There’s a few reasons I like to include a measurements page in my journal. When I start focusing on losing weight I tend to exercise more often, and I also change the type of exercise I do. This means I put on muscle, or at the very least, I change shape. Keep in mind that muscle is heavier than fat, and if you’ve gone from doing very little exercise at all to doing regular exercise, you could well be standing on the scales wondering how on earth you haven’t lost weight. This is when the measurements are valuable, because they might tell a very different story. The scales might just be going down only a 100 grams each week, but your measurements are changing significantly. At WW they always tell us to pay attention to how our clothes feel, because sometimes they tell a much more honest story than your scales do.
Most people put a picture of a human body on their measurements spread, but I like to make it more fun by using animated characters. So far I’ve used Lola Bunny from Looney Tunes and Sid from Ice Age. I have to admit I don’t find losing weight much fun, so I try to brighten up the experience by creating cute spreads. Some people like to create a graph because it can be motivating to see a line heading downhill, but it can get a bit messy trying to fit so many different types of measurements on one graph. It might work with separate little graphs on a page—maybe I’ll give it a try and add it below soon!
Final tips. Measure a minimum of your chest, waist and hips (the widest part around your bum), and add your right arm, thigh and calf if you want more motivation. Don’t worry if some measurements decrease quickly and others take ages. When I lost weight years ago, I remember my chest was absolutely the last thing to reduce in size! Don’t measure more than once a month, or even less than that. Your measurements, like your weight, will fluctuate depending on many other factors. Women in particular tend to retain water around their waist once a month.
Give this a try, and get creative. Let me know if you try your own design – I’d love to see it!