Monitoring Success
 

Dear ladies,

I was wondering if you could give me any ideas on measuring success --- I don't want to depend on the scale because this isn't going to happen overnight -- I've got ~220 lbs to lose -- and I definitely have issues with immediate gratification. Do you use charts, points, pictures...? Do you measure daily, weekly, monthly? How do you keep your motivation up for the long haul? How do you keep from always look at how far you have to go and becoming overwhelmed?

Many, many thanks,

Barb

Barb -

Welcome!

I love my tape measure. A friend of mine at work (who is obessed with my weight loss) helps me measure my chest, bust, waist, and hips the first week of every month. I keep a diary of the measurements. One day I'm going to throw them into a Excel diagram and see the incredible shrinking woman. Hee!

I also take before pictures. I lift weights so I know that the scale is going to lie to me a lot. So, pictures are a great way of monitoring. Although, hide them. Don't look at them every day and when you think it's time, take a picture and compare the pictures. Don't try to compare yourself to the old picture without a new picture. It just doesn't work!

A lot of people use the pants-o-meter but I can't ever tell with my pants. If they're loose, I think I've stretched them out, if they're tight, I think they've been shrunk! :)

Same with me, I love to take my measurements. That way I see the difference. I use weights and it's desturbing to see the scales either stay the same or go up. But when that happens I compare it to the measurements. It usually always makes me feel better.

I also do a daily journal. I write what i eat and when I move, and how I feel, it's just nice to see the progress from day to day.

Hope that helps.

I'm also a fan of the tape measure, although I measure every two months. I measure myself, which is kind of hard--I like Goddess Jessica's way better.

I had my DH take a photo of me at the beginning of this journey, and he "hid" it in his computer files. I had him take another photo at 30 lbs. lost, and then I'll probably do another one at 50 lbs.--might even post the before and after then. I haven't seen either of them.

Clothes size has definitely worked for me. I've gone from a 22 to a 16 so there's a measurable difference there. The only thing to watch out for is that clothes sizes are not all equal. I can get into an Old Navy size 16, but not a Target size 16. So that can be a bit disappointing if you're not aware of it--think I'm going to shop at Old Navy from now on!

One of the ways I look at the journey is through our holiday challenges. If I can meet (or almost meet) those goals I've set for myself, it breaks the weightloss into smaller increments. Also, I made a contract with myself about a month ago where I would be perfectly on program (along with some other things) for just three weeks. That was certainly doable.

I'm on Weight Watchers and they give out gold stars for every 5 lbs. lost, which I find to be pretty motivating. They also give out bigger rewards for bigger losses. There's a woman there who has lost 218 lbs., and has probably 150 more to lose. She takes it 5 lbs. at a time, and has done really well.

Hope this gives you an idea or two! :)

Hi Barb,

One of the ladies on the 20-somethings board had a great suggestion. She set all of her goals for the week and put them in an Excel spreadsheet (ie. stay under X calories for the day, drink 8 glasses of water, journal what you eat, exercise for 20 minutes, post on 3FC, etc...). At the end of the day she had the satisfaction of checking off everything she had accomplished towards her long term goal. I did this for a while to re-jumpstart my dedication.

I also have maintained a graph of my weight loss. That way you can see the downward trend in your weight! All those 1/2 pounds really add up over the long run! There is a "graph wizard" in Excel that can walk you through the steps. You could probably graph your measurements, too, if you prefer.

Kris
261-186-166

Wow! Thanks so much for the replies! I really appreciate the ideas. I've had my husband take my before pics and I'm hiding them in a file that I hope some day to turn into a cool website (maybe I'll be on Oprah or Dr. Phil!) and tomorrow I'm off to get a tape measure.

I like planning the week ahead -- does anyone plan out their weight loss -- like targetting 2 lbs a week?

Thanks,

Barb