As you eat sensibly, exercise and live a healthier lifestyle in an active attempt to lose weight, the magazine "Ladies Home Journal" notes that sometimes, the scale isn't the definitive expert when it comes to gauging your weight loss success. While it can be a helpful tool, a scale doesn't tell you all that you need to know about your weight loss and how far you've come. Look to some other methods to measure success during weight loss; you may find you're actually more successful than you think.
Step 1
Measure yourself to see how much you've lost in inches. Traditionally, you should take measurements of your chest, right over your nipple, then your stomach, which is right over your belly button. Measure your hips by measuring around the hip bones. Some also choose to measure each thigh and each arm. Record your measurements and take them weekly to gauge weight loss success.
Step 2
Consider your clothing as a good way to measure success. As you lose weight, you'll begin to notice that your clothes fit differently. Many types of pants give the measurements as inches as well, so you'll realize that, as you go from a size 30 to a size 28, you've lost 2 inches from your waist. Examine how clothes fit you.
Step 3
Focus on your weight loss percentage, rather than the number on the scale. A weight loss percentage can help you realize how much of your total body weight you've lost. To find your weight loss percentage, divide the amount of pounds that you've lost by your starting weight and multiply by 100. This is especially useful when comparing your weight loss to another person's.
Step 4
Use your own accounts of your weight loss to measure success. A weight loss diary is clinically proven by a study in the journal of "Contemporary Clinical Trials" to help subjects lose even more weight than without a diary, and if you've kept one, you can take time to read through your diary and note the major changes that have been made. Hopefully you've also recorded weight loss to help you see how far you've come.
Step 5
Consider your energy level and how it's changed over the course of your weight loss. You likely started on the path of weight loss feeling sluggish and tired. Your heart had to pump too hard to circulate blood through your body. As you lose the weight, your body is more energized and free. Evaluating how many things you can do in a day after your weight loss can help you to measure your success.
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