The Scale Isn't Everything

Do you base your weight loss success entirely on what the scale says? Do you get depressed when you know you had a really good week, yet the scale said you didn't lose anything or you even gained? Do you ever wonder just how many inches you've lost off of your body?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should be measuring yourself. Actually, anyone at all losing weight should be measuring themselves. Our bodies continuously change as we lose weight. If you're working out a lot and you have a gain, it's not because you did something you shouldn't have; it's because muscle weighs more than fat. Even though you may have experience a gain, your body is getting smaller and tighter. How can we truly gage our success? Again, by measuring! If you don't already have one, buy a tape measure. Not the metal kind you get in the hardware section, but the fabric or plastic kind you find in the craft department where the quilting and sewing stuff is. If you buy a plastic tape measurer (this is what I use), over time it may stretch a little bit, so be sure to check it every now and then to make sure it's still accurate.

When you take your measurements, write them down. I suggest measuring yourself once a month, or in some cases, when you feel like you should have lost and you didn't (remember, it's not going to change overnight). Not sure how to go about taking your measurements? Here are some tips to guide you...

1. Bust: Don't squish yourself -- measure all the way around your bust and back right at your nipple line, and make sure the tape measure is not lower.

2. Chest: Measure under your breasts but as high up as you can go, keeping the tape measure parallel to this line when you reach it around your back.

3. Waist: Measure wherever it is the smallest (if you have "no waist" go around yourself right at the navel line).

4. Hips: Measure at the very biggest part -- even if that is so low that you are almost on the top of your thighs.

5. Midway: Measure midway between the very biggest part of your hips and your waist.

6. Thighs: Measure wherever they are the biggest.

7. Knees: Measure right above the knee.

8. Calves: Measure wherever they are the biggest.

9. Upper arm: Measure wherever they are biggest above your elbows.

10. Forearms: Measure wherever they are biggest below your elbows.

I've created a chart in Microsoft Word that I use to write my measurements down on. If you would like a copy of it to print out and use for yourself, click here to download it (the Word file is zipped, so you'll need to unzip it). If you don't have a program to unzip files, you can download a free 45 day evaluation of Winzip.