Measurement Changes: the First 6 Months

http://weightlossandwin.com/

A lot of weight loss advice recommends using the scale, but not relying on it too much. Instead, you should keep in mind clothing size/fit and actual measurement changes, since muscle gain can make it seem like you're not losing as much as you actually are.

Within the first six months of this process, I monitored my measurements at eight different points on the body (which I had previously been tracking via extrapounds.com).

Taken from those measurements only, I lost a total of 35.5 inches in 26 weeks!

	Starting	12-week	26-week	Total Lost
Neck	14.25"	13"	12.5"	1.75"
Chest	41"	36"	34.5"	6.5"
Waist	38.5"	30.5"	27.5"	11"
Hips	45"	38.5"	36.0"	9"
Arms (biceps)	13"	11.75"	11.25"	1.75"
Forearms	10.5"	9.75"	9.5"	1"
Thighs	24.25"	22.25"	21.25"	3"
Calves	16.25"	15.25"	14.75"	1.5"

Of course, these measurements were taken by myself at home, in front of a mirror to make sure I was measuring the largest circumference (around each area except the waist, where you should measure the smallest circumference). Because of this, they probably weren't as accurate as they could have been; it would've been great to have my fiance take them for me each time for consistency-- or even better, actually go to the doctor or a weight-loss specialist-- but I at least tried take my measurements at the same time of the day each checkpoint. A great site with some tips for taking your own body measurements can be found at http://bit.ly/ojEkyQ.

Do you trust your numbers? Do you have any recommendations for consistent self measuring? Leave a comment below and let me know!