Everybody's health journey looks a little different. Some people naturally love the foods that support a healthy weight and engage in lots of physical activity for fun. But for others, reaching our health goals can be complicated and even difficult. If you're on a journey to lose weight, for example, your road may be filled with unexpected challenges and setbacks. It can be hard to stay motivated in the midst of these roadblocks.
One way to keep your progress on track is to use printable weight loss charts. You might track workouts, food intake, body measurements, or weekly goals. You might use one printable chart or several different charts. Each one can serve as a record of how far you've come and help provide you with the inspiration and motivation to reach your goals.
Printable Weight Loss Charts to Measure Your Progress
Weight loss charts help you see your improvements (or setbacks) in black and white. When you track your data, you leave no question about how much you've stuck to your chosen goals - whatever those goals might be.
For example, you might want to reach a particular weight, but the number on the scale can be influenced by a number of factors. Tracking your nutritional progress, water intake, sleep, mood, and other changes can help to remind you that you are making progress even if the scale isn't cooperating.
The following printable weight loss charts help you to track your progress on a daily or weekly basis. To download the printable, simply click on the thumbnail image to open the PDF file. Once the chart opens in a new tab, you can print or download it. If you need assistance downloading the printable, check out these helpful tips.
Weekly Weight Measurement and Goal Chart
This chart helps you to determine how well your food or exercise plan is working. In years past, people who were trying to lose weight might have pulled out the measuring tape for a chart like this. Their body measurements determined success or failure. But we encourage you to focus on other factors: how tight your clothes feel, your energy levels, or your sleep quality. All of these factors help you to know if the changes you are making are helping you to improve your overall health and wellness.
Weekly Meal Chart
Writing down what you eat throughout the day helps you stick to your eating plan and make food choices that enhance your well-being. Make a plan that will best suit you and your schedule. For some, eating three meals and two snacks per day works great! For others, six small meals a day works better. You may even want to invest in a meeting with a registered dietitian to make sure you are meeting your calorie and nutrient needs.
The options are endless, so get creative with your plan. This chart also has a space to track the calories of each food to help you become better aware of how each one affects your dietary goals.
You'll also see a column where you can track the amount of fat that you consume. You can use this column or choose to ignore it. Fat is an important (and healthy) part of a healthy diet. Fat helps you to feel full and satisfied after eating and including plant-based oils (like olive oil) in your diet is associated with better heart health. But since fat provides more calories per gram than carbohydrates and fat (9 calories/gram for fat vs. 4 calories/gram for carbs and protein), some people choose to limit their intake or make more mindful choices when they consume it.
Daily Water Intake Chart
In general, healthy people should drink 4-6 cups of water per day. However, depending on your exercise plan and environment, you may need more. Although all liquids count toward your daily adequate amount of fluids, studies show that water is best for hydration and weight loss. To establish how much water you need each day, try for six cups but pay attention to how often you feel thirsty. If you're drinking six cups a day, but still feel thirsty often, this can mean you need to drink more. This chart helps you track your water intake each day.
Weekly Goals and Rewards Chart
Rewarding yourself helps keep you motivated during your weight loss journey. This chart provides a place to write down your weight loss goals and how you plan to celebrate when you meet them. Need ideas? Consider gifting yourself a massage or another spa treatment when you meet a chosen goal. A new workout outfit might help to keep you motivated at the gym. Or a night out with your friends might give you a chance to boast about your progress.
Also, keep in mind that your weight loss goal doesn't have to be a number on the scale. Celebrate your success when you meet other nutritional goals - like eating 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies each day. Or maybe you'd like to celebrate when you work out five times during the week. Get creative and choose goals and rewards that are meaningful for you.
More Charts and Tools to Help You Lose Weight
LoveToKnow Health & Wellness offers other printable weight loss charts to help you track and reach your goals.
- Exercise charts: Includes a chart to monitor heart rate; a weightlifting chart, and a general exercise chart
- BMI calculator: Information and a calculator to help you determine your current body mass index and how many calories are needed for you to reach your weight loss goals
- Dumbbell workout charts: Strength training is an important part of any exercise program. These charts help you get started.
These charts and other tools (like a weight loss journal) can help you to keep you going even when you don't feel like it. It can be challenging to track your daily food and water intake and weekly weight loss in your head - and it's easy to lose track of your progress when it is not recorded in black and white. Display your charts where you will see them throughout the day so you'll have a powerful visual of your weight loss goals and accomplishments.
