The scale gives you one number for your whole body. A tape measure gives you several, for different places, and those numbers often move in ways the scale doesn't show. That's why many people keep a few measurements alongside their weight: waist, hips, chest, maybe a thigh or an upper arm.
Like weigh-ins, measurements are only useful if you take them the same way every time. A tape a centimetre higher, or pulled a little tighter, can swamp any real change. This guide covers where to put the tape and how to keep your measurements comparable.
Pick your spots once
Before you take your first measurement, decide which spots you'll track and exactly where each one is. Write it down. These are some common choices:
Around the fullest part, under the arms, tape level across the back.
Pick a landmark you can find again, like the navel, and use it every time.
Around the widest part, feet together, tape level all the way round.
Pick a height you can repeat, like a hand’s width below the hip crease.
- Same time of day, same clothes, or none
- Snug, not squeezing
- Breathe out normally, then read
You don't have to track all of them. Two or three spots measured carefully are more useful than six measured in a hurry. Waist and hips are where most people start. Hushweek has six (waist, hips, chest, neck, upper arm and thigh); fill in any of them and leave the rest blank.
Use landmarks, not guesses
"Around my waist" isn't specific enough to repeat. A landmark is something you can find again by feel or by sight: your navel, the top of your hip bones, the widest part of your hips, a hand's width below the hip crease. Use the same landmark every time, and you'll be measuring the same place.
How to take a measurement
A few habits make the difference between a number that wanders and one you can trust:
- Use a soft, flexible tape that doesn't stretch. A cheap cloth tape that's been stretched over the years will read short.
- Keep the tape level all the way round. A mirror helps you check the back.
- Snug, not tight. The tape should lie flat on the skin without pressing in.
- Breathe out normally, then read. Don't hold your breath or pull your stomach in.
- Measure twice and take the average if the two readings differ.
- Same time, same clothes. First thing in the morning, before eating, over bare skin or the same thin layer each time.
Same landmark, same tension, same time. Then the numbers mean something.
How often to measure
Measurements change slowly, so measuring every day mostly measures noise. Every two to four weeks is plenty for most people, and some like to measure on the same day as their progress photos, which keeps everything in one session.
Reading your measurements
Measurements go up and down a little for ordinary reasons, just as daily weigh-ins do. Look at the direction over a few readings rather than reacting to any one of them. Setting each reading beside your first one makes the direction easier to see than any single number.
What your measurements mean for you, and whether any particular number matters, is a conversation for you and your prescriber. A tracker's job is to keep the numbers accurate and easy to read, not to judge them.
Metric or imperial?
Use whichever you're comfortable with, and stick with it. Mixing inches and centimetres is one of the easiest ways to make a log hard to read. Hushweek keeps measurements in millimetres under the hood and shows them in the unit you choose, so switching later doesn't change the values you logged.
Keeping them with the rest of your log
Measurements make the most sense next to everything else: your doses, your weight and your photos. Hushweek keeps them together on your phone: Progress › Measurements shows the latest of each with its change since your first, each day's page lists what you measured, and the free CSV export includes them in centimetres and inches. Our appointment checklist shows how to bring them along.
Questions people ask
Where should I measure my waist?
Pick a landmark you can find again, such as the level of your navel, and use it every time. Keep the tape level, snug but not tight, and read it after breathing out normally.
How often should I take body measurements?
Every two to four weeks is enough for most people. Measurements change slowly, so daily readings mostly capture noise.
Why do my measurements vary from day to day?
Small changes in where the tape sits, how tight it is, posture, breathing and time of day all add up. Keeping each of those the same makes readings comparable.
Does the app tell me what my measurements mean?
No. Hushweek records what you log and shows how each measurement has changed since your first. What the numbers mean for you is a question for your prescriber.
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