Weight Loss - 4 Ways to assess

Weight Loss - 4 Ways to assess

The most frequent question we hear in its fitness center is: "Why am I so much time I go to practice, do, stick to the diet, and the weight is still in the same place?". In fact, your body undergoes every day though small, but changes that will eventually lead to weight loss. Often, these changes are difficult to catch the eye, and even instruments. Therefore, we need a good dose of patience and new ways to measure to account for weight loss.

Monitoring the percentage of fat content

We all learned to trust weights as the only source of information about the weight . But it is not so . We are primarily interested in the percentage of body fat , not the total weight .

After all, a person may be overweight , but do not be bold . It often concerns bodybuilders. With its huge mass, which often exceeds 10-20 pounds allowed for their growth, the percentage of fat in the body is barely 8%.

Knowing your body fat percentage , you will learn the true amount of fat that you need to remove . It is also important to check the results of many days works for weight loss. After all, surely the balance will show the same value , but in fact you get rid of some fat and replace it with the volume on muscle mass .

There are many ways to determine the percentage of body fat :

Calipers for measuring the thickness of the layer of fat ;

Special bioelectric scales; 

Hydrostatic weighing; 

Internet calculators use a measuring tape or skinfold thickness. 

The fastest and easiest in everyday use it on-line calculator. They help determine the initial amount of adipose tissue. The network has a huge number of calculators, but they basically said body mass index.

Measurement of body weight 

As we have said, the scales do not always give a true picture of a person's weight and especially the quality of its decline. Another reason for using a negative balance, the so-called "Psychosis weight loss." When people are not seeing the results of their labors, begins to fall into depression, throwing classes, eats. Explaining that what lead a healthy life if it does not help?

The problem lies in the balance that they measure the true weight of the body, consisting of bones, muscles , organs, fat and even that glass of water , which you recently drank. Give an example of a few things that can make your weight fluctuate by 4-5 pounds a day:

Water, the basis of our life. It accounts for 60-70 % of our body. Fluctuations in the level of hydration can also affect the measurement scale . If you are dehydrated or eat too much salt , your body accumulates input is not in the bloodstream and tissues , thereby increasing the weight . Nearly the same analogy for the second half of the menstrual cycle , many women accumulate in the body of water .

Food . Weigh after eating is not the best solution , since it will depend on the volume of fluid and food intake . After eating, your body will always gain weight , but it does not mean that you have recovered . During digestion , the body get rid of waste and normal weight .

Muscle mass . Muscles are denser in structure than adipose tissue and occupy much less space. Therefore, for increasing muscle mass, the weight can be increased many times , without changing the dimensions of the body.

This does not lead to the fact that measurements do not have values ​​. They must be combined with the percentage of fat . Need to multiply your weight by body fat percentage .

For example, weighs 75 kg body fat percentage was 21% . It turned out that in the human body of 15 kg and 60 kg of fat tissue . If these numbers to track weekly, monthly or better , you will see the positive results of your work .

And here are a few tricks for proper weighing body :

Weigh yourself in the morning until you ate nothing and drank ;

Weigh monthly rather than daily and weekly, to give the body time to respond to a weight loss program; 

Measured on the same scale as they are unlike you do not change.

It is desirable to use scales with the definition of body fat percentage. If you do not have these, then use the above on-line calculators. 

If the weight measurement and control of the percentage of fat you are not satisfied, then the following method necessarily fit all.

Measurement of body parts - anthropometry

This is the easiest and one of the best ways to determine the weight loss , and especially surveillance control. The method requires no equipment and specialized training. Combining their measurements , you get an idea of ​​the areas in which you just lose weight . Indeed, our body gets rid of fat is not uniformly . Here are the rules on the measurement of body parts :

Measured in rigid supporting clothes or no clothes. Be sure to note what kind of clothes you wore before measurement.

Chest . Measured at the level of the nipple , but do not tighten the tape very tight.

Waist . 1.5 cm above the navel or in the thinnest part of the abdomen.

Hips. Tape passes by the largest Distance hip circumference. 

Shin. Measure around the largest part of each tibia. 

Shoulder. Tape around the largest part of the arm above the elbow. 

Forearm. Tape passes around the largest part of the arm below the elbow. 

Record measurements and better build a chart or graph. Then you will see clearly how to decrease the volume of your body.

visual method 

This is the easiest, but the most obvious method for estimating weight loss. To do this you need a familiar clothing and camera. You can make some pictures from the front and profile in a swimsuit. Save them, and after 2 weeks, and again photographed better month.

You clearly see the changes. You can do without pictures. Simply choose that thing that you were too small or exactly fit. Better let it be jeans or pants. Try on them and make sure that you have placed in them.

So use all 4 methods immediately or give preference to one of them, so important for you realistic goals and not ghostly promises. Most importantly, do not forget that weight loss takes time. So, do not panic, you have not lost a cherished 5-10 kg per week. Suppose that the process will be smooth and unnoticeable at first glance, but the effect of this loss will stay with you for years to come.