When you are evaluating your loss, how do you measure it?

rrajachar

The point is to give each other positive ideas of how we can measure our losses and feel good. There are other people who measure the way you do.

Lietchi

Weight and BMI is in the same family. So is inches and clothing, ultimately. Aside from that side comment, all of the above.

I also look at fitness and activity goals: running faster and longer, getting stronger,...

tomcustombuilder

Changes in Clothing

Scale weight, waist measurement and clothes fit.

AnnPT77

Mostly scale weight while losing, but as a trend over a few weeks, not just one day or week to the next. BMI gave me hints about how far to lose, but how I felt and looked were the fine-tuning factors, in consultation with my doctor about health aspects.

Mostly clothes fit in maintenance, I guess, though I do keep weighing daily and putting the weight in my trending app. It gives me a hint about when to cut back to stay in that clothing size.

(I hate, hate, hate clothes shopping. Having to get all new clothes was The Worst part of weight loss, in my weird little world. Does this make me bad at womanning, in my culture? Maybe. But not having to replace everything again is a significant motivator to maintain, now. I don't own many clothes in between obese and healthy weight, because that all went by pretty fast, and drawstring/elastic waists exist even in semi-dressy clothes for women.)

threewins

I got fed up by eating salty food and seeing a gain on the scale, so I decided to measure my body at various locations. This is much better but it's more work.

Wynterbourne

Changes in Clothing

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Mostly scale weight while losing, but as a trend over a few weeks, not just one day or week to the next. BMI gave me hints about how far to lose, but how I felt and looked were the fine-tuning factors, in consultation with my doctor about health aspects.

Mostly clothes fit in maintenance, I guess, though I do keep weighing daily and putting the weight in my trending app. It gives me a hint about when to cut back to stay in that clothing size.

(I hate, hate, hate clothes shopping. Having to get all new clothes was The Worst part of weight loss, in my weird little world. Does this make me bad at womanning, in my culture? Maybe. But not having to replace everything again is a significant motivator to maintain, now. I don't own many clothes in between obese and healthy weight, because that all went by pretty fast, and drawstring/elastic waists exist even in semi-dressy clothes for women.)

I bought clothes at Goodwill in-between start and goal. Most items usually ranging from $4.99 to $9.99 USD each (an additional 50% off on certain days). I needed to lose a 140lbs so even drawstrings and elastic waists were useless after about 70lbs. It was a big help. And I am also not a fan of clothes shopping. Most of my stuff is t-shirts and jeans.

penguinmama87

Changes on a Weight Scale

I also dislike clothes shopping!

I mostly measure by the scale, because weight loss at present is my major goal, but along the way I pick up a lot of side quests, if you will. I do take measurements and that helps if weight loss stalls for whatever reason.

I figure it doesn't hurt to think about what will motivate me once I'm at maintenance. I don't have any aspirations of being an elite athlete, but I can always try to improve my mile time or distance or try something new.

mtaratoot

Evaluating loss:

• ]For weight loss loss, the scale tells the story. I hop on the thing every day and write down the number and then ignore it mostly but not completely. I enter it in a spreadsheet that tracks the trend over time and gives a time-weighted moving average to even out the daily ups and downs.
  • For fat loss, also the scale and additionally the bio-electrical impedance measurement that gives me an ESTIMATE of body fat. It's horribly unreliable, so I also ignore that number and track over time assuming the trend tells the story. It's no surprise that my body fat % tracks along pretty well with my mass.
  • For fat loss I also have a caliper that I use, but I don't trust that I really am that good at using it, so I use it infrequently and don't believe what I interpret from it.
  • For size loss, I use a tailor's measuring tape. I don't do it often, but I do from time to time. This also gives me some indication of muscle gain, but not in a while as I've been away from the gym.
  • I wear the same pair of jeans several days in a row, so how they fit isn't a good story unless it's a day when I put on a pair I haven't worn since I washed them. Even then they don't always shrink back up fully.
  • For hair loss, I look at the shower drain or my brush.
  • For financial loss, I just look at my account balance and see where it moves.
  • For power loss, I just have to reset a few clocks.
  • For data loss, I try to back things up....
  • For memory loss, I can't recall how I measure.

Sinisterbarbie1

I am in maintenance/trying to gain a bit back. I weigh myself every day and since I also log my food I know what to expect (meaning if I have eaten bigger meals or salty foods I know the scale will show a slightly higher weight.) I did this as I was losing too. I expect to continue to do this as long as I can stand up on a scale.

I occasionally take my measurements with a cloth measuring tape - mostly to confirm sizing for ordering clothes on line.

I buy clothes with the intention of keeping and wearing them a long time - so they tend not to be trendy, and to be more expensive as a result. I like clothes but it is not significantly easier to shop for clothes as a thin person - I think maybe my bones are in the wrong places! As a result when I find designers and cuts that fit well and look good I am motivated to keep to the size I bought. I just splurged on some clothes so am going to have to assess how much more re-gaining I want to do. . .

yirara

mtaratoot wrote: »

Evaluating loss:

[*] For memory loss, I can't recall how I measure.
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LOL! If my thyroid meds aren't perfect I get very forgetful, and then I don't realize I am because I keep on forgetting it. I mean, how do you measure forgetfulness?

Otherwise scale, performance. Spreadsheets are a must for every strength workout. And a good running app/watch environment for running

Mandylou19912014

Changes in Clothing

I weigh myself every day and log it, so I can see trends such as weight gain when it’s around my time of the month etc. what I really go by is how my clothes fit. I will always have an item of clothing that just doesn’t fit well and each month I will try it back on again

elisabethclements1984

Change in Body Inches

I voted for how my clothes fit but I also weigh daily. I use a tailor’s tape measure to check for confirmation when my weight fluctuates to prove it is simply from salt or a heavy dinner. Just a few pounds to go. I’ve never been in maintenance mode before so I will need to do some research on that one. This is something I have tried and failed at for years. I’ve been back several days now and super motivated. Hoping to find more friends on here. I have a few which I am grateful for but I would love to add more people. Strength in numbers!!