What to Track When Losing Weight

While a weight loss journey might sound easy, it can be challenging at times. However, one of the ways to stay motivated is to consistently track your progress. Once you have seen that your effort is paying off, you will generate the energy needed to continue on! In this article, we will discuss what to track when losing weight and how you can use these methods to remain motivated on your path to success. 

Fun Ways to Track Weight Loss and Stay Motivated

There are various ways in which you can track your weight loss success. While you can choose to only use one method, it is advisable to make use of all of them. Here are the main ways in which you can track your weight loss journey and remain motivated. 

• Photos: You see yourself every day, whether it be looking down at your body while changing or catching a glimpse of your outfit in the mirror before you leave the house. This makes it hard to see progress on your own body. Photos are a fantastic way of documenting your progress. Try taking weekly progress photos of your body. This will also be extremely rewarding when you compare your first photo, to one you take a year later. When taking photos, it is best to take one of your front, back, and side profile to get a full view of your success. 
• Body Measurements: During the weight loss process there might be a time when you are losing centimetres around your body but are not losing weight. This is why consistently taking body measurements is important. This will allow you to realise that all your hard work isn’t for nothing and that you are still succeeding. Therefore, take measurements at set points of your body every week and record those numbers. Some of the areas that are important to measure include the upper arms, waist, hips, and thighs. 
• Body Fat Percentage: Your health journey shouldn’t only be about losing weight, it should also be a goal to lose body fat and build healthy muscle. It is therefore important to track your body fat percentage. You could be losing body fat while remaining the same weight. However, losing fat will indicate that you are still on the right path and making progress. 
• Weight: While you shouldn’t only be weighing yourself as a point of reference to determine whether you are making progress or not, it is important to weigh yourself during your weight loss journey. When weighing yourself it is advisable to ensure your scale is working and is accurate. However, don’t always get hung up on the scale, as mentioned before, you might stagnate in your weight but still lose centimetres and body fat. 

How to Track Weight Loss in Journal 

Keeping a journal that documents your weight loss journey is a fantastic way to stay motivated and consistently see progress. There are a few key things you should be tracking and should do to ensure you keep an accurate weight loss journal that works for you! 

• Enter Your Starting Date: It is extremely important to enter the starting date at which you begin your journey to health. This first entry should include your starting weight, measurements, body fat percentage, and you can even print and include your photos if you wish. This will give you an accurate point of reference from which to measure your progress. 
• Set Realistic Goals: While we all wish we could reach our goal weight in a month, this is not always possible. Be realistic with your short and long-term goals. Setting up small goals that are very achievable will allow you to feel good about your progress and keep you motivated, as you are more likely to achieve them. 
• Remain Consistent: Part of keeping a successful diary is consistency. Try to create set intervals at which you must write an entry. This can be done once a week or once every second week. The last thing you want is to miss an entry and then not have a clear picture of your journey. Creating these set intervals will also allow you to remain motivated, as you will probably not want to make an entry where you have picked up weight. 
• Celebrate Success: You’re working hard to become a healthier version of yourself! You should therefore celebrate when you reach certain milestones. This can include a certain amount of weight loss, fitting into an old pair of jeans, or even sticking to your diet plan for a certain period of time. 
• Be Kind to Yourself: It is important to be kind to yourself and love the body that you are in throughout your weight loss journey. After all, your body is what makes living life possible. You just want to ensure that you are taking care of it properly. 

At Slender Wonder we help individuals carve a path to a healthy life. To find out more about how we can help you lose weight, contact the Slender Wonder team.