When you first begin a workout regimen, it’s can be almost daunting to look at the scale to see how much you weigh. Even as you progress through your training, the scale can make you lose sight of your main goal – to get fit and get healthy.

So let’s ditch the scale, and begin to measure some other signs that you’re losing weight.

1. Trying on Old Clothes – One sure way to solidify that you’ve shed some pounds is to try on that dress or those unruly pair of jeans that you couldn’t get into last year. Once you take a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, you’ll realize how much slimmer you’ve become!

2. Using Measuring Tape – When you first begin to workout, measure yourself. Measure your waist, arms, neck, and hips. Overtime you’ll begin to notice them shrinking and your body will start toning up. You’ll see more muscle, where there used to be fat!

3. Tracking How Energetic You Are – If towards the beginning of your workout you tend to feel sluggish, it’s okay! Just know that the more consistent you are with it, the more energetic you’ll become. With a diet of healthier foods, more water retention, and physical activity, your energy levels will shoot up!

4. Take Before and After Pictures – Strike a pose! We all love to take pictures. But trust me, you’ll enjoy it much more, when after a few months of exercise and eating healthy, your profile picture has dropped 10 pounds! Document your progress with different before and after pictures. Take a lot – when you’re hanging out with friends, dressed up to go to a party, even in that bikin that you swore you would never get into — and watch your body change!

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3 Comments

  1. I disagree. The scale surely shouldn’t be overused, but a weight check-in is needed on a weekly basis. Trying on old clothes can be tricky because even though they are a smaller size, clothes stretch to our bodies.

    • @CO: I agree with CO. You don’t need to check in every day but you need to check in frequently. I do agree that too often people lose sight of the other healthy progress you can make. The scale is a tool along with measuring your body fat, bmi, blood pressure, etc.

  2. I like the tips here actually. I am working on getting healthier and losing some weight. Over the past 3-4 weeks I have been going up and down the same 1-2 pounds. Over the same time I have lost some inches. I had one pair of jeans, fresh from the wash, that was snug in the waist a few weeks ago. Now the waist is too big. A second pair was too small in the thighs, and now fits. If I hadn’t done the clothing test and just stuck with the scale, I would have felt like I hadn’t progressed at all in the past 3 weeks. But actually, things have changed quite a bit. It isn’t the size on the label that you check when trying on old clothing, but the way it fits. If last month it was tight around the tummy and now you have a gap, it is a great sign of progress.

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