What Are Breadth Charts?

When committing to a dieting plan, logging calories consumed and hours spent at the gym are common features. However, to more accurately track your health and your body's transformation, keep a breadth chart, or a log of various body measurements. By tracking weekly inches gained and lost, you will be better able to tailor a diet to fit your specific needs.

Establish Base Measurements

• Collect body measurement data by using a tape measure to measure various body parts before you have started a new diet and exercise routine. Start by measuring your waist, the narrowest part of your abdomen. Next measure the widest point of your hips and bust or chest. Finally, measure around the widest part of one thigh and one arm. Record all of these measurements in a chart. These will serve as your base measurements to compare any progress against.

Track progress

• On a weekly or monthly basis, re-measure your waist, hips, bust/chest, thighs and arms, and record the measurements in your chart. If your overall goal is weight loss, you should start to see decreasing numbers in your measurements after the first two to three weeks. This process can also be used to track muscle development during a weight-training or bodybuilding period.

Using your chart

• Once several week's worth of measurements have been collected, you can use the information to understand your weight loss path and tailor a program to more quickly meet your goals. Doctors agree the circumference of your waist is one of the most important indicators of health because fat built up around the midsection can contribute to a variety of health issues including heart disease. Women should have a waist measurement of less than 35 inches, and men should have a measurement of less than 40 inches. If your waist measurement is more than the recommended size and you have a family history of heart disease or diabetes, talk to your doctor about more drastic weight-loss plans.

Long Term

• Follow your measurements closely, and note the areas of your body that might not be responding as well to diet and exercise. Stubborn areas like the lower abdomen and outer thighs do not as easily burn fat cells and might need to be addressed specifically with a trainer or nutritionist to reach your weight-loss goals. By presenting your doctor with a breadth measurement chart, she will best be able to understand your body's weight-loss patterns and develop a personalized plan for you.