Losing Inches vs. Losing Pounds

As most of you guys know by now, I was not one of the lucky ones whose pregnancy weight melted off due to breastfeeding. In fact, I didn't lose a single pound as long as I was breastfeeding. Even after Lizzy decided she was done, I still had to work really hard to see progress.

In October 2010, I began tracking my weight at The Daily Plate. Sometimes I use it to keep track of calories and exercise as well. Anyway, when I signed up, I decided to also track my measurements, and even tied that goal into my 101 in 1001 list, and I'm so glad that I did. Seriously, if I could give one piece of advice to anyone who is embarking on a diet and/or exercise journey(particularly if you've had a rough time losing weight in the past), it's to track your measurements along with your weight. I'm a perfect example of why:

From October 2010 to May 2011, I lost 8.5 pounds---waaaaaayyyyy under the 1 pound per week guideline. This statistic, on its own, would be seriously depressing in light of all the hours I've put into Insanity.

However, I've also lost 16.5 inches--2.5 from my chest, 7 from my waist, and 7 from my hips. And seriously, that's something to celebrate. Weight alone? Definitely didn't give me the complete picture. Seeing that I've really lost quite a lot of inches also helps me see that I've probably replaced some fat with lean muscle, which could be why I haven't seen a huge drop in my weight.  I'm over a FOOT smaller than I was. I'm definitely getting healthier (losing inches from my waist has drastically reduced my risk for heart disease), even though the scale hasn't moved as much as I probably would have liked.

 Moral of the story? Don't just track your weight--track your measurements and your body fat percentage as well. Trust me.