Weights and Measures

Whether you’re using apps on your smartphone or wearing a fitness device on your wrist, using technology to measure your weight loss is a great way to stay plugged in to your goals and stay motivated.

But how do you really measure success?

We’re in the home stretch of the “10-Week, 10-Pound Challenge” and it’s time to assess how we did and make a plan for moving forward.

This week in The Challenge we’re gonna talk about measuring success, both on the scale and off.

To that end, here’s the Week 10 lineup:

Monday: Weights and Measures

Tuesday: “Try-It Tuesday”: Kickboxing!

Wednesday: Best Tools to Measure Weight Loss: Beyond the BMI

Thursday: The DXA Body Composition Analysis

Friday: Video wrap up of the “10-Week, 10-Pound Challenge,” how I did, how you did and what’s coming next!

There are lots of ways to measure weight loss, and we’re gonna talk about some of those on Wednesday and Thursday, but how do you measure success? Is it the number on the scale? Is it getting off your blood pressure medication? Is it being able to run a mile? Is it fitting into a certain size jeans?

All of those definitions are valid and worthwhile, though some have a greater impact than others. About 40 pounds into my weight loss journey I was able to get off GERD medication, which made me very happy. At my goal weight I can wear single-digit size jeans, which also makes me happy. But the number on the tag doesn’t make or break my mood on any given day. What gives me that deep sense of satisfaction – the one that allows me to sleep well every night when my head hits the pillow – is knowing that I have gained mastery over something that felt very out of control for the first 44 years of my life.

That’s my measure of success.

Whether we succeed at hitting that 10-pound mark at the end of The Challenge won’t define our success. If you’re not there yet, don’t sweat it! Keep at it!

Truthfully, there is no end date. How can there be when the goal is a happy, healthy life?!?

C’mon, we got this!