Can I answer that question with a question? YES? Good. Let’s say my goal weight is 150 and I get to 150. I feel like crap because I wrecked my metabolism by restricting my food and doing chronic cardio. YAY, I lost a lot of weight, but it isn’t fat. I lost muscle. I fit into my favorite jeans, but don’t have the energy to go anywhere. I feel trapped in this low calorie diet now, too. But, hey, I’m at my goal weight. Whatevs.
OR . . .try this on for size (see what I did there) I weigh 160, 10 pounds over my goal weight, but I have a ton of energy, and new muscle. I have a tight core and my favorite jeans slide on and snap without effort. I did not restrict my food, no white-knuckling it, but instead I dialed in my macros to match my body composition goals, lifted weights so I built up my metabolism boosting my muscle and now, even though I am not at my “goal” weight I feel better than ever.
“I choose what’s behind door #2, Bobby.” Seriously, I do not care what the number on the scale says. If it were the only metric I had, then okay. I would use it. And I get that it has value for trending, but it does not tell the whole picture of body composition.
I’ll even go so far as to say that using both weighing yourself AND tracking body composition changes by how your favorite jeans fit is the best choice. Both of them are valuable tools in monitoring progress during any health and fitness journey, including weight loss.
Let’s look at Pros and Cons of both methods, and maybe add in a few more:
Weighing Yourself:
Pros:
- Objective Measurement: The number on the scale provides a real number that is somewhere near what you weigh. It is an objective and quantifiable measure of your weight as long as you are using the same machine and weighing at the same time in the same ways. For me, when I weigh, I do it first thing in the morning while the coffee is cooking. I’m in my PJs and they roughly weigh the same give or take an ounce or two.
- Convenient: Weighing yourself is relatively quick and convenient since I don’t have to go anywhere or small talk chat with someone while I’m checking in somewhere.
- Motivation: Weighing can cause some trepidation which is a hard thing to override, but, seeing gradual decreases in weight can be motivating for some people
Cons:
- Incomplete Picture: Scale weight does not differentiate between fat and muscle which is a huge deal so it may not reflect changes in body composition accurately.
- Fluctuations: Weight can naturally fluctuate because of how much you did yesterday, how well you slept, dehydration or over-hydration, hormones. Why did I gain 4 pounds overnight? Just know that you cannot gain 4 pounds of fat overnight. . .. or lose 4 pounds of fat.
- Emotional Impact: Frequent weigh-ins are just plain HARD for some people and can be emotionally draining. Just because of all the “programming” of women are supposed to be small and skinny, it is hard to NOT see failure if the scale weight isn’t going in the “right” direction. – Stay tuned. At the end I’ll share my tip/trick for this.
Tracking by how a FAVORITE pair of jeans fit:
Pros:
- Visible Progress: Feeling super badass in your favorite jeans is the best feeling in the world. Tell me, do you care what the scale says now when you feel like this?
- Body Composition Focus: The composition of your body from muscle development is so much more meaningful than body weight alone. It is more tangible, imo.
- Less Stressful: Using your favorite jeans as your tracking metric may be less stressful for some. There is a HOPE about it because you LOVE these jeans and want them to slide on easily.
Cons:
- Subjective: Assessment based on clothing fit is subjective and may vary depending on the specific garment and personal perception.
- Delayed Feedback: Sometimes the changes that you’d see in using your favorite jeans can be slower so feel like you are not making progress.
- Less Quantifiable: This isn’t a precise measurement so it is harder to quantify progress. You cannot say “My favorite jeans fit 13% better” whereas you could say “I lost 10% of my body weight.” So there is that for the geeky folks who like those kinds of things. I still choose the ‘feeling awesome’ in my favorite jeans rather than being able to have a concrete number and I am a person who loves numbers.
What and How to measure
In real life, most people find it beneficial to use a combination of both methods. Or better yet, add in tape measurements just to have a more complete picture. The scale can provide something that is more objective than “WOW! My jeans fit NICE!” and I get that. Still, I prefer the latter. Weighing yourself periodically can provide that objective measure of progress, while paying attention to how those favorite pair of jeans fit is a more tangible and holistic view of changes in body composition and shape, plus the mental boost of fitting into those favorite jeans again. Like I said, adding in tape measurements and/or photo progress are both excellent choices and may even provide better feedback, but that wasn’t the question prompt I was given.
Here is a step by step guide on how to use tape measurements for tracking body composition changes. One tip, I have trouble getting the same exact spot on my thighs from measurement to measurement, so I put on a pair of shorts that hit at the right length to make the measurement. You can do the same with biceps by wearing a shirt with a correct sleeve length. Waist, hips, and chest are pretty straight forward.
- Gather Supplies:
- Flexible measuring tape
- A way to record the data (paper or tracker app)
- Key Measurement Sites: Measure:
- Waist
- Hips
- Chest
- Thighs
- Upper Arms
- Consistent Conditions:
- Measure in the morning.
- Use the same tape and wear minimal clothing (see my tip above about using specific clothing. I found it helpful)
- Neutral Position: Stand naturally; no flexing
- Record and Track:
- Measure regularly (weekly or monthly) – if you are also taking progress pictures, it is a good idea to do the tape measurements on the same day.
Using tape measurements helps monitor body changes effectively especially when you couple them with other methods like I mentioned above. Remember: this is just data. Watch for trends.
My promised tip on weighing
My tip for weighing: I use a Renpho scale that has a bluetooth app. I turn on the app and place it on the counter, I step on the scale while looking straight ahead. When I hear the little chime saying the app has received and logged in the data, I close my phone without looking at it. I can collect data everyday for a week or two and not look at it. Then, when I am ready to do some evaluations, I can look at the graphs and the trend, compare it to my food logs or journals to see what I may need to adjust or what is working well. There is less daily angst for the scale (Especially before coffee) and I have ample data for when I need it. Win!
