It is difficult to control your weight if you cannot see where it is going. Apart from a regular regimen, diet, and discipline, it is vitally important to keep a record of your weight to determine whether or not you are making any progress. There are several ways to create a weight loss graph which you can use to visually monitor your weight.
- Use Excel spreadsheet to create your graph. A simple graph containing the date and weight in pounds or kilograms is easy to do using Microsoft Excel. Open a new spreadsheet and on column A of the first row, type in ‘date.' On column B of the same row, type in weight in pounds or kilograms. Whether you monitor your weight loss progress on a daily or a weekly basis, key in the date on the corresponding rows of column A, and write your weight alongside the date on column B. Put the cursor over the box with the word ‘date' in it, click to highlight then drag your mouse to highlight the rest of the written data. On the toolbar on top of the page find ‘Insert' and look for ‘Chart.' Several types of chart will appear including column, pie, bar, doughnut, radar, line, and so on. Click ‘Line' and choose line with markers, then click ‘ok'. The program will then load a graph according to the data you provided. Save your work each time you add new data. You can do practically the same with Microsoft Word as you will find when you click ‘Insert' and ‘Chart' in Word document, an Excel spreadsheet will automatically open.
- Download free weight loss chart or log from the internet. Many sites offer simple spreadsheet weight loss tracker which you can customize and print. Consider checking the ideal weight chart and BMI chart which are also readily available on the internet. The charts can help you monitor not only your weight but your exercise time, calories, and other measurements you would like to record.
- Sign up with an online weight tracker. There are now many sites offering you online means of recording all aspects of your weight loss program. A couple of examples are Fridge Graph and Optimal Body Weight. The former allows you to track your weight loss progress using a simple web interface. It has many other features including but not limited to BMI and BMR calculation, sharing your progress with family, friends and other members online, and applications you can use for your gadgets as well as social networking sites. The service is free and provides a bit more fun as you can create challenges and show to your contacts online whether or not you are making any progress. The latter example provides vital diet statistics that include weight movement graph, body measurement graph, weight loss statistics, expected target weight date, body composition and measurement analysis, total energy requirement, and metabolic indicators among others.
With a weight loss graph you will get more motivated to work on trimming down your weight and analyze whether or not the weight loss program you are in is appropriate for you.