​How do you measure progress on your weight loss journey?

If I asked you how would you measure progress on your weight loss journey, how would you answer it? A lot of people focus on the weighing scales and say they want to lose xKg (or lbs or stone!). Some people say they want to reduce a clothes size (for ladies a dress size, for men a pants size) and so may focus on measuring body parts. For others it is to feel better/ have more energy. Some people say it’s to be able to keep up with the kids!
 
There is no right or wrong answer here. It all depends on you, and your goal. However, some are easier to measure than others, and to notice a change faster. This can be good and bad.
For example, the weighing scales is the most quantifiable measure – it gives us a black & white number every time. So it can be good to see a number. However, it can easily change by such things as time of the day, if you have eaten recently, how much water you drank, the time of the month for ladies, you might have lost fat but put on muscle etc. One may come despondent if the scale isn’t moving in the right direct, or if it is not moving fast enough, however other things might be going on.
 
One of the least quantifiable measures is how one feels or how much energy one has. However, this can be one of the most important indicators, and have the biggest impact on our daily lives. Most of us know if we have “low” energy, or “high” energy. A simple way of making it more specific is to think of it on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = low energy, and 10 = high energy. Checking in with oneself, or with your coach every week or every month using a scale like this gets the balance of both worlds. Isn’t it more powerful if we feel better and have more energy? We’d suggest putting more emphasis on this measure, and less on the weighing scale, or use the scales to compliment the other measure, and not just focus on the scales.