By Radley West
Spoiler: The Scale Isn’t the Star of the Show
When it comes to fitness, we all love a good before-and-after moment. But if the only thing you’re using to measure progress is your bathroom scale, you’re selling yourself short. Real progress isn’t just about weight, it’s about strength, energy, body composition, and how you feel in your own skin.
So, how do you track progress in a way that actually keeps you motivated and helps you set realistic goals? Here are three tools I use with my clients that go beyond the scale and deliver the full picture: progress photos, measurements, and Evolt body composition scans.
1. Progress photos: your body’s visual diary
We all look in the mirror every day, but we don’t see the changes happening gradually. That’s where progress photos come in. They allow you to look back and truly see the shifts in your body that you may not notice day-to-day.
Take photos every week, in good lighting, wearing the same clothes (or at least the same type). Snap front, side, and back views. Pro tip: Take them at the same time of day for consistency.
Photos show things that the scale can’t like tighter arms, better posture, a smaller waistline, or a glow of confidence. They’re also an amazing motivator when you’re feeling stuck.
2. Measurements: tape doesn’t lie
Your waist doesn’t care what your scale says. Neither do your hips, chest, thighs, or arms. That’s why I recommend doing circumference measurements every 4 weeks.
Use a soft measuring tape and always measure in the same spots, around the belly button for the waist, the fullest part of the hips, etc. These numbers are especially helpful if your goal is fat loss or muscle toning.
You may be dropping inches even if your weight is holding steady, which usually means you’re gaining lean muscle while losing fat. That’s a good thing.
3. Evolt Body Composition Scans: the data goldmine
If you’re serious about understanding what’s going on inside your body, the Evolt scan is your new best friend. This high-tech tool gives you a full breakdown of your body composition: body fat percentage, muscle mass, visceral fat, hydration, and more.
The scan takes just 60 seconds and provides targeted insights, like whether your protein intake is on track or which areas of your body are gaining muscle. It’s objective, scientific, and ridiculously helpful for making smart adjustments to your fitness plan.
I recommend doing a scan every 6-8 weeks to track trends over time and set specific, achievable goals like reducing visceral fat by 1 percent or increasing skeletal muscle mass by a few pounds. We offer these scans locally at Anytime Fitness Lake Murray for a small charge.
The Bottom Line
Setting realistic goals starts with tracking the right things. Progress photos give you visual proof. Measurements show changes that weight can’t. And Evolt scans give you the science to back it all up.
So ditch the scale obsession and start looking at the bigger picture. Your body is changing in more ways than one and you deserve to celebrate all the wins along the way.
Radley West is married to Dr. Andrew West and together they own Anytime Fitness Lake Murray and 33/18 Chiropractic Associates. Radley is a gym owner and personal trainer with more than 20 years of experience helping people achieve non-traditional health goals. She and her team approach fitness by teaching clients to build better habits and create sustainable, feel-good fitness and nutrition routines—no need for intense six-pack aspirations (unless that’s your thing).
