Stepping on the weighing scale is not the only way to keep a track of your weight loss progress. An excellent alternative to this is a body measuring tape.
Commonly found in every household, the measuring tape shows the amount of fat lost from different parts of the body like our hips, waists, legs and arms.
They allow you to witness the change in your body composition and give a clearer picture than the weighing balance.
By measuring your progress with logging tape, you can actually decide which kind of exercises you need to do to reach your weight loss goal- should you focus on burning calories by performing cardio or build muscle mass from strength training.
But using the measuring tape for tracking your progress is not as easy as it may seem. There are several minute details that you need to take care of when using the tape
1. Measure yourself once in a week
We all are guilty of weighing ourselves daily in the morning when trying to shed kilos to track the progress. But when using a measuring tape, doing this will only disappoint you. You do not lose fat from the body in a day. So there is no point measuring yourself every day. Ideally, you should measure yourself once in two weeks or if you are very curious then at least try to stick to once in a week.
2. Measure the same spot each time
The correct way to log your progress is by measuring the same spot every time. If you are measuring your belly, then remember whether it was above the navel or below it. Similarly, locate the exact point in your arms and thighs where you want to measure and measure around the same place every time. The right way to do it would be to find a spot that has the highest fat accumulation.
3. Measure different parts of the body
Do not only stick to your stomach areas or thighs. Measure different parts of your body like thighs, belly, arms, hips, chest. Maintain a log sheet and track your progress by comparing the reading taken after a fixed interval of time. This will make it easy to locate how much fat you have lost and from which area.
4. Your clothes
For accurate reading, measure yourself without any clothes on. The extra layer of fabric will add about half an inch in your waist circumference. So make sure you measure your bare skin with the measuring tape.
5. Make sure you are using the tape correctly
A common reason why most people get a different reading is because of the way they handle the measuring tape. The tape should sit on the surface of the skin perfectly, but should not compress the skin. There should not be any gap.
The bottom line
The best time to take the measurement is in the morning on an empty stomach. Every time you retake your measurements, do it at the same time and the same way.
