By: Chris Gates

Whether you want to build muscle, burn fat, or simply improve your health and fitness, tracking your progress is key.

• You’ll want to track your progress in the gym.
• Tracking your diet can be helpful, too.
• And you’ll want to correctly measure your body composition.

That final piece to the puzzle is what a lot of people leave out of their journeys, or do it incorrectly.

But not anymore.

You’re here because you want to learn how to correctly measure your body and track progress, and that’s exactly what I’m about to outline for you in this article.

We’ll break down three main ways to monitor your body composition, as well as talk about how to interpret your progress to ensure you stay on track.

Because let’s be honest…

A lot of people get fed up and quit when they’re actually making progress. I know that sounds backwards, but it’s true.

And it happens because they don’t pay attention to the right details — the details that matter.

But by the end of this article, you’ll have a clear outline of those details that matter. We’ll break down…

• What to track.
• How to track it.
• And how to make adjustments.

So if that all sounds good to you, let’s delay no more. Time to dive in!

Interested in getting help with your fitness goals in 2024? Get on my early-access coaching list so that you can grab a spot before they fill up!

Why is Measuring Your Body Composition Important?

Before we break down the three main ways to measure your body and track progress, let’s first break down why it’s so important.

I somewhat alluded to this in the introduction of the article.

In short, progress can come in many ways.

If you want to lose weight, you’ll probably be focused on the scale. But the reality is, you can lose body fat without the scale going down much — or at all.

I’ve worked with countless 1-on-1 online fat loss clients who built a considerable amount of muscle while also burning fat. And when you’re doing both of those things, the scale often isn’t the best way to measure your progress.

• You’re losing one tissue in the body (fat).
• And you’re gaining another (muscle).
• Which means your WEIGHT won’t change. (But your body composition will.)

Unfortunately, a lot of people have no idea they’re building muscle and burning fat, and they get frustrated with the scale.

They get fed up and quit, even though they’re making progress.

If that person would have just taken some progress photos, and/or measured their waistline, they probably would’ve been able to see the changes in their body that the scale doesn’t show.

But you? You won’t make that mistake.

Let’s outline how to correctly measure your body and track progress.

How to Correctly Measure Your Body and Track Progress: The Scale

Let’s start with the most popular way to measure your body: The scale.

While weighing yourself may seem like a no-brainer, there actually is a specific way you should step on the scale each day.

1. Wake up.
2. Use the bathroom.
3. Step on the scale in your underwear.

If you weigh yourself any other way, you’re collecting bad data.

Because think about it…

If you weigh yourself after breakfast, or at the gym on your lunch hour, or before bed, the results will vary based of a slew of different factors.

In those situations, you’ll probably have varying levels of liquids and foods in your system. And if you’re weighing yourself at different times of day each time, the data gets even less reliable.

Step on the scale first thing in the morning every day, before eating or drinking anything. That will give you a standardized measure of your bodyweight that you can reliably compare day to day, and week to week.

And if you want to learn more about the proper way to track your bodyweight, I have a full article you can check out to really dive into the details.

How to Correctly Measure Your Body and Track Progress: Waist Measurements

Item No. 2 on this list of how to correctly measure your body and track progress is taking regular waist measurements.

You don’t need to do this every day, or even every week. Your waistline won’t change much over a short period of time.

But over the long term, your waistline absolutely will give you an idea of whether or not you’re losing body fat.

So I’d recommend you measure your waist every two weeks. Do it right after you step on the scale in the morning, and follow these directions:

1. Wrap a tape measure around your waist at the top of your hip bone.
2. Pull both ends to the middle of your midsection, and wherever the two ends cross is your waist measurement for the day.
3. Make sure the tape measure is lightly resting on your skin. Don’t pull it tight to the point of indenting your skin.
4. Make sure the tape measure is going straight across your midsection, too. Avoid doing it at an angle (doing this in front of the mirror helps).

When done correctly and consistently, waist measurements actually tend to be better indicators of changes in your body composition than tracking your bodyweight.

The primary reason why is because body fat tends to start in the stomach/abdomen area in most people. We all store body fat differently based on genetics, but virtually everybody will see body fat accumulate in the midsection first.

And when you lose body fat, that’s typically the area you start to see it come off first, too.

So track your waist measurement over the span of a few months to see what the trend looks like. You might see your waistline improving without the scale moving too much!

How to Correctly Measure Your Body and Track Progress: Progress Photos

The third and final way to correctly measure your body and track progress is to take progress photos.

And the reason here is pretty simple.

Your visual appearance can change dramatically without seeing any of the other data change, like your bodyweight or waist measurements.

And at the end of the day, most people want to look better while also achieving better health. So taking photos of your appearance can help you monitor the progress you’re making.

Luckily, taking progress photos is super simple, because I’m guessing you have a smart phone and know how to use it.

Here’s what to do…

1. Once a month, on the same morning you step on the scale and take a waist measurement, snap progress photos.
2. You’ll want to set up your phone and take one picture from the front, left side, right side, and back (get a partner to help, or use the timer on your phone to make this easy!).

That’s it!

That’s literally it.

And what I like to do is stash the progress photos away in a folder in my iPhone’s photo library so that I can easily compare my appearance from month to month.

Your visual appearance isn’t going to change dramatically from day to day, but if you’re consistent with your diet and exercise routine, these photos should show differences when you compare them month to month.

How to Evaluate Your Progress

I’ve mentioned it quite a bit throughout this article, but there are multiple ways to actually SEE progress (even if you can’t SEE it).

And you don’t need to see EVERYTHING move in a specific direction to determine whether you are, or are not, making progress.

Let me explain…

1. If you want to lose weight, and the scale is going down, then look no further. You’re on the right track.
2. BUT… If the scale hasn’t moved, but you’re seeing your waist measurements go down, then you’re still on the right track. Don’t freak out about the scale, and just keep doing what you’re doing (because it’s working).
3. And finally, if your body is visually changing in the ways you want — regardless of what the scale says or what your waist measurements look like — then you should be confident. Your plan is working.

You don’t need all three of those measurements to improve to confirm you’re making progress.

If all of them are improving, that’s great! But you just need one of the metrics you track to improve to confirm that you’re making progress.

Again, this is where a lot of people screw up. Most people make rash changes either because the scale stays the same, or because they’re not seeing “enough” progress.

I’ve been through this countless times with my clients. And a simple fact is always true.

All you need is one measurement to improve.

How to Make Adjustments

OK, let’s say none of those measurements go in the direction you want.

Say you want to burn body fat, but the scale hasn’t budged. And your photos and waist measurements look more or less the same over the span of several months.

Here’s a quick checklist of what you can do to move the needle in the right direction…

• First, evaluate your diet. If you aren’t currently tracking your nutrition, give it a try. And use that information to make sure you’re in a calorie deficit — because a calorie deficit is required to burn fat.
• Within your diet, make sure you’re eating adequate protein. Protein will help your body maintain muscle mass (or even build more), while prioritizing burning fat as your body’s energy source.
• Make sure your exercise program is comprehensive as well. Cardio is a great form of exercise, but strength training is what will really help your body composition transform.
• If all of those details are dialed in, then you can consider reducing your calorie intake by 10-15 percent of your current calorie intake to lose fat. If you make this change, give it a few weeks to see how your body responds before considering any further adjustments.

In order to change your body composition, burn fat, and lose weight, patience is key. This process is full of trial and error.

Make one change at a time so that you can determine if your adjustment makes an impact.

And don’t rush through this journey. You have all of the time in the world to see progress. You’re not on a deadline.

Take your time, and pay attention to the details.

I Hope This Helps!

As you can see, a little bit of consistent attention to detail can really go a long way in helping you determine the progress you’re making, and what adjustments you should (or should not) make.

All the while, you just need on measurement to move in the right direction.

And of course, the scale isn’t EVERYTHING. So don’t put all of your eggs in that one basket.

If you found this helpful, and you’d like help with your health and fitness goals, be sure to check out my coaching page.

I work with people all over the world to build muscle, burn fat, and make progress that sticks. I’ve probably worked with somebody just like you, and would love the opportunity to help you create a fully personalized and comprehensive program that works you towards your goals.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you found this article helpful.

~ Chris