Calculating your body mass index (BMI) is a wonderful way to track your progress and make goals. In fact, medically this is how you would determine whether or not you are at a healthy weight.
Underweight: If your BMI is less than 18.5
Normal: BMI between 18.5 and 25
Overweight: BMI between 25 and 30
Obese: BMI greater than 30
In order to determine your BMI, take your weight in pounds, multiply by 703, and then divide twice by your height in inches. For example, if I weigh 135 pounds and am 5ft-6in tall (which converts to 66 in):
135 x 703 = 94905
94905 / 66 = 1437.95
1437.95 / 66 = 21.79
A BMI of 21.79 would put me in the normal range. Alternatively, you can just chart your height and weight on the chart below, and it will give you what range you are in, but it will not give you your exact BMI. Click on the chart to enlarge it.
Keep in mind that athletes or muscluar body types may be more dense than normal. In fact, for years as a gymnast I landed in the overweight range on the BMI chart even though I was extrememly fit. I recommend trying to determine your healthy weight using a few different methods to get a better overall picture of where you stand. I also recommend that you get the opinion of a medical professional.
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Another good way to track your progress is to take measurements. The most common measurements taken to track weight loss are bust, chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves, upper arms and forearms. Below are some guidelines on how to take these measurements:
Bust: Measure around the chest right at the nipple line, but don't pull the tape too tight.
Chest: Measure just under your bust Waist: Measure a half-inch above your belly button or at the smallest part of your waist
Hips: Place tape measure around the biggest part of your hips
Thighs: Measure around the biggest part of each thigh
Calves: Measure around the largest part of each calf
Upper arm: Measure around the largest part of each arm above the elbow
Forearm: Measure around the largest part of the arm below the elbow.
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It sounds silly, but I think a wonderful way to see if you are losing weight is simply to look at yourself. How do your clothes fit? How do you feel? Sometimes it seems like you aren't making progress toward your weight loss goals until you try on a pair of tight jeans and "wha-la!" they aren't so tight anymore.
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There is one more method worth mentioning and that is body fat testing. There are several ways to do this: calipers, Bioelectrical Impedance Scales, DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), Hydrostatic Weighing and Online calculators (used in conjunction with skin fold or tape measurements). These methods vary in accuracy and cost. If you decide this is something that you would like to do periodically, decide which method you will use, get it done by the same person or company each time, and limit yourself to getting your body fat checked once a month or less. This way you will get a consistent measurement and will be able to see if your are making progress over the long term; body fat is not something that changes overnight.
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With each method of weight loss tracking, you should decide what your goals are, how often you are going to check your progress, and what steps you will take in order to reach your goals. I firmly believe you should set your goals with someone to motivate you and hold you accountable. That way you have someone by you if you slip up, and someone by you to tell you how awesome you are doing! If you are interested in having me help you set goals and track your progress, please let me know!
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Here are two links that have even more information about weight loss tracking and fitness assessment:
http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/weightlosstrack.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2257553_assess-fitness-level.html
