After you’ve been on any type of fat loss diet for a period of time, you’re going to want to take steps to assess the fat loss you’ve experienced and determine exactly how well that program of yours is working.

In order to do this effectively, however, you have to be sure you’re using the right measures.  Failure to do so and using methods that aren’t entirely accurate will give you a swayed image of what exactly it is that you have accomplished.

That said, here is what you need to know about selecting the right assessments for your weight loss.

Body Weight

The most common form of assessment that people take with regards to their fat loss is a raw measure of their body weight.

They stand on the scale, look down, praying and hoping to see that number has gone down.

If it hasn’t, this often sets their day off very badly and before long, they’re going through the pantry on a binge to try and console themselves.

This is a big problem.

What far too many people are neglecting is the fact that the scale does not take into account water weight fluctuations, therefore is not going to be really representative of true weight gain or loss.

Furthermore, the scale does not assess muscle mass gain or fat loss, so you really have no idea what the composition of your body is doing.

A heavier but highly muscular body is going to be ten times better than a skinny body that has high levels of body fat.

Recognizing the difference between the two is critical.

Tape Measure Measurements

Next up, some people choose to take tape measure measurements as a way to gauge program.  Again, this can work to an extent, but can also be highly swayed by who’s doing it and how accurate you are at measuring in the exact same spot.

For example, when measuring the thigh, if you’re off the mark by a few inches, it can dramatically impact your readings, making it seem as though you’re leg has actually gotten bigger rather than smaller.

Therefore, while if done accurately, the tape measure can be a good indication on how your progress is doing, it’s not going to be 100% reliable all the time.

Body Fat Readings

Finally, the last way you can measure how your progress is going on your weight loss program is to take some body fat measurements.

You can do this through a variety of different methods, each offering their own advances and disadvantages.

Using a bio-electrical impedance scale (that you hold or stand on) is convenient and rather cost effective, but, it also can be widely inaccurate depending on a variety of factors such as fluid balance, time of the month, recent exercise sessions, and so on.

Therefore, generally this isn’t going to be a whole lot better than standing on the scale.

The second technique is underwater weighing, which has been called in the past the ‘gold-standard’ for body fat measurement.

This technique is often much more accurate, but will not be available in many places (usually only local universities will be doing it), so it may not be something that you can practically do.

Calipers, where someone pinches the skin and takes a measurement of the subcutaneous fat is another cost-effective method and most gyms will offer this.

The drawback here is similar as with tape measurement readings, however.  If you aren’t hitting the same spot each time, you aren’t getting an accurate assessment over time.

The other disadvantage to using these is that it’s not taking into account visceral body fat (body fat within the organs and tissues) as accurately as underwater weighing does.  There are formulas to be used with calipers that are supposed to account for this, but again, individual differences will exist.

Finally, the last body fat measurement is known as DEXA and is most accurate.  This is when X-rays are used to assess the different components of the body – body fat and lean tissues.  The advantage here is accuracy, but the disadvantage is cost. 

Usually these methods are extremely expensive and can only be performed in the hospital.

So, be sure you keep this all in mind when assessing fat loss.  A smart plan is to use a variety of methods in combination to arrive at a good estimate of where you stand as far as body fat level is.