3 Measurements For Weight Loss Success!

1. The scale can be intimidating--it's what everyone measures their progress by. And while that's useful, there are a couple of important things to remember. One is that it doesn't tell the whole story--there are a couple of other measurements to track progress, and I'll be talking about those in a moment. Second, you may not need to lose as much weight as you think. Remember, ultimately your goal is good health, not necessarily to be the skinniest. And third, the number on the scale says nothing about who you are as a human being. Absolutely nothing. The fact that you found this article says to me that you're really great, interested in improving your life, and that's to be congratulated!

2. The second measurement you want to look at is body fat percentage. You see, your body is composed of lean muscle mass, water, and body fat. Well, you need muscle and water in order for your body to function effectively. It's the fat that you want to lose, while preserving the rest. So many times people starve themselves to lose weight, only to gain it back. That style of dieting makes you lose muscle along with the fat. It's the muscle that is metabolically active--it can use fat for fuel. So you definitely want to preserve or even increase it! Body fat percentage can be measured with a special scale that costs about $50--Tanita is one brand name and I'm sure there are others. For women, healthy body fat percentage is about 25-31%; for men it's 18-25%. You can use those figures to determine what your target weight should be.

3. Third, you want to keep track of the inches you're losing. Fat has about half the density of muscle, so the scale might not be moving as fast as you think it should, but if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, the inches are still going to be coming off. Remember also that the waist is not the only place to measure yourself. You want to measure the chest, your arms, neck, and thighs also. All those places store fat, and will show progress.

So don't be a slave to the scale--take a complete picture of your starting point and your overall progress by using all these measurements, and I promise that you'll see progress toward a healthier and happier you!

For More Related Topics Blog: Acupuncture Weightloss