If you are not seeing any weight loss results, here is a reason why.
You’re not tracking your progress, now I’m not saying you have to write down everything you eat or keep an exercise log or weigh yourself all the time but it’s good to have an indication of where you’re at now, how you’re getting on and have a clear idea on how you want to look and feel with your ultimate goal.
I’m going to tell you three benefits of why tracking your progress is good and three easy ways of doing it.
Number one it gets you motivated and keeps you motivated, if you’re new to an exercise plan and have just started eating healthier you can expect to lose weight at a faster rate.
So by tracking your results you can see that what your doing is working also if you’ve been on a fitness plan for a while most people get bored, lose motivation or feel there not achieving the same results as before.
So by regularly checking in with your progress it keeps you motivated to keep on going and if you’re not happy with the results your seeing then it’s also a good indicator that maybe something needs to change. That way you do not waste your time and energy and you can quickly adjust your fitness plan to keep losing weight and achieve your goal.
Number two, it’s a great way to keep you accountable knowing that you’ve got to check in with yourself and see the results of your efforts will help you make the right lifestyle choices and stick with them. I use this with my clients and its very powerful because they know that within a set timeframe they will check in with me and we measure their progress, it really helps them be consistent with their food, exercise and overall lifestyle choices.
Number three, because you want to look and feel great and see the results, most people don’t lose weight for the fun of it they do it because they have a reason and a desired goal. This does not mean the process can’t be enjoyable of course it can after all it’s about improving your lifestyle so you can have more energy, feel better in yourself and look great in your clothes not just for today but the for the long term. So, track your progress and get that feedback that you’re on track with your goals and you can celebrate your triumphs throughout your fitness journey.
So those were the benefits let’s look at three simple ways to do it.
First of all I don’t recommend tracking your progress everyday and obsessing over numbers because there are too many variables that effect your weight on a daily basis, instead I’ve found the sweet spot is measuring once every 2 weeks it’s a good timeframe to keep clients accountable and it can be very effective for you too.
Why 2 weeks?
Weight gain or weight loss is a process, and it takes time for your body to either loss or gain weight, also it gives enough time to focus on micro goals these are small goals you give yourself on a daily or weekly basis.
Such as this week I’m going to reduce my alcohol to one glass per night instead of two or three or I’m going to increase my exercise to two workouts instead of one. These small goals contribute to the effectiveness of your weight loss and it’s manageable because you only need to focus on 2 weeks at a time for when you do your fortnightly check-ins.
The three ways to track yourself is body measurements, using your clothes and a weight scale.
Body Measurements is on the top of my list because this is one of my favourites and my clients too. Why? People store fat in different places of the body and usually there is a specific area that never seems to budge! For some it might be the stomach or for others it is on the side of the hips which ever one it is it’s the hardest to get rid off but also the most satisfying to achieve when you improve on that area. Also in my opinion measurements are more reliable than weight scales and this is a great way to see how your body shape is changing and where your toning up.
Next is using your clothes – people don’t lose weight for the sake of losing weight it’s because they want to look and feel better and what better way to measure that than how you look in your clothes? Also, it’s a great feeling when you fit into your favourite clothes that you haven’t worn for a while because they were too tight or felt uncomfortable, now it’s fitting better and you’re feeling good in it and as you progress with your goals you might even need a new wardrobe.
Last but not least is doing weigh ins on a weight scale it’s better to have a scale that reads more than just weight but has insights such as body fat percentage, muscle mass, BMR and loads more to give you a bigger picture of your body’s composition. A lot of people focus only on the scales and don’t try the other measurements, but I encourage you to do all three to get accurate results and keep you on track with your fitness plan.
With the benefits I mentioned before Even studies show that those who measured themselves regularly which is a strategy called “self-monitoring” lost more weight than those who didn’t because tracking your behaviour gives you some accountability, it can create some natural feedback, and it can serve as a source of motivation.
So now you know how to keep on track and just to show you how effective this strategy is visit brigopt.com to see our success stories and watch other women sharing their experience and results.
Recent Comments