Important news: a scale is not the best way to measure your weight loss progress!

Good News About Weight Loss Progress!

Whether you’re trying to track your fitness or measure weight loss, t’s important to know the best ways to determine your progress.

The good news: If you’re new to resistance training, you will build muscle.

Note: That might mean your scale weight increases.

Even more good news: That doesn’t actually affect how you look or how your clothes fit!

This is because: the scale doesn’t dictate how you look, how you feel, or (to a large extent) how healthy you are! In fact, it is objectively the worst way to track changes in body composition.

Why Using a Scale Isn’t a Good Way to Measure Fat Loss Progress

Lots of things contribute to your overall weight that have nothing to do with how much fat you have, like muscle, water, bones, bacteria, and more. And yes, you’ve got fat along with all that other stuff because you have to have it to survive.

When we “lose weight” we’re most likely to lose EQUAL parts FAT and MUSCLE. That means if you lose 10lbs on the scale, you’ve probably lost 5 lbs of fat and 5 lbs of muscle. Regardless, some weight loss in that equation is fat loss, just not nearly as much as it appears on that shiny bathroom scale.

One more thing: water has no effect on your energy balance but it has a massive effect on your body weight. When you lose muscle you also tend to lose more water, because muscle tissue usually holds a lot of water. The overall weight loss you see on the scale will likely be artificially inflated by the additional water lost from the muscle loss you experienced.

Using a scale to measure body fat is like using the end of a screwdriver to bang a nail into the wall. They’re mildly related, and sure, it may get the nail in eventually...but a hammer would work a lot better.

So, I’m telling you today: pick a tool that was made for the job. Here are some options I suggest to my clients, but if you have any questions, make sure to email me!

How to Accurately Measure Your Weight Loss Progress Without a Scale:

Circumference or Body Measurements:
Using a flexible measuring tape, measure the circumference at various points of your body (e.g. chest, waist, hips) throughout your training. Whether you measure every week or once a month, these changes will be much more reliable.
If it sounds simple, that’s because it is. And much more telling and accurate than your weight on a scale.
Body Composition Testing:
Body composition testing measures your body to determine how much of it is fat compared to how much of it is muscle.
There are several methods of doing this, and a trainer at your local gym can probably help you get decent testing. When you’re trying to lose weight and gain muscle, you hopefully will see those numbers going in opposite directions, but it always depends on the goal you are training for (and nutrition, of course).
Fitness Progress Photos:
Simple photos will help you see changes over time during your fat loss journey, which I show in the image above. There may be only a one or two pound change on the scale, but you could see inches of difference in your waist, your thighs, your arms, etc.
However, please note: these images can be deceiving too. So many Instagram influencers are posting comparison pictures these days to show how much a different pose and outfit style can change how thin they look.
When you’re taking your own pictures, be as honest with yourself as you can: sucking in your stomach isn’t going to help you get to your goals any faster! And, don’t let yourself get discouraged when you see other’s progress pictures. They’re probably posting the best image of themselves that they have, which is understandable, but make sure you remember that before you start comparing yourself to them!

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Nutrition is about way more than fat loss, and way more than a number on a scale!

Fueling your body with foods that you enjoy, that align with your goals, and that make you feel good, is what good nutrition is all about. A “diet” is simply the foods that make up your daily menu and a number on a scale is not the best way, or even ONE of the best ways to measure your wellness levels.

Let’s all take the stigma away from foods, remove the obsession with the scale, and focus on our healthiness and happiness. That is a much safer, more enjoyable, and more effective way of reaching our fitness goals and seeing weight loss progress.