Do you purchase things and never check your bank account? Do you check your accounts 1x a month? 2x a week? Never and just spin the wheel of luck? I’m sure it’s a variation of a few of those options and I hope it’s not the wheel of luck for your sake.
Your health journey will never reach it’s goal without having some consistent data measurements. Daily or weekly scale, tape measure to the waist, body fat percentage, performance measurements. Whatever it may be that drives you, it needs to be there on a weekly basis at the least.
Embarking on a fat loss journey requires dedication, perseverance, and a strategic approach. While many focus solely on the number on the scale, monitoring both weight and body fat percentage (BF%) weekly offers a comprehensive view of progress and is crucial for achieving long-term success.
Accurate Progress Tracking:
Weekly monitoring of weight and BF% provides a more accurate representation of progress compared to less frequent check-ins. Fluctuations in weight and body composition are common due to factors such as hydration levels, stress level, dietary intake, sleep and for some hormonal changes. By monitoring these metrics weekly, you gain insight into how your body is responding to your fat loss efforts over time.
I have all Reveal clients check their weight 1x week and measure their waist 1x week. I’m typically with a client for 6-12 months for most transformations so I’ll have 26-52 data points. That helps us catch patterns and habits that might not be supporting our goals. Without the weigh ins and the waist measurements we are flying blind and could really miss some really important habits that are hindering our progress. Not to mention a huge waste of precious time that leads to frustration and wasted investment
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Identifying Trends and Patterns:
Regular monitoring allows you to identify trends and patterns in your fat loss journey. For example, you may notice fluctuations in weight or BF% based on factors such as changes in diet, exercise routine, or stress levels. Understanding these patterns enables you to make informed decisions about your lifestyle habits and adjust your approach as needed.
I cannot stress the importance of this. So many people do not track enough or have such a painful relationship with the scale and tracking that they avoid it. But avoiding it can lead to further pain and frustration. Reshaping our narratives and relationship with the number can help us lean back into the monitoring so we view it as a crucial part of our success.
Preventing Plateaus:
Plateaus are common in fat loss journeys, where progress stalls despite continued efforts. By monitoring weight and BF% weekly, you can detect plateaus early on and take proactive steps to overcome them. Whether it’s adjusting your calorie intake, modifying your exercise routine, or addressing other lifestyle factors, regular monitoring empowers you to break through plateaus and continue making progress.
You may not fully prevent them, but you will cut a huge amount of time off from the frustrating plateau. By monitoring your journey what could turn into a 3-6 month plateau could be identified and rerouted in under a week by monitoring and also having a coach for accountability.
Adjusting Strategies:
Monitoring weight and BF% weekly provides valuable feedback that allows you to adjust your fat loss strategies accordingly. If you’re not seeing the desired results, you can analyze the data and make informed decisions about your diet, exercise routine, and other lifestyle factors. This flexibility ensures that you can tailor your approach to suit your individual needs and maximize results.
If after 2 weeks of status quo data we now know 100% that we need to make adjustments. Without the data we’d have no idea which levers to pull on, which makes this already hard journey more challenging. Again, we don’t have a weight loss problem, we have a weight regain problem. People lose weight, but the protocol and behaviors aren’t sustainable so their lifestyle really doesn’t change. So their past lifestyle that they gained fat on sneaks back in and now they are regaining fat again with that same past lifestyle.
Motivation and Accountability:
Weekly monitoring serves as a source of motivation and accountability throughout your fat loss journey. Seeing tangible progress each week, whether it’s a decrease in weight or BF%, can boost morale and reinforce positive habits. Additionally, knowing that you’ll be tracking your progress each week can help hold you accountable to your goals and keep you focused on your fat loss journey.
This is a fun element of surprise. The amount of times I’ve had clients not wanting to hop on the scale and are pleasantly surprised. They know they’ve had a good aligned week, but they just are so used to the scale not showing them what they want or their relationship with that scale is skewed. Once we become consistent weekly we start to take the power away from the scale and the power within the client. They realize if they just focus on the system and the daily behaviors the scale in a byproduct of that.
Celebrating Achievements:
Monitoring weight and BF% weekly allows you to celebrate achievements along the way. Each pound lost or percentage decrease in BF% is a significant milestone that deserves recognition. Celebrating these achievements not only boosts morale but also reinforces your commitment to your fat loss goals.
I find many people miss celebrating the small wins. When you look at data on people who are able to achieve and sustain long term goals they celebrate all the wins. There is no win too small or too big that is left uncelebrated. If you lose a few ounces you celebrate that. You don’t sabotage it, you celebrate it. Have you ever lost weight and made a justification on how it’s just water? The scale must be broken? Instead of celebrating your hard work you undermine it and you’re used to the scale going up or staying the same. NOPE! We celebrate at Reveal and you should too because it’s part of the successful program!
Ensuring Safety and Health:
Regular monitoring of weight and BF% helps ensure that your fat loss journey is safe and health-focused. Rapid or excessive weight loss can be detrimental to your overall well-being, so it’s essential to monitor changes closely and make adjustments as needed to ensure a healthy rate of progress.
We know if people lose weight too fast the odds of keeping it off are not good. It typically means the plan/program they’re on is not sustainable and it is going to come crashing down in the busy, curveball, unpredictable world we live in. Losing about 1% of your weight per week is realistic and about as good as it should get for it to stick. I try to shoot for 1lb per week on average. Some weeks will be higher and some lower, but the average is 1lb per week.
Optimizing Muscle Preservation:
Monitoring BF% alongside weight allows you to assess changes in body composition throughout your fat loss journey. This is particularly important for preserving lean muscle mass, as it ensures that the majority of weight lost comes from fat rather than muscle. By optimizing muscle preservation, you can achieve a more toned and defined physique while promoting metabolic health.
If you’re fortunate enough to use a tool with some accuracy with BF% and lean muscle you can keep an eye on your ratio. Your BF% should be getting lower while you sustain the majority of your lean mass. By meeting your protein threshold each day you make this easier, but having quantifiable data can really help too.
Improving Self-Awareness:
Regular monitoring of weight and BF% promotes self-awareness and mindfulness about your body and health. It encourages you to pay attention to how your lifestyle choices impact your progress and empowers you to make informed decisions about your fat loss journey.
The more you do this, hop on the scale, measure your waist and also self reflect on why you’re doing this, the odds become greater you are going to sustain the lifestyle. Why? Because you’re actually changing your lifestyle and not following some insanely restrictive 10 day plan. On the surface it seems to be working, but in 3 months you’ll be back to where you started.
Enhancing Long-Term Success:
Ultimately, weekly monitoring of weight and BF% contributes to long-term success in your fat loss journey. By staying vigilant and proactive about tracking your progress, adjusting your strategies, and celebrating achievements, you set yourself up for sustainable results that extend far beyond the duration of your fat loss journey.
To come full circle, monitoring weight and body fat percentage weekly is essential for a successful fat loss journey. It’s not restrictive or a disordered way of trying to achieve your goals.
It provides accurate progress tracking, identifies trends and patterns, prevents plateaus, allows for adjustments in strategies, boosts motivation and accountability, celebrates achievements, ensures safety and health, optimizes muscle preservation, promotes self-awareness, and enhances long-term success.
By making weekly monitoring a priority in your fat loss journey, you empower yourself to achieve your goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle for years to come.
You MUST change your lifestyle and you can’t leave that to chance. You must measure what you manage.
Your Coach
-Matt
