How Do You Measure Progress?
Hey San Antonio,
When I talk to someone about an exercise program or diet they’re following and I ask them about what type of progress they have made, more times than not they’ll tell me about how much weight they lost. I understand the need for numbers, but I’m going to say it again – weight is not an indicator of progress. Unless you know exactly where that weight is coming from, it makes no difference how much weight you have lost. I know, I know – it’s something that is easily checked and quantified. And that’s how most people think that is what exercise translates to. But the key is to know how much fat you’ve lost, or at much simpler level, what kind of physical changes have you made? Sure, the weight is easy to track, but do you have before and after pics?
A picture is worth a thousand words. With cell phones and other personal communication devices, pictures are easily carried around, and most people can show you hundreds of pics of their night out, their kids, their cars, their house – but where are the progress pics?
A few pictures at the beginning of your fat loss program and regular progress pics will tell the story on whether what you’re doing or not is working. Pictures do not lie, period. Nobody wants to see a picture of themselves out of shape, but when you start seeing a visual change, it’s extremely motivating. And while you can say “I lost 40lbs” and that sounds exciting, does it compare to this?
Well more than 10 inches lost off of each abdominal circumference, and while both guys lost more than 40lbs each, they actually lost more than 50lbs of body fat and gained a significant amount of muscle – actually increasing the amount of food their bodies require and how many calories they burn in whatever they do.
After three months, Rebecca has drastically changed. While she was petite to begin with, she has transformed her body composition, going from being soft to completely defined, conditioned and dropping 20lbs of body fat and adding lean body mass. At 46 years old, that IS definitely impressive.
Another client of mine, Matt, just finished his third month with me. Matt was by no means fat when he begun, but he lost 23lbs of fat and gained 13lbs of muscle – want to talk about a drastic visual change?
While “30lbs in 30 days” sounds enticing, understand that if you lose the wrong 30lbs, you’ll only be a smaller version of yourself (and have the same build and shape). That’s NOT what most people want to achieve. WHAT weight you lose is what really matters.
I assess, re-assess, assess and re-assess every client on a regular basis and track several different measurements. I also advise clients to take before pics, along with regular pics to measure progress. Losing 10lbs of fat and gaining 5lbs of muscle is actually a very impressive change, however, 5lbs lost doesn’t sound impressive (on a side note, I can manipulate my carb, sodium, and water intake and change my weight 12-20lbs in one day, so weight means very little).
While it’s nice to feel as if we’re making progress, real progress is measured in terms of body fat reduction, how clothes fit, and the compliments that come along with drastic physical change. What good does losing 40lbs do if you don’t look any different?
I hope everyone has a nice Good Friday and a very Happy Easter – the weather should be nice and be perfect for enjoying time with our families and loved ones!
Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454
