How do you follow your progress?

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gabibarbosa
gabibarbosa Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, folks, I'm just wondering what's the best way to follow our progress: checking the weight, tape-measure, taking a picture? It's been a month and a half that I'm exercising and doing diet, but I can't hardly see for any of these methods relevant results, I lost some weight, but almost nothing really, I lost some measure too, but again, almost nothing. I'm starting to feel like I'm not improving at all, and this is very disappointing :\ . Does someone identify?
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Replies

  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
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    I think it depends what 'almost nothing' means to you!

    I weigh myself on the scale, and every time it goes down, even incrementally, that is a huge deal to me! But someone else might see 0.3lbs here, 0.7lbs there as 'almost nothing' - but those small numbers are going to add up over time!

    I also track my progress with my fitness - when I walk, can I walk faster for longer? Can I go further? When I lift weights, can I lift more weight? Can I do more reps?

    Not to mention I also monitor my progress via my lifestyle. If I had a stressful day and I don't use it as an excuse to overeat, that is a victory too! When a pair of pants fit me that didn't before, or when I can carry all the groceries up to my apartment in one trip - I celebrate!

    So instead of being discouraged by what you're NOT seeing, celebrate what you do see! The more victories you will find, the better you will feel! :smile:
  • mhlew
    mhlew Posts: 377 Member
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    I weigh myself every Saturday morning and log it. I also take pictures (side view and front view)

    I have tried the tape measure but dont really use it much, i rather feel the inches lost in my clothes and how they fit.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    A mix of all of these. I weigh every day, measure every 4-6 weeks, and take pictures every 10-15 pounds lost.
  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
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    Follow your NET AVERAGE DAILY INTAKE. It's the number that will tell you if you're in deficit for the week or not. If you don't know your true BMR, this is also a good way to find out!

    I made a spreadsheet to track that number in a weekly and monthly calendar.

    Also weight yourself and measure etc.
  • julesxo
    julesxo Posts: 422 Member
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    Measurements and photographs of myself. I rarely ever weigh myself nor do I care what that number is.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    Weigh daily, measure when I remember. I hardly ever get around to taking photos. I'm not much interested in how I look in any case.

    How my clothes fit is as good a guide as any TBH.
  • AmZam05
    AmZam05 Posts: 130 Member
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    I do pictures and measurements on the 1st of every month as well as weighing in once a week.

    If you've only been working at it a month, give it more time to start seeing the results more clearly. Personally it took a few months before I really saw clear results.
  • lil_lizt
    lil_lizt Posts: 275 Member
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    Every Sunday I take a side and front photo, weigh myself and take measurements :)
  • kendalslimmer
    kendalslimmer Posts: 579 Member
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    I weigh myself each day - this reminds me not to overeat! I look at a donut or a cake and I think "nope, gotta get on the scale tomorrow morning!". I'm not good at taking measurements, I wish I was, especially as this is a better 'tell' than weighing yourself. (It is possible not to loose weight, but to change your shape...) I have take 1 picture so far, and at the end of the month I'll take another. Once a month seems often enough, since I plan to be able to see a change when I look! Even if it's only a small one.

    Don't give up yet. Keep working! When you get disheartened, let your friends on MFP lift you up. :-)
  • gabibarbosa
    gabibarbosa Posts: 13
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    Thank you guys, it was really helpful :)
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    Photos/tape measure first, then scale. Keep in mind that as a lady, you'll weigh more during certain times of the month. I tend to be lightest about 4ish days after my period so that's when I do measurements and my official weigh in for the month.

    I also agree with the other comment about tracking fitness. It depends on your goals are but for me, being able to walk further, run longer, bike faster are most important.
  • 808Trish808
    808Trish808 Posts: 122 Member
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    onefortyone wrote: »
    I think it depends what 'almost nothing' means to you!

    I weigh myself on the scale, and every time it goes down, even incrementally, that is a huge deal to me! But someone else might see 0.3lbs here, 0.7lbs there as 'almost nothing' - but those small numbers are going to add up over time!

    I also track my progress with my fitness - when I walk, can I walk faster for longer? Can I go further? When I lift weights, can I lift more weight? Can I do more reps?

    Not to mention I also monitor my progress via my lifestyle. If I had a stressful day and I don't use it as an excuse to overeat, that is a victory too! When a pair of pants fit me that didn't before, or when I can carry all the groceries up to my apartment in one trip - I celebrate!

    So instead of being discouraged by what you're NOT seeing, celebrate what you do see! The more victories you will find, the better you will feel! :smile:

    i so agree!!!
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I scale weigh and measure my waist arm and thigh width every week. The measurements are a much much better indicator than the scale. Atm my scale isn't budging but the inches are still coming off so I know fat loss is still happening. Even if weight loss isn't.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited October 2014
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    The first forty pounds, I just felt the clothes getting bigger and too big.

    Now I weigh every day. Once in a while I measure, but not a lot.

    I didn't notice much change for a loooong time. There wasn't much change! I was that fat! Now, I notice much more. I see my waist, legs and arms slimming down. I feel the difference when I walk. Everything is new. But I had to lose like fifty some pounds before that started.

    32798768.png
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    measurements I think is better but weighing has its uses. Perhaps your disappointment is not with the methods but the fact your losses havent been as great as youd have liked. That more points towards what you are doing as not being as effectuve as you had hoped or in MFP terms it will probably be your calorie deficit us not as big as you think and is not being maintained. - 500 per day for 1lb weight loss per week, but thats just rough and weight loss isnt linear. I have found all three methods fine as a way of noticing, but day to day comes from weighing and charting. The information encourages me to continue or if im getting it right.

    Other methods can be keeping track of exercise, faster, more endurance or heavier weights.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I've been doing this for 5 months. No "cheat" days, just deficit and exercising for 5 months. I've used the scale, the tape and the clothes to judge and sometimes, I just use the mirror. Those are just visuals; more important, I KNOW the work I've put in and I'm not always going to "see" that. We're human and our minds tend to trick us.
  • dramaqueen45
    dramaqueen45 Posts: 1,009 Member
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    Scale once a week, measure every two weeks, photo once a month. Results show over time.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    I weigh myself a few times a month and go by how clothing feels and how jiggly I look. If you are not seeing results then you probably just need to lower your intake a bit until your results start to show. With 15lbs left to go you realyl don't have much to lose, which means that if body composition is your goal then you don't need a big deficit, which means slower losses.
  • gabibarbosa
    gabibarbosa Posts: 13
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    being patient seems to be the key :)
  • newhealthykim
    newhealthykim Posts: 192 Member
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    3 pounds in a month and half when you only have 18 lbs to lose is great! Don't get discouraged. Time will pass regardless. Make it a lifestyle change. That way when the time passes, you will be at your goal :).

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