Tag: Measuring Tape

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Weight Loss Exercise

Is a Measuring Tape Better Than A Scale?


The need to lose weight is something that many of us have. The truth is, however, that we should be seeking to lose fat specifically. Muscle weight is fine, but weight from fat is not.

The problem is that it can be hard to measure your progress when you’re making effort to lose weight. This is especially true if you work out regularly as part of your weight loss process. If you incorporate strength training three to four times a week, you may gain muscle, which will add to your weight. This is not a gain in fat, but in muscle.

The Problem With Scales

If you use a scale to measure your progress, you can never tell the difference if the weight you lost or gained is water weight, fat, or muscle. This is why a measuring tape is more appropriate to track your weight loss progress. By using a measuring tape, you can see if you are losing inches off your body. When you lose inches, chances are you are losing fat. And ultimately, that’s the whole point of losing weight.

Does this mean that you should throw away your scales and rely completely on a measuring tape? Not necessarily. Use both to measure how far you’ve come with your weight loss efforts. Use the number of the scale to see if you are heading in the right direction, and reconfirm whether it is fat that you are losing with a measuring tape. This way, you get a way better picture of how things are with your weight loss. Weight varies from day to day, but fat loss is less variable.

Go Beyond The Measurements

Besides the scale and the measuring tape, what else can you use to measure your weight loss? Well, you can judge by whether your clothes are becoming looser, and whether you feel lighter and fitter. These may be more subjective, but sometimes all you need to confirm that you are losing weight is the fact that you can fit into your old jeans.

Many people also report feeling more energetic, and generally happier and more confident in themselves. So, even if the scale shows slow progress, don’t discount this kind of evidence when it comes to motivating yourself by knowing that your efforts are paying off!

If you want the most accurate measurements possible then there are more ways to measure body fat – calipers, for example. Just know that, by tracking your progress every day or every week, you’ll help keep yourself motivated to continue.


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Weight Loss Exercise

2 Huge Factors That Can Cause Weight To Fluctuate On The Scale


If you often weigh yourself when trying to lose weight, you may have noticed that your weight fluctuates on a daily basis. In fact, your weight in the morning may be completely different from your weight at night. However, it’s usually when there is a gain between one day and another that often makes us sad and frustrated. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your weight loss efforts are wasted. There are several factors that cause weight to fluctuate on the scale.

Water Weight

bathroom-scaleIf you go on a fad diet that involves lots of liquids and a very low calorie diet, you may see very good results initially where you lose many pounds within a single day. This is because what you have lost is not fat, but water. When you eat a regular diet again, water weight is usually gained back.

Several other factors cause one to retain water including dehydration, increased consumption of sodium, as well as menstruation (for women). You can prevent water retention by drinking lots of water and restricting your intake of salt.

Muscle Weight

Often exercise is a big part of a weight loss program, and if it is a big part of yours, chances you will sometimes see a gain in weight displayed on the scale. This is especially true if you frequently incorporate weight training as part of your exercise program. This gain in weight is not because you’ve been slacking off on your diet and putting on fat; instead, it’s possible that you have been putting on muscle.

Muscle is denser than fat, so even if you gain a bit of muscle you will probably see a bigger number on the scale. Don’t worry if this is the case. If you are concerned, use a measuring tape as a supplementary way to track your weight loss progress. If you are losing inches, even though your scale says you’ve gained weight, then it’s probably muscle that you’ve gained!

There may be other factors that lead to weight fluctuations, but these are the main two. So the next time your scale seems to be yo-yoing back and forth, don’t stress about it. If you can’t help stressing about it, then instead of weighing yourself every day, weigh yourself every week to get a more stable picture of how you are doing with your weight loss. In the end, your weekly weight is what matters, and not your daily weight.


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Weight Loss Exercise

How To Track Your Bodyfat Percentage


You may have already heard that tracking your bodyfat percentage is one of the best ways to track your weight loss progress, as this way you can be certain that you are losing fat and not water or muscle.

There are several methods available for you to ascertain your bodyfat percentage; some can be done at home, while others require you to spend money and use big equipment. Here are some of the most effective:

Best Ways to Track Bodyfat Percentage

US Navy Bodyfat Measurement

US Navy Bodyfat Measurement

Skin Fold Calipers – You can purchase these calipers, pinch the fat on your body, and place the pinched area in between two calipers to measure your body fat percentage. This method is pretty dependable and repeatable; however if you are more than 40 pounds overweight, you may not be able to use this caliper method since the pinched fat may not be able to fit between the calipers.

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) – A BIA scale sends tiny electrical currents through the body and records the resistance that the body offers to this current. This resistance is then used to determine the percentage of body fat in the person’s body. This is the simplest way to measure your body fat, and the scales are usually not too expensive. However, the accuracy of this method is questionable and it also depends on how well your body is hydrated when you step on the scale.

The US Navy Method – This means using body measurements to determine body fat percentage. This is the cheapest way to get your body fat measurement, since all you need is a body tape measure or a cloth measuring tape. For men, you measure the waist, neck, and height; for women, the measurements taken are of the hips, neck, and height. While this is an easy at-home method that anyone can use, its accuracy is highly questionable.

Hydrostatic Weighing and DEXA Scans – Hydrostatic weighing is the traditional gold standard of determining one’s body fat percentage, where the person is submerged in a special type of water tank. The DEXA scan, however, is somewhat of a ”new gold standardâ?, where the person just lies down and the scanner determines the amount and distribution of fat in the body. Both these methods are generally not practical, since hydrostatic weighing is uncomfortable and both these methods cost around $150 to $300 every time you perform them, which is quite pricey.

In a nutshell, there are the many different methods you can use to track your body fat. However, for daily or weekly measurements at home, there are only three methods you can use, as detailed above.


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