Measuring Weight Loss without Your Weight
Finding out how much you weigh is as simple as stepping on the scale. But when you’re wondering how well you are progressing towards your weight and wellness goals, the scale is not your only measuring device.
Weight loss can lead to many changes in your appearance, lifestyle and mood. Paying attention to these changes can help you realize how far you’ve come. Weighing in regularly during medical weight loss can help you stay on track, but there are other markers that you can watch for to monitor your progress and stay motivated as you strive for your goals.
How your Clothing Fits
Even if you haven’t seen a significant change in your total body weight, your clothes can show how your body is changing. Physical activity will help you replace fat with muscle, and because muscle weighs more than fat, it can change your body composition without making a noticeable difference in the scale.
Step into an old pair of jeans, or a t-shirt you wore when you were at your heaviest. If these clothes feel loose on you, or if you can fit a finger or two between yourself and the fabric, this is proof that what you’re doing is working. It can be a triumphant moment to realize that you need to go shopping because your body has changed so much that your old clothes are no longer wearable.
Exercise, Stamina and Energy
For many people, excess weight makes it challenging to complete even simple household tasks. But as you lose weight, you may find some physical activities becoming easier. Exercising and getting rid of fat can make you stronger, more nimble and capable of taking on things both mundane and extraordinary.
When you find yourself able to try some form of exercise that would have once been impossible, this is cause for celebration. But you can also celebrate little things like being able to walk up a flight of stairs without feeling winded. Any time you find that weight loss has allowed your body to do things better than before, this is a sign of progress.
Mental and Emotional Changes
Weight loss helps many people experience better self-esteem and more happiness. Though living with obesity can make us feel depressed and isolated, weight loss opens doors to a more satisfying body image and a healthier way of life.
As you lose weight, it can be easy to focus on the progress of your body, but don’t forget how your mind may also be changing. Do you have more energy? Do you feel more at home in your body? Are you more excited for the future than you once were? Embrace these mental changes as evidence that what you’re doing is working.
All too often, the scale becomes the exclusive focus of weight loss, but those numbers don’t tell the entire story of how your body is changing. Remember that there’s more to medical weight loss than just losing weight.
