Tracking Your Progress to Stay Focused

You're eating right and working out but you haven't lost any weight. Don’t be a slave to your scale! That’s only part of the equation. Take your measurements and invest in a scale that measures body fat percentage. The higher end scales are fairly accurate, and it will at least give you a ballpark figure. Record these numbers at regular intervals. You could gain muscle faster than you lose pounds. Saggy jeans mean you’ve lost inches, even if your weight stays the same. When you hit a plateau, focus on what you’re doing right. Don’t beat yourself up if you splurge or skip a workout. This is a lifelong commitment. You didn’t get this way overnight and you won’t achieve your goal overnight either. Celebrate small victories without food-based rewards. Dropped a dress size or increased reps in your workout? Buy that new book you’ve been wanting. Don’t focus on the big goal—dropping X number of pounds. Instead, break that down into smaller goals, say 5 or 10 pounds at a time, so you can stay focused. If you feel your workout is getting easy, switch it up. Add more weight to your strength training routine to build more muscle. Add more reps for better definition without bulk. Add five more minutes to your treadmill routine to build endurance. You will get there!