Not sure how to gauge progress at this point..

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datsundriver87
datsundriver87 Posts: 186 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost 72 pounds in 7 months and can say I'm very pleased with how I've done, I'm a huge numbers guy and my biggest motivation for losing weight was stepping on the scale and seeing numbers drop and trying to beat my previous week. I'm at a point now where I want to start weight training and trying to keep the little muscle I have left while burning fat but I feel like That will be at the expense of scale numbers. Should I buy a bmi reader to base progress or what else could I do? I know some of it will be just seeing the physical change in my body but I don't feel like that will be a drastic enough change on a weekly basis to keep me motivated

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    WTG on your loss. Bag the scale.
  • ShandaLeaS
    ShandaLeaS Posts: 136 Member
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    You're doing great. Don't lose focus on what you're trying to do....get healthy. The scale motivates me and sometimes I have to step back and realize my goal isn't to see numbers on a scale but to be healthier
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    I'm confused...are you now at your goal weight and want to add back muscle, or are you still planning on dropping more weight while lifting?

    Assuming the latter, you can still use the scale to measure your progress. I'd also suggest adding measurements (waist, chest, etc) and using 'the mirror' too to measure progress.
  • datsundriver87
    datsundriver87 Posts: 186 Member
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    ceoverturf wrote: »
    I'm confused...are you now at your goal weight and want to add back muscle, or are you still planning on dropping more weight while lifting?

    Assuming the latter, you can still use the scale to measure your progress. I'd also suggest adding measurements (waist, chest, etc) and using 'the mirror' too to measure progress.

    I'm near my original goal weight (started with the goal of getting under 200 I'm at 207), but still have a lot of fat percentage to lose so I am not sure what exactly my goal weight is at the moment, rather that's stay around 200 but turn my fat into muscle or drop more actual weight altogether. wanting to get lean more than anything now. I'll stick to what I've been doing and add a few measurements to it and give it a month or two and see if I like the progress, I just feel like 8 months of nothing but cardio has made me extremely weak.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
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    1) Weigh less frequently or not at all
    2) Pay attention to changes in how you feel ( stronger, less fatigued, energized )
    3) Pay attention to changes in appearance or how your clothes fit
    4) Break out the tap and start tracking standard progress measurments like waist, biceps, etc. MFP actually allows you to track some of them.
    5) If you want to add tech to help you gauge progress, go for it.

    Keep up the good work, and GL.
  • zharptichka
    zharptichka Posts: 127 Member
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    what about gains in how much you can lift? I'm not saying throw away the scale it's useful still but if you're wanting number motivation that might do it...
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    When I made the transition from losing a ton of weight to adding weight lifting I stopped using the scale entirely and starting going by measurements, strength, BF %, and photos. Every two weeks I'd take a photo of myself and I could see the differences. Gaining muscle means gaining muscle weight and if you're a scale person you're not going to be happy about that. Congratulations and good luck!

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