Posted on January 22, 2016 by Kate Halsall

When you’re working hard at your new fitness regime and eating clean but don’t see a change on the scales, it’s hard not to be disappointed. We’ve blogged before on why our weight fluctuates on the scales, and as such it can’t be used as the only measurement of your progress.

We are also asked by clients about body fat scales and how accurate they are (unfortunately these are not always accurate, as studies have shown inconsistent results).

There are better ways for measuring your weight loss, and here’s an insight to what we, as personal trainers, measure too.

• “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”: Take photographs. Take them at the start of your journey and keep taking them! We know that everyone doesn’t want to be reminded of what they look like – but no one else has to see them, and they are a great reminder of all the hard work and effort you have put in to change the way you look. My advice would be to wear exactly the same thing in every picture (and have your hair exactly the same way so your face is always represented in the same way). Trust me, you will be able to see the difference!
• How do those clothes fit? Just this week one of my clients said to me that whilst the scales at home hadn’t changed, her jeans were feeling slacker. Clothes getting bigger or more comfortable is a great indication of progress.
• How do you feel? Not all progress is measured physically! Feeling better about yourself and building your self confidence is a great way of seeing progress and keeping you motivated to reach those goals.
• Measurements. Ok, a little difficult to do this yourself – but that’s what we’re here for! We measure our clients every 4-6 weeks and it’s a great way to monitor how our body shape is changing. It’s best to measure virtually everywhere: arms, thighs, chest, waist, and hips, but especially your hips and waist (these have health associations with them). We also offer “Health MOTs” so that we can do these (and other measurements – see below) for you.
• Skin Fold Calipers. Again, a little difficult to use these yourself! These will give you an accurate reading of your body fat by measuring the fat that you store just beneath the skin. There are many different skinfold tests and equally there are many types of calipers. The key is to always measure or be measured in the same places to ensure you get consistent results.
• Fish for Complements! Ok – maybe don’t do it quite that obviously or all the time…but if your friends and colleagues know that you’re on this journey, why not ask them if they think you look different. Some people will give you an honest answer!

The key is if you’re working hard and you don’t feel you’re getting the results you should be doing – DON’T GIVE UP! Be honest and look at how you’re tracking your own results and look at better ways to do this.