Matthew Fogle
NASM CPT FNS BCS SFC
In fitness, there are all sorts of ways to measure your progress (BMI / bodyfat % / weight / tape measurements / etc.). Yet, trust my advice on this one – if you are not going to be competing in bodybuilding anytime soon – avoid the daily or twice weekly measuring nearly altogether.
You are more than a number. I mean, are your goals…numbers? I mean your true goals. Are your final goals…numbers? Or do you think numbers simply correlate with your true goals (such as fitting into certain pants, or feeling and looking better)?
Following numbers can get hairy. It can also get obsessive and intrusive into your life.
Let me say this crassly – ANYBODY can lose weight or gain weight. Wanna lose weight? Just stop eating altogether. Wanna gain weight? Eat. A lot. All day. The hardest part is paying for the food.
I say it crassly to make a point. I’ve seen my fair share of people who show their before-and-after pictures of weight loss on social media, and I’m thinking “Wow, they might have a smaller waist now, but they looked much healthier in the ‘before’ picture.” I’m sure you’ve seen this as well.
Could it be – perhaps – that some of these people were focused on the numbers? Read their social media statuses to find out. “7 pounds lost last week!” … “3 pounds lost today!” On top of those numbers being well outside of a healthy weight loss range considering the duration of time, these people say little about being healthier or stronger. Some of them don’t even exercise at all!
Progress measurements are mostly futile, unless a physician clinically asks you to do them, of course.
Follow the “1 Workout 4 Life” exercise routines, track your meals [see the 1W4L Nutrition article on Meal Tracking], and you WILL see results! The workouts are designed specifically for your success. When it comes to worrying about exercising the body to make it look proportional, fit, and lean, that part of the work is done for you in the program.
If you want to weigh yourself or tape measure body parts, do it maximum once per week just to make sure you are adhering to the program the best you can. Otherwise forget the numbers and enjoy the sunshine and the green grass outside.
To your best health,
~ Matthew