Assessing Yourself During Quarantine

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Most of you have moved your workouts and your nutrition sessions to home. There’s no trainer or dietitian to measure you anymore, so now what? How do you see if you’re still progressing or if you’re slipping?

First, press the reset button right now and get your new numbers.  Any time you switch methods or professionals, you cannot compare results.  Here’s a guideline and how to measure yourself and how often if you’re using these numbers to adjust your course of action.  If you usually go off of how your clothes fit instead, just be sure you’re getting out of your pajamas and actually putting on your clothes.  Thank us later for that one.  ☺ 

Weight: 

You should be weighing yourself no more than once per week.  This weight should be first thing in the morning, after the restroom, with minimal clothes on, before eating or exercising.  Weigh yourself the same day of the week for documentation purposes.  If you get on the scale more frequently than once per week because it helps you stay on track, only write down the once per week weight to compare.

Body Fat Percentage: 

This should be taken every 3-4 weeks to see appropriate change.  Men can lose 2-2.5% body fat per month and woman 1-1.5% per month.  There are two ways you can check for this change at home. 

  1. Bioelectrical Impedance from your scale or a handheld device.
    This method is highly affected by hydration status and is best done in the afternoon for the most consistent results.

  2. Use this body fat calculator after following the detailed instructions* at the end of this post. https://www.mytecbits.com/tools/medical/navy-body-fat-calculator. 

Circumference Measurements:

These should be taken every 3-4 weeks to see appropriate change and at the same time of day.  You can get some of the measurements on your own and some you will need help with.  This requires a soft measuring tape.  Pick the dominant side of your body to do the following measurements:

Neck: center 

Bicep: midpoint between shoulder joint and elbow joint

Forearm: largest part of forearm

Chest: largest part of chest

Waist: one inch above naval

Hips: largest part of hips (with feet together)

Thigh: largest part of thigh (with equal weight on both legs)

Calf: largest part of calf

*Instructions for online body fat % calculator:

  • Take all measurements without clothes on. 


  • The measurements should be taken in the morning prior to eating or drinking anything and in front of a mirror to allow you to more easily measure. 


  • Take all measurements in INCHES. 


  • Measure your neck circumference (use the video below for a guide on tape measure placement). Record the measurement. 


  • Measure your waist circumference at the SMALLEST part of your waist (use the video below for a guide on tape measure placement). Record the measurement. 


  • Females only: Measure your hip circumference at the LARGEST part of your hips (use the video below for a guide on tape measure placement). Record the measurement. 


  • Repeat all measurements again to ensure accuracy. 


  • Click on the following link to open the online calculator: body fat calculator 


  • Input all the measurements along with your gender, height, and age into the calculator 
and click “calculate Navt BFP”. 


  • Report your weight and the body fat reading from the calculator before or at the time of 
your appointment. 


Quarantine NutritionKelsey Hampton