Question: I have been eating right and exercising for about three months and my results have been good. My weight is where I want it to be, but now I can't tell if I am getting better.

        Answer: Congrats on the progress. The first thing to do now is to go to a gym/fitness facility and have a qualified staff member administer a body fat test and take circumference measurements. This is a great way to chart your progress.

        Most people concentrate on the scale, which can be misleading. This is because some people who have been working out gain extra muscle mass which can increase weight — but that is not always a bad thing.

        Extra muscle mass is good because it means you are getting leaner rather than fatter. For example, I worked with a professional dancer who wanted to lose weight. I had to explain to her that it is not “weight” she wanted to lose but rather excess fat. She was 111 pounds and wanted to get down to 105 pounds, which was ridiculous. I persuaded her not to starve herself and to concentrate on eating six small, natural, whole-food meals per day as well as do weight training that was relevant to her dancing.

        She reluctantly did that, and to her surprise, lowered her body fat, lost an inch in her waist, but gained weight, up to 114 pounds. Despite the gain, she looked sleeker and more defined because she lost body fat and gained muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is like having a furnace in your body that burns extra calories as fuel, thus making muscle mass important to all exercisers.

        Getting in great shape isn't just about weight, it is about body fat composition (how much lean body weight you have versus how much body fat). In addition, circumference measurements are when you get your body measurements taken such as your chest and waist. By keeping track of these numbers, in addition to your body weight, you can accurately gauge where you are at in terms of your body composition.

        People track their body fat daily, weekly, monthly or in eight-week blocks. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, choose a time frame to track your body composition and use the numbers as extra motivation to reach your goals.

       Contact certified personal trainer Dave Patania by e-mail: davpatania@aol.com.

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