The potential to lose weight varies according to the amount of total weight on your body. For example, given the same amount of time and exercise, someone who weighs 345 pounds will more easily lose five pounds than someone who weighs 130 pounds. Because of differences in weight, experts in the medical field rely on weight loss percentages to determine the significance of a drop, or gain, in weight. Using a standard bathroom scale and basic mathematical formulas you, too, can keep track of your weight loss percentages at home as the experts do.
Step 1
Invest in a reliable bathroom scale. According to ConsumerResearch.com, you can purchase a scale that sends information back to your computer via Wi-Fi, a scale that calculates your body mass index (BMI), or a basic analog/spring scale that provides a normal readout. A low-cost digital scale may work best for you, as it reduces the likelihood of misreading your weight and sticks to the basics of what you need.
Step 2
Weigh yourself in the morning. Dr. Mary Gavin of KidsHealth.org notes that our bodies eliminate excess fluids collected from the previous day every morning after waking. This readout will provide your weight with less interference from water gain and other variables.
Step 3
Weigh yourself once a week. Your weight fluctuates with water retention, exercise and calorie consumption. To get the best estimate of your weight loss, wait at least a week before measuring again. This will allow time for variations in your weight to average out. It might be best to make Sunday mornings "Weight Day": You wake up, use the restroom and then weigh yourself once a week. Of course, you could choose any day of the week; it doesn't have to be Sunday.
Step 4
Calculate your percentage of weight loss using basic formulas. If you want to know how much you have lost in a week, use your initial weight (IW) at the beginning of the week and your current weight (CW) as follows: Compute IW minus CW. Then divide that result by IW. Finally, multiply by 100. For instance, if you weighed 189 lb. and now weigh 186 lb., you would have lost 1.59 percent of your weight [ (189 -- 186) / 189] x 100.
Tips and Warnings
- Interpret your weight loss appropriately. For instance, if you weighed 185 pounds at the beginning of the month and 192 pounds now, then you will get a calculation of -3.78 percent of weight loss. Interpret negative scores as weight gains rather than losses.
- In general, do not expect to lose more than two to three percent of your weight a week. Excessive weight loss is unhealthy and may be the result of a medical issue.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Calculator
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