The first day of the month is when I weigh in and measure my progress. I don't focus on it the rest of the month because I don't want to get sidetracked by the scales which has happened more times than I can count over the years. I know as I increase my exercise, especially weight lifting, I will gain weight, but I also know that muscles burn fat all day long so I would rather have extra weight that is working to build muscles and burn fat than lose weight for the sake of seeing the scales go down.
One great tracker I have used off and on over the years is MyFitnessPal (click link to follow me). I have gotten away from using it to track what I eat because the numbers are off for my plant-based lifestyle which makes me think I'm taking in too much sugar or not enough protein or calories, but for everything else is is an awesome program. I love the app too. You can also cheer on your friends and they can support you. You can get on a streak of checking in which increases accountability and it has that handy dandy weight loss tracker above which you can post on your blog or anywhere that accepts HTML.
For me, MyFitnessPal is a great way to keep track of my progress. Otherwise, I have it in several different places, like one time in my paper log, another time on a spreadsheet, on Notepad on my iPhone, etc. MyFitnessPal is a great central location to post your progress. So, that's what I'm doing today.
I started 2015 weight 315. Today I weighed in at 304. I also bought a scale that shows BMI and body fat percentage, so I will be tracking that starting this month too. Both those numbers are off the charts, but I have to start somewhere and what gets measured gets managed. My body fat percentage is 52.6% and my BMI is 48.9.
I also bought a digital measuring tape which makes measuring by myself a lot easier. It keeps the number on the screen so I can record it. Below are those measurements:
Bust: 44.5
Waist: 48.5
Arm: 20.8
Hips: 55.3
Thigh: 33.6
Calf: 25
Neck: 18.6
Why do I share these numbers with you? For a few reasons. One is so you will see that losing weight permanently is a slow process. I've lost weight and gained it back so many times over the years. This plant-strong lifestyle is not about losing weight, it's about getting healthy and the weight takes care of itself. Still, it's nice to check your progress once in a while. Once a month seems reasonable to me. I like the accountability, which is another reason I post my progress. I also post to inspire someone else to start or stay on track with their wellness journey because if you take your focus off of it, those numbers can quickly spiral out of control. No matter where you are at, there is always room to improve when it comes to health. It's also inspiring to see those numbers improving!
Once or twice a year, I like to measure the internal numbers too, like blood pressure, cholesterol, vitamin and mineral levels, etc. I will be looking to do that soon.
In the meantime, I will keep taking baby steps forward and getting back up every time I fall down. It's all progress. Onward.
Kathy G
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