Definitely a good time to start measuring! I keep it simple. I measure the smallest part of my waist (that is pretty obvious on most people) and at my bellybutton (I don't know about you, but my bellybutton doesn't move!). I sometimes add some other measurements, but it's pretty simple to figure out where to measure once you get the hang of it
And yes, patience. It's hard, but I don't think it is worth making any changes unless it's been 6 weeks+ with no shift in measurement or scale. You'll just drive yourself crazy and hungry.