Weight loss progress checkins with yourself can sometimes be the last thing on your mind. You might be saying, “well I weigh every day. Is that not enough?” No it’s really not. Here’s why you should have different ways to measure your progress through your weight loss journey.
When you start losing weight there are a number of factors about yourself you will notice changing. Changes on a physical, emotional, social and even environmental level. Your body image, energy level, foods you eat, exercise routine, sleep patterns, your confidence level, and even your social life may be changing. Keeping tabs on these areas can make or break your attempts at weight loss. Making weight loss progress checkins a routine can be very beneficial to your ultimate success.
Some Weight Loss Progress Checkin Points
Your Measurements
Your measurements are one way to validate that your weight loss tactics are working. Taking measurements right at the beginning of your journey and taking them again every month or two can make you feel good about your efforts. Part of your goals may be to look thinner or drop a few dress sizes. This measure can help with that.
How Energetic Do You Feel?
When you first thought of losing weight, one of the things you might have wanted to change about yourself was to feel more energetic. So now after a month, how are you feeling in that regard? Do you have more energy? With the difference in food you are eating, you may feel less bloated and full. You may not be experiencing as many sugar level drops because you’ve reduced your sugar intake. If you aren’t as energetic, maybe its the type of food you are eating. It could have to do with the amount of sleep you are getting. Being in touch with your current energy level can help you know if anything needs to change to help you reach your goals.
Am I Happy With The Food I’m Eating?
You know that in all likelihood, if you are trying to lose weight, you are also trying to change some unhealthy eating habits you have. How much have you changed the foods you are eating and how is that affecting your weight loss goals? Are you losing? How do you physically feel after eating? Do you feel satisfied and fulfilled? Are you having less cravings for unhealthier foods than you were before? Do you like the foods you are eating? For weight loss to work and to continue into maintenance and your future healthy lifestyle, you must like and/or adapt to the foods you are eating. Are you experimenting with different methods of preparing food? Using fresh herbs to season food instead of salt? Grilling chicken instead of fried chicken?
Life is too short for foods you don’t like. If skim milk is something you really don’t like, try another brand or try 1% milk. You can try prepping the food in a different way or even hiding it in foods so you can’t distinguish the taste. For examples, add milks to puddings or veggies to soups or stews so you can’t distinguish the taste. Experimentation is key, but if it still doesn’t work, it probably won’t work. A diet that includes foods you don’t like, is not sustainable.
Don’t Feel Food Deprived
Also, be prepared to allow some foods you really enjoy in your life. Depriving yourself of foods you enjoy will only feel like punishment to you. Depriving yourself for too long can lead to binges which lead to bad feelings for yourself (and the cycle continues). On the Noom Weight Loss Program, no foods are off limits. You can read about how the Noom Food System works by reading my article “Green, Yellow and Red-The Food System at Noom”. Make room for those foods you really enjoy on occasion and in moderation and you can live this lifestyle for life!
How Is The Exercise Going?
Are you happy with the exercise you are doing? How do you feel? Do you feel stronger and more energetic? Do you see an improvement with how well you do your exercise? Did you just walk for 15 minutes 3 days a week when you started and now you are walking 30 minutes, 5 days per week? Are you less winded and tired? Do you feel as challenged now with exercise as you did when you first started or since your last checkin? Are you losing weight? Are your measurements down? Is your BMI less than it was at the beginning? Do you like the exercise you are doing? Are you bored with it? Questions, questions, questions! When you answer your questions, they can determine if you are on the right track, if you need to bump it up a little, or maybe even tone it down a bit. Listen to your body and respond appropriately :o)
Sleep Habits
How have you been sleeping since you started losing weight? Are you getting enough sleep and is it restful sleep? Do you notice you sleep better on days you exercise? Do you notice you sleep better when you don’t eat late or have caffeinated beverages in the evening? Are you sleeping better because you have less stress right now?
Sleep is an important component to a healthy lifestyle and being able to maintain it long term. Your body needs rest to replenish and heal itself. Adequate sleep helps you concentrate and focus on tasks in front of you like losing weight. Checkin with your sleep habits regularly.
How Do You Feel Emotionally?
When many of us start out losing weight, we feel down. We feel like there is so much in our lives to do, and to cope with all of it, we rely on food. It might satisfy us for a few minutes and then we feel bad and turn to food for comfort and the hamster wheel is in full rotation. We might just eat out of habit and get upset with ourselves for it. We finally decide to make a change and commit to losing weight. So a month in the program, how are you feeling now? Do you feel the tables are turning? Do you feel more “in control” of what you do? Being in touch with your feelings is really important to most of us because we are emotional eaters. Coming to grips and understanding “why” we eat is pivotal. It’s a big reason I started Noom. Answering those big questions about my emotional eating habits has been a huge part of my success.
What Does “My Space” Look Like?
When I’m talking about “my space”, I’m talking about our environment. The space we live in and occupy on a day to day basis whether its our home, workspace, car, places we visit. When it comes to weight loss, you want to ask yourself how conducive your environment is to your weight loss efforts.
At home, are healthy foods like fruits and veggies readily available to you? Are they visible to you in the fridge, on the counter or in the pantry? If potato chips are a big weakness for you, are they hidden at the back of the pantry or are they even in the house? Are your exercise clothes or equipment in view to see them for ease of use?
Your office space might include readily available healthy snacks at the ready and your water bottle always within reach. You might get in the habit of taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
You can even look at your hometown environment. After a hard day at work, do you drive down “drive thru” alley to get home. Have you thought of an alternative route to not tempt you from stopping ?
What Weight Loss Checkins Really Do
Ideally these weight loss progress checkins should take place at least monthly. If during the course of the month, you feel that something is not right in some area, work to change that then and there! Don’t wait for the checkin time. Make the necessary changes to get your progress moving forward.
I hope by reading this article, you will see that the number on a scale is not your only determination of your success. There are so many ways to see your progress and it’s important to recognize all of them. This builds momentum and your desired goal can be achieved. Map out your weight loss progress checkins and ultimately become very aware of what makes things work for YOU!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several ways. Take baseline measurements. Take a selfie at regular intervals-same place and same clothes. Are you meeting your exercise goals? is exercise getting easier for you? Do you get your steps in each day. Keep a habit tracker for these things. Are people noticing your weight loss? Do you look at your food differently in regard to what is healthier and more nourishing for you? Are you adapting to the change in your eating habits.? These are all questions you can ask yourself.
At least once a month and in between if you notice something is not feeling right.
Keep doing them. A large part of keeping your healthy lifestyle is awareness. Awareness of where you are at at any particular time. Looking at these factors every month in a checkin is an excellent way to increase your self-awareness.
After years of weight issues, I have finally found the formula of combining healthy food choices, regular exercise and positive behavior change to lose weight for good. Coupled with, exploring self-development, being productive and living simply, I am now maintaining a healthy lifestyle and in a good place. I enjoy writing articles to help my readers to become the best they can be!
I never considered trying a different brand of milk. I thought I just couldn’t do anything less than whole milk. I will try a different brand, going down to 2% first. If I adjust to that, I can try going to 1% later on. Keeping track of progress helps me figure out what is working and what is not. I always just “winged” it and got discouraged over and over. Now, I can make educated judgments that will make me successful with a healthier weight. Thanks so much!
Hi Debbie! That is a sensible approach you are taking there with the whole milk. Give the 2% a try and if you don’t like that one, consider trying a different brand. All products are not always created equal-even with milk. Thank you so much for being an avid reader. I so appreciate you!
Oh this is very helpful, I’ve never really thought about checking other aspects of weight loss! I’m now at a weight I’m happy with after loosing weight after having children, but I’m definitely going to check other routines like sleep pattens and the food I eat.
That’s a really good strategy Rachel. Even when we’ve reached our goal, it’s important to revisit how we are maintaining that status from time to time. Thanks for reading!
I am definitely a person that needs to readjust my sleep pattern. I value my ‘me time’ which often leads to late nights. I enjoy the peace and quiet at the time but then regret it the next day by feeling exhausted!
Yes, these sleep patterns are becoming a pattern with this article. You might want to consider going to sleep earlier as a form of self-care. That’s a form of “me time”. Just think about flipping the switch so to speak. :o) I totally get the feeling of waking up the next day and knowing it just wasn’t enough. Thanks for reading!
This is such a good article! I used to think that weight loss was only about the scale. But it is so much more. It was a huge mindset shift for me but it made me feel so much better about the whole process. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Marta. Yes, sadly the scale is often a person’s only measure of success in their eyes. There are so many other things to take into consideration. Thanks for reading and I’m glad you enjoyed the article.