What You Should Actually Track During a Fat Loss Phase (If You Want Results Without Losing Your Mind)

Introduction

If you’re setting your sights on fat loss in 2025 but want to avoid spiralling into eating disorders, body dysmorphia, or just plain old anxiety, you’re in the right place. Think of this as your no-nonsense guide from someone who’s been around the block: shredded a few times, kept it off for years, spent 14 years coaching others, and picked up a degree in Strength & Conditioning along the way. No gimmicks, no fluff — just the stuff that actually works.

The biggest roadblock most people hit? They’re tracking the wrong things or wasting time on stuff that doesn’t move the needle. Meanwhile, the important bits get ignored. So, let’s break down exactly what you need to measure to guarantee fat loss results — without the stress, second-guessing, or faff.

Why Tracking Matters

Here's the brutal truth: what gets measured gets managed. Fear, uncertainty, and anxiety about your progress usually come from a lack of awareness. Tracking the right metrics gives you clarity and with clarity comes confidence.

And don’t worry, it’s not about being obsessive. You can manage all this with about five minutes a week. It’s just smart, strategic effort like i'm sure you do at work or with anything else that's important in your life.

The Key Metrics You Should Track During Fat Loss

1. Bodyweight (Weekly Average)

Instead of fixating on your daily weigh-ins (which can fluctuate wildly due to water retention, carbs, stress, and a million other things), focus on your weekly average. Step on the scale at the same time each morning, note it down, and look at the trend over time.

Why it matters:

• Bodyweight is a useful but not perfect, proxy for fat loss.

• Weekly averages smooth out daily noise.

• Seeing the trend helps you stay objective, not emotional.

2. Waist Circumference

Grab a tape measure and check your waist (around your belly button) once a week, first thing in the morning.

Why it matters:

• Fat loss around the midsection is a strong indicator of overall fat loss.

• It’s less sensitive to water retention compared to scale weight.

• Super easy to track and requires zero tech.

3. Progress Photos

Take front, side, and back shots once a week under consistent lighting.

Why it matters:

• Visual changes often show up before the scale budges.

• Gives you objective evidence of your transformation.

• Helps fight body dysmorphia by documenting real progress.

4. Strength Training Performance

Log your workouts: weight lifted, reps, and sets.

Why it matters:

• Maintaining (or even improving) strength is crucial for keeping muscle while losing fat.

• Losing strength often means you’re under-eating or losing muscle — big no-no.

• Progression builds motivation. Simple as that.

5. Cardio Metrics (Pace, Distance, Heart Rate)

Use a sports watch or app to track your runs or cardio sessions.

Why it matters:

• Helps you manage intensity and recovery.

• Improving fitness can indirectly support fat loss (through increased calorie burn and improved recovery).

• Keeps you honest about how much work you're actually putting in.

6. Sleep and Recovery (WHOOP, Oura, or Similar)

Monitor your sleep quality, duration, and recovery scores.

Why it matters:

• Poor sleep wrecks fat loss efforts by messing with hunger hormones and recovery.

• Tracking recovery ensures you’re not digging yourself into an overtraining hole.

• High-quality sleep keeps you sane, happy, and makes it easier to do everything else including eating the right foods.

7. Daily Step Count

Aim for a consistent daily step target (e.g., 8,000-10,000 steps).

Why it matters:

• NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) aka the calories you burn outside the gym, plays a massive role in fat loss.

• Easy to control and adjust without feeling like more "workout".

• Increasing steps is a very easy way to increase rate of fat loss without feeling tired.

8. Food Intake (Calories and Protein)

Log your meals using an app like MyFitnessPal.

Why it matters:

• Awareness of how much you're eating = control over your results.

• Protein intake is critical for muscle retention and satiety.

• You can't "out-train" a poor diet. Sorry, mate.

The "Five Minutes a Week" System

Here's the magic: all this doesn’t mean hours of obsessive tracking. Once you've set up your systems (apps, spreadsheets, or a simple notebook), it's a five-minute job each week:

• Weigh-in each morning.

• Log waist measurement and progress photos once a week.

• Track workouts and cardio sessions as you do them.

• Review WHOOP/Oura stats daily.

• Keep an eye on step counts.

• Log meals and snacks when you eat.

Job done. Minimal effort, maximum results.

If you're an Endeavour coaching client, then you can log body metrics, training data, sleep and steps all within the Endeavour App, saving you plenty of time and hassle. It also syncs with MyFitnessPal to ensure all your data is stored in one place.

Conclusion: Simple Tracking, Massive Impact

When it comes to fat loss, you don't need fancy gadgets, endless spreadsheets, or hardcore restriction. You just need to focus on tracking the stuff that matters most and ignore everything else.

By building awareness around your bodyweight, waist, photos, workouts, steps, sleep, and food intake, you’ll create certainty. And certainty leads to momentum, confidence, and results all without the stress, self-loathing, or overthinking.

If you want a bit of extra help putting this into practice, personalised coaching could be a solid next step. Having someone in your corner to set up your tracking, review your data, and adjust your plan is a game-changer. Reach out if you want a hand — your future self will thank you.

Check out our related blog | The Truth About Fat Loss Plateaus (And How to Break Them)