Monitoring the loss of body fat from your diet helps you determine the effectiveness of your plan. Progress in the direction of your goal enhances your motivation, increasing the likelihood you will continue with your diet. Keeping a food and exercise journal is vital because you will then be able to tweak your diet and exercise, avoiding a fat-loss plateau. Portioning your food with measuring utensils and a kitchen scale ensures you are accurately accounting for all the calories, carbs, protein and fat you eat.
Step 1
Sift through your wardrobe, selecting tight clothing that still fits but in which you have difficulty moving and sitting. Choose a few items you normally wear, including pants, jeans, shirt or a dress. Set these items aside, writing the sizes in your diet journal. Try the clothes on every five to six weeks, noting the changes in how they fit. Once these items are comfortable to wear, select a new set of clothing, repeating the process.
Step 2
Measure the circumference around your most troublesome areas. Include the widest part of each thigh, the widest part of your buttocks, the biggest area around your tummy, the narrowest part of your waist and directly under your breast or pectoral muscles. Extend your right arm to the side until it parallels the floor and measure around the fattest part; repeat with your left arm. Record these measurements in your diet journal.
Step 3
Use an electronic body fat analyzer, available for purchase online or as a service at your local gym. Take your body fat reading at the same time every day, preferably in the morning before you eat or drink. Enter the required data, then record your body fat percentage in your journal.
Step 4
Take a photo of your body from the front, side and back, noting your distance from the camera. Continue to take pictures every six weeks, using the same clothing and in the same location. Compare your pictures side by side, noting the changes around key areas such as under the posterior aspect of your shoulder blades, waist, hips and directly under the fold of your buttocks.
Tips and Warnings
- Create and maintain a spreadsheet as part of your diet journal so you can compare your circumference measurements and body fat percentage for months and years to come.
Things You'll Need
- Tailor's tape measure
- Two notebooks
- Body fat analyzer
References
- "Personal Trainer Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 1997
- "ACSM's Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
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