parallel to the ground when measuring. I recommend measuring your arms, bust/chest, stomach, waist, hips, thighs, and calves.
To measure your arms, stand up nice and straight but keep your arm relaxed. Find the halfway point between your shoulder and elbow to measure. If you are only tracking measurements for one arm, be sure to indicate if it’s the right or left so you can be consistent.
When measuring your bust/chest, stand up straight with your feet together. Place your measuring tape right across the nipple line as you wrap it around your body.
Measuring your stomach by placing the tape right across your belly button. To measure your waist, slightly bend your torso to the side. Find the “bend” hold your finger there as the starting point for your measuring tape. Resume to standing straight with great posture, but relaxed. Measure from the bend point you found.
To measure your hips, place your measuring tape around the widest part of your hips.
Thighs are easy to measure when you place your tape measure at the halfway point between your butt and the back of the knee. Or find the widest part of the thigh. If you are only tracking measurements for one thigh, be sure to indicate if it’s the right or left so you can be consistent.
Finally, when measuring your calves, measure at the midpoint between your knee and ankle. If you are only tracking measurements for one leg, be sure to indicate if it’s the right or left so you can be consistent.
It’s so fun when you are completing your measurements and realizing that you’ve lost some inches! I always love when I realize the definition or tone I’ve acquired as the fat begins to melt away, and muscle starts to become more prominent.
Fat vs. Muscle
Have you ever heard someone say “muscle weighs more than fat”? That saying is technically false. Five pounds of fat and five pounds of muscle are still five pounds each. A more accurate statement would be that muscle is denser than fat, so you see that muscle takes up much less space in this picture. If you’ve been adding any weight lifting or resistance training to your routine, you might be in a situation where you are gaining muscle! The scale will not show you a number that can reflect that; however, inches off your measurements could.
While we are on the subject, let us debunk one more myth about fat and muscle, there is no way to turn fat into muscle as they are a different kind of tissue. Rather, you can either gain muscle or lose fat.
So, do you measure up? Taking your measurements consistently will allow you to see concrete evidence of your progress. I take my measurements approximately every 4–6 weeks. Just remember, it can take months to see significant changes.
Stay consistent with your healthy habits, and progress will follow.
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