Measuring Weight Loss - Lost Weight?

Its not always easy to really know how effective your diet is, because measuring weight loss is more complicated than just weighing yourself. The fact is that weight loss itself isn't really the point, and factors such as muscle mass increase and changes in body shape can be much more important to reaching your real goals. So here's a quick guide to measuring weight loss that really shows.

Those Trousers - We've all got them. The 'thin trousers' that generally feel just a little too tight. These are actually a really good guide for measuring weight loss, because they cover one of the big problem areas for most of us, the fat strip that runs around our hips and waist. When they ease off, you know that your shape is better, and the weight is going off the right places!

Getting Stronger - For instance, you always had a job getting up that high step onto the bus? Suddenly you clamber up it like a teenager, and don't get out of breath running for the bus either. The reason for this is that you're carrying around several pounds less of extra weight, so this is another pretty reliable method of measuring weight loss.

BMI-Basic Metabolic Index. This is a way of measuring how fast your body burns calories, and it increases when lean muscle mass does. When you work out and muscle mass increases you may not see any weight loss at all, because even though you're lost lots of fat its been converted into muscle, which weighs more than fat. In this case, the only way of scientifically measuring weight loss, or at least proving that something has changed, can be your BMI.

Lifestyle Changes - Suddenly you feel that you aren't tired and don't want to go to bed at ten in the evening. You have the energy and stamina to go out and enjoy yourself, go hiking at weekends and generally feel better. You take part in activities that you had forgotten about for years. This happens because eating often takes the place of other activities from a psychological point of view, so when you eat less you need a way of filling your day and feeling satisfied. This isn't actually a way of measuring weight loss, it measures more the change in psychology that goes with it. Still it can be quite accurate.

Self Confidence -You start to get positive responses and compliments from people around you and don't feel like burying yourself in the ground when people look at you. The way people look at you is one of the biggest changes that happen when you've dropped a significant amount of weight, and it helps to make the changes self perpetuating, as your self esteem rises. Without doubt, this is the nicest way of measuring weight loss for most people.

One way of measuring weight loss that most people think is accurate is the mirror. Actually this is one of the worst ways of measuring weight loss, because it is too subjective. The way people see themselves in the mirror has far more to do with how they feel than reality, and factors such as the angle of the mirror and lighting make a big difference too, so give this method a miss!