Health

Weight Loss Challenge : Don’t Focus on The Number, Focus on Your Goal

Written by juicebox on May 20, 2008 1:16 pm EST

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Have you been one who likes to stare at the scale when in a weight loss program? Research shows the anxiety from the “number” is one of the biggest reasons individuals stop dieting or fail. So where do you measure your success?

Drop The Number

America is obsessed with the scale. We think that the number it provides us is key to our health. So first and foremost, let’s get that idea that the scale is your indicator for your weight loss program out of your head.

Consider the scale your enemy, your arch nemesis. Destroy any positive thought of it that you can. Have we done that? good.

Now, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a target weight goal, if in fact thats one of your core purposes for your diet, but you should also have as a main goal, getting healthy.

Remember this fact. Health has more to do than with just weight. As someone who was considered excessively obese by their doctors, I was considered the healthiest in my family with the lowest blood pressure (118/75), very low “bad cholesterol”, and high “good cholesterol”. Sound like a mind confusion? Well, absolutely losing weight, or changing your bodies composition, will get you in better shape. However, you should not necessarily consider yourself in morbid health to begin with.

Why You Should Ignore the BMI Scale

The BMI scale is old, inadequate, and invalid for most individuals. Its on the basis that everyone is of the same frame size, which is further from the truth. This is not to say that body fat percentage is unimportant, in fact it is, but you shouldn’t use the BMI scale to decide a target weight. A good example of this is with myself. According to the BMI scale, as a 6″ 3′ individual, I should be about 175 pounds to be in a good healthy range.

Well unfortunately for me, I’m currently sporting about 180 pounds in muscle, and 9 pounds in bone, making me immediately overweight by FDA standards, without even adding the rest of me. So how do we measure our healthy weight?

How To Measure Weight Loss

There are several ways that you can measure Weight Loss, or what we will say for the rest of this topic, Fat Loss. They can be:

Measuring points of your body
Using an electronic scale that detects muscle and bone mass, detect fat % and hydration levels
Blood Pressure
Speed to Recovery (Heart’s ability to restore to normal in short period of time)
Visual Evaluation

These four indicators can be a great way to accurately measure the health improvements you are making with your body. Now I will break these five item’s down to help us better understand their measuring potential.

Measuring Points

Measuring points on your body can be a great way to determine initial fat loss, but may not be in the long run, if you gain muscle over fat, and the muscle begins to add a bit of bulk toward the end of your diet plan.

The core places to measure is: (Abdomen, Biceps, Calves, Thighs, Waist, Chest, Wrists, Ankles)

The abdomen (right below the rib cage)
Biceps (toward the center of the bicep, between the shoulder and elbow)
Calves (toward the top, at the largest point)
Thighs (toward the center, between the waist and the knee)
Waist (where your pants would sit)
Chest (level with the nipples)
Wrists (right toward the end of the hand, before the arm)
Ankles (right where the foot and leg meet)

Keep a good record of these measurements. You will notice quickly how your body is burning your fat to better strengthen your workouts. It’s also a great way to keep motivated.

Using an Electronic Scale

One of the best scales I know for this job is made by a company called Tanita. They make electronic scales that are pretty accurate in their calculation. With any electronic scale, expect a variation of results. What I usually do is measure three times, then come up with the average. This way, i’m less likely to see huge variations that could be discouraging.

These scales measure a ton of things for you. I would recommend you look for the primary features of Muscle Mass, Bone Mass, Fat Percentage and Hydration levels. Those would be the most important. Remember to keep a log!

Blood Pressure

While even if your in great health Blood Pressure wise before starting an exercise program, it’s always a good idea to keep a close monitor on it. You could improve it even further, or it may help you detect a health problem occuring. There’s no reason to not check it, so be sure to check it at least once a week, and keep a log!

Speed to Recovery

Similar to your blood pressure, checking your Recovery Rate can be great in checking your cardiovascular health. The Recovery Rate is how many beats your heart dropped from point a to point b, in a 60 second period. The bigger the drop, the more healthier your heart is. Usually to achieve a good measurement, one would perform a heavy cardiovascular exercise for two minutes, then rest for one minute while counting down. I have a Schwinn Exercise bike that does this for me, and I am sure there are products out there that can do this as well.

Visual Evaluation

Lastly, a good way to measure your overall improvements is a visual evaluation. Over time, you will notice results, so if you have trouble seeing it, take a picture once a week. Put them side by side, and you will see the gradual changes you are making in your health and diet. This is one of the single best motivators anyone could have in a diet program, next to all the compliments!

So remember, ditch the scale, and measure in alternative ways to keep your motivation up, and realize that not everything is about the number, it’s about your overall health goal.

Check out these other posts on the Weight Loss Challenge:

Weight Loss Challenge : Supplement Your Life

Weight Loss Challenge : The Series

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