Measurements and pictures - When, where, how often?

wendy0210
wendy0210 Posts: 86 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I'm realizing that I may be at the point where the smaller numbers aren't as realistic of a goal/assessment of progress as they've been during my weight loss, so I think I should start taking measurements. Many of you swear by this, and I'm so inspired by the stories of changes to body shape vs. pounds lost.

How often do you measure? What areas of your body? Do you measure all areas each time? Also, how about pictures? How often?

I still struggle with hitting that magic number on the scale; after all, it's been my goal for so long and I feel like a failure for not getting there. Also, will I really gain if I start weight training/building muscle? That terrifies me! However, I'm working out harder, biking for longer distances, continuing to repair the cardioendurance that was lost, etc. I don't know how to change my mindset of measure of success in weight loss but I'm willing to try...

Any suggestions, words of advice, etc.? Thank you!

Replies

  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    I don't really take any pictures. But I would say do full measurements once a month. There's not really much point in doing it more often than that. As for where I assume you mean where on the body.

    1. Waist Round the bellybutton
    2. Hip at the furthest point of the hipbones
    3. Calf at widest point
    4. Thigh halfway up
    6. Arm at thickest point of the bicep
    8. Neck halfway up

    This is pretty comprehensive.

    Also measuring body-fat is a REALLY good idea. Even if it isn't 100% accurate a reduction is a really good sign that things are moving in the right direction.

    As for what time of day .. just keep it consistent. Since I have a PT that tracks these measurements we do a measure up once a month after a PT session so mine is post workout on a Monday.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    If you're at a calorie deficit, you won't gain weight because of weight training. Weight lifting has been the single biggest form of exercise that I used to lose 64 lbs. I do pictures and measures every 4-5 weeks. Those measurements change more slowly, so if you do it every week, you may get frustrated by the "lack of progress". Just keep at it. You'll get there. I've been maintaining my weight for 3 months now at 173 lbs, but my body fat % has gone from 9.5% go 7.7%.

    Allan
  • chachrom
    chachrom Posts: 2
    When I did pictures, I took one from my hips up showing my arms to my side and one from hips down. Then I would do the same thing every six weeks.
  • wendy0210
    wendy0210 Posts: 86 Member
    Thank you everyone; I appreciate the responses and tips. I'll keep pushing forward... :)

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