Quote:
Originally Posted by Cron  Last I heard cheap body fat measuring instruments were so inaccurate that they weren't really worth it.
I think combining the use of a scale and a tape measure, with some patience is the best bet.
Because of water & other fluctuations I wouldn't use the scale more than once a week ( same clothing, no clothing, before breakfast, same day, time ).
Even then you will get some up and down fluctuations but you can write the weight down in a notebook and keep track of the trend. Measurements are good at once a month.
If you weigth stays the same or goes down while other measurements change for the better you can be sure you are on the right track. |
I agree and disagree on a few points.
First of all, it's true that most body fat measurement systems are guesstimates, at best. The most accurate way is to go to a doctor and do an immersion test, but my preferred at-home alternative is the
military standard of measuring body fat, where you plug in measurements of your neck, waist and abdomen into a calculation. However, you're not always going to measure the same spot, and you might be bloated one day or something, so this is really best to show an overall change over several months rather than an accurate body fat measurement.
When I do measurements, I prefer to do them once a week, and I add a few non-calculation measurements just to see the inches I'm losing! This predicts what clothes you'll start to fit in without having to try on the same frustrating pair of jeans every week.
I think it's important to weigh yourself every day, however. I know this isn't recommended (in fact, it predicts eating problems in teenage girls), but I'm convinced it's the most effective way to both stay on track and learn about your body. First of all, if you're only slightly off your diet, you could gain several pounds in a week. If you weigh yourself every morning, you realize, "Oh yeah, I really shouldn't have eaten that burger yesterday," and today you won't repeat the mistake.
You
absolutely must be kind to yourself, however, because your water weight will fluctuate up to 5 lbs for no apparent reason! Along those lines, though, you will start to learn why your body does what it does. If you drink alcohol late at night, you might weigh less in the morning -- because you're dehydrated. If you eat pizza before bed, you'll probably weigh more in the morning -- because you're retaining water. If you eat lots of veggies all day and eat very lightly before bed, you'll be neither lighter or heavier, you'll be at whatever your neutral weight is.
Another person I know who weighs every day for accountability is
DietGirl. She's lost over 100 lbs over the past five years or so.
Oh, and I would get a digital scale that's accurate to .2 lbs. Weigh yourself in the morning, maybe right before you shower, so that you're weighing conditions are always the same: You haven't eaten yet, you've used the restroom, and you're not wearing any clothes. Perfect.
Hope that helps!