The most common mistake I see made is using one tool (generally the scale) to measure a successful fat loss phase. Normal practice is to randomly weigh in and decide whether or not weight loss occurred. This could be the typical “weigh in once a week” idea or just whenever the individual feels like it. What this does not account for is the variability in body weight on a day to day basis. Many times on “weigh in day” a number of external factors (prior days nutrition, amount of water consumed, bathroom usage etc) can produce skewed data. At this time you see a higher number and freak out. Weighing in at irregular times is even worse. People at the gym will weigh in when they arrive and again after they left. Just because you sweated for 1 hour does not mean you instantly lost actual body weight.

While many use the scale incorrectly I will say during a fat loss phase, it is a big part of gaging progress. In most situations if you are losing body fat, you are going to see the number on the scale go down. With that said here are the 5 ways to track fat loss.

1. Measurements: I am a big fan of taking body circumference measurements. For me, this is easiest way to actually assess an in person client. In some cases self reported body weight can give me skewed or incorrect data. I have also learned that many beginners just can’t handle the mental grind of doing regular weigh ins. Taking measurements of the hips, stomach, legs, arms and chest can be an effective way to gage progress. Generally if the hip/waist areas are going down in circumference it is a good sign that you are losing fat. If the scale is stagnant, yet measurements go down good things are happening. For a beginner or detrained individual this could also mean a body recomp is occurring (simultaneously gaining muscle while losing fat).
2. How clothes are fitting: In a lot of cases a certain pair of pants becoming too tight can be the initial motivation behind starting a fat loss journey. Nothing feels worse than not being able to fit into a favorite outfit due to an expanded waist line. After regular exercise it may become evident that these clothes are fitting more comfortably again.  This is a strong indication of a positive change in body composition.
3. Progress Photos: These can obviously be kept private. This is unless you have a coach and/or someone close with you to share with. Many times, a week or two with minimal change in numbers can occur. Taking photos at least every two weeks can REALLY tell the story.  Documentation via photos can give a clear, non biased visual of what is happening. I have seen individuals complain about not making any progress. This is until they put two photos side by side and see clear visual changes. This can also be a valuable tool to know when progress is NOT being made and dietary adjustments are required to elicit a result.
4. The way you look in the mirror. This sort of goes hand in hand with photos, however there are things you notice in the mirror that simply can not be caught on camera for whatever reason. This could be as simple as noticing a little more definition in a new area. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all check ourselves out in the mirror and are our own worst critic. With that in mind, noticing something positive is generally a sign good things are happening.
5. Last but not least is…..the SCALE! Despite being commonly misused, the scale is still an extremely viable tool to measure fat loss. If you lose a significant amount of body fat you better believe it will show on the scale over time. Day to day or even week to week changes may seem minimal, however with relentless consistency it will add up. As mentioned in the beginning people generally do not use the scale to gather data in the way they should. The proper way to use the scale is to weigh in 4-7 days per week under the EXACT same conditions: No clothes, after waking and using the bathroom, and before eating or drinking anything. Each weigh in is used to formulate a weekly average. This average is what you want to look at, rather than day to day fluctuations. The big caveat (mentioned under number 1) is that a lot of people just simply don’t have a healthy relationship with the scale. If this is the case, just use the other 4 tools and ditch the scale.