Day 126: 6 Measures (Other Than Weight Loss) To Track Your Success
I’ll be the first one to admit that I’ve been extremely fortunate with my weight loss up to this point. My worst weight loss week thus far I only lost 3 pounds. My average weight loss is between 4 and 6 pounds per week and that’s 4 months into my program. I’m not trying to jinx myself into a weight loss plateau here, but I started to think about how I would measure my success if my weight loss did decide to take a break for a while.
This thought process started this weekend. I ended up with a nasty cold. The cold was bad enough that I actually went to the Doctor’s office. I never go to the Doctor unless I absolutely have to. My throat had been on fire and I suspected strep throat. I figured if it was strep I should get on a treatment quickly so that I could be back to normal (the definition is subjective) as soon as possible. Why do I hate going to the physician so much? Aside from my lengthy medical history which has left me with a less than favorable opinion about any place with a waiting room and latex gloves, I think that going to the doctor while fat is especially nerve racking.
You see the truth is that because of raised awareness in our country about the potential risks related to being obese, most of us who are overweight live with a fear tucked away in the back of our minds. We know that we’re not healthy and a trip to the doctor’s office could potentially confirm our worst fears. Even though we’re at high risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and many others; for whatever reason we choose to live in ignorance. I’m obviously not speaking for all overweight people but I do think this type of thinking is fairly common.
Now before you run away from here being all depressed, let me tell you about what happened at the doctor. As is customary, the assistant invited me back to the exam room and took my vital signs. Keep in mind that I was completely hypertensive (I had high blood pressure) back in July when I decided to change my life. She strapped on the blood pressure cuff and I was suddenly anxious. I hadn’t checked my blood pressure in quite a while and I really wanted to see results from my hard work. The machine counted up and then back down. When the pressure left the cuff I looked up at the display…125/75. I was ecstatic! It was then that I realized I’m not just losing weight but I’m truly getting healthier!
That was a long way around, but my reasoning for telling you about that experience is so that we can identify other ways (other than weight loss) to measure our success at becoming healthier. Blood pressure was a great indicator for me that a healthy diet and exercise are really paying off.
So what are some of the other measures we can use to track our progress toward being better each day?
- Body Measurements – This is an easy way to track our progress. It seems like especially in women the inches seem to drop initially before the weight does. If you’re feeling frustrated with your weight loss progress be sure to measure your waist, shoulders, chest, biceps, hips, quads, and calves about once a month. Seeing progress in those areas will help keep you motivated.
- Resting Heart Rate – A normal resting heart rate is somewhere between 70 and 80 beats per minutes. The healthier you become the more that will drop. For example most marathon runners have a resting heart rate of somewhere in the 40’s! Keep track of your resting heart rate and use it as a measure for success.
- Exercise – Another very easy thing to track is your progress in exercise. A nice thing about running is that it’s very easy to keep track of increased distances or increased endurance. The same can be done with weight training. Are you able to do more reps or lift more weight than you were a month ago?
- Sleep – This one may surprise you, but tracking how you sleep can be a good indicator of your health. If you’re sleeping well for 7-8 hours (barring any interruptions from children), that’s a good sign that your health is improving.
- Overall Energy Level – Do you feel better throughout the day? Do you still have the afternoon crash? If you’re feeling more motivated and energized throughout the day, that’s another great indicator of good health.
- Body Fat and BMI – Measuring body fat and Body Mass Index can be another great way to show progress. You may not be losing weight, but what if you’re replacing fat with muscle? That’s great progress. Special instruments may be required to find your body fat measurement, but you can get a good idea of what your BMI is with a calculator like this one.
The bottom line is that weight loss isn’t the only indicator for a healthier you. Going a week without dropping pounds can be a discouragement, but we can’t let it get us down too much. Even though the scale doesn’t always reflect our hard work, it doesn’t mean it’s we’re not having success.
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