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3 Weight Loss Tracking Tools I Recommend
Have you ever wondered what tools dietitians, nutritionists or fitness experts use or recommend to their close friends and only paid clients? Here, I am going to share with you 3 of the most essential tools that I use when it comes to weight management. And give you the reasons why and how you can use them too!
Just So you know, these are not just for experts, you can also get them from amazon, because that’s exactly I did!
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Weight Scale
You probably already have on
e.
One of the most important things you want to look for in a weighing scale is absolutely the accuracy of the weighing machine, of course, but it will really help you if you get a weighing scale with more functions than just measuring the weight in pounds or kilograms.
When you lose weight the healthy way, you want to ideally lose body fat mass and GAIN lean muscle mass. The muscles will feed on fat and help you burn more calories. What happens when you gain muscle unfortunately is that the number of the scale doesn’t move too much. Sometimes it stays the same and sometimes you actually see you weight going up.
But you also see your clothes getting lose…
…and you wonder why the number on the scale didn’t change. This makes you feel disappointed and discouraged and soon lose your motivation to exercise and eat healthy foods because you feel your efforts aren’t paying off.
But they just may be.
Muscles is a lot more Dense than fat:
so while you may be losing fat, the number on the scale doesn’t reflect that. So for people who are serious about losing that extra few pounds I recommend getting a scale that measures body fat percentage and muscle mass as well..
I have tried a couple of weighing scales out, and I have found the Omron scale the best because other than measuring the body fat and muscle mass it also measures visceral fat.
What is Visceral Fat?
Visceral fat is the fat around the belly area and around your organs that is the more harmful type of fat in your body. This is the fat that leads to many harmful lifestyle conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistance; leading to conditions like heart disease, especially heart attack or stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, metabolic syndrome and certain cancers.
The other fat that you can inch and pinch which is right under your skin is called the subcutaneous fat, which isn’t as harmful and is more a cosmetic concern than anything.
So if you are worried about living healthy and disease-free getting a weight scale that measures visceral fat may be helpful, in the Omron scale, you want the visceral fat number to be under 9.
Now there is one thing you should know, that these scales are not 100% accurate, but they are a good estimate of where your body composition, which is more that you would get from a weighing scale.
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Fat Monitor
If you are not ready in investing in a new weighing scale, then you can also get a simple body fat monitor. This scale also measures body fat percentage and is a good tool to have if reducing body fat is your only concern. Most gyms also have this machine, so if you want to simply measure yourself at the gym you can, but having this handy is good if you want to go it at home. Just be aware it does not measure your weight or your muscle mass.
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Measuring Tape!
The number 3 must-have tool is something you probably already have at home. It’s a simple old measuring tape.
When you see that your clothes are looser, you know you are losing weight. Currently the best measure of your health status after BMI, is your waist circumference. And no, it is not the inches of your pants!
Would you like to know the cut-off points of where you want your waist circumference number to be at?
If yes, download the PDF by clicking the box below and entering your email.
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What does Your Waist Circumference Number Mean
How to Accurately Measure Your Waist Circumference?
To accurately measure your waist circumference, you need to
- Find your pelvic bone. If you have a hard time finding it, bend yourself on one side and but you hand at the point where you bend and you should be able to feel your pelvic bone there. It’s usually at or a little above or below your belly button.
- Simply put the measuring tape right above your pelvic bone, and around your waist.
- Exhale, to breathe out, without sucking your stomach in, or out.
- Put the measurement down in journal, with the date you took the measurement.
How Often Should You Measure Yourself?
I usually recommend that you measure yourself every month.
Some studies suggest that you measure yourself, including weight, everyday, but I am not a big fan of this. And this really depends on your personality too. Some people get encouraged and inspired with a negative reinforcement, so they can try harder, but most people feel discouraged and need positive reinforcements. If you measure your weight, body composition or waist circumference everyday you will not really see big results.
If you feel you are making a lot of changes and doing a good job sticking wit your plans…that you should see results, then you can check yourself every two weeks. But just remember that it takes at least 2 weeks for your body to get used to anything new, and once your body is used to the change, then it will start to show. So a minimum of 2 more weeks but ideally every month is a good time to measure all your parameters.
Also, do not forget to write all these numbers down in planner or journal, with the dates so that can see your progress. This will come in handy when you go to the next set of my highly recommended tools, which will be coming in the next video. For now, go ahead and grab your free download below with the recommended measurements for your waist circumference.
Get your FREE Download with the cut-off points of your waist circumference
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Recommended Tools mentioned:
- Weight Scale, affiliate link: https://www.modestnutrition.com/WeighingScale
- Fat Monitor, affiliate link: https://www.modestnutrition.com/FatMonitor
- Measuring Tape, affiliate link: https://www.modestnutrition.com/measuring-tape
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