The whole point of the eight weeks is that you finish with two sets of numbers side by side. That only works if both sets were taken the same way. This is how I do it at the gym, and how to do it yourself between blocks or on holiday.
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What I take in week one
Body weight and a full set of body measurements with a tape, done privately before your first session, and written down where you can see them. Nothing goes on a wall and nothing goes online. In week eight I take exactly the same set, in the same order, and we sit down with both columns. If you are tracking on your phone, the 8-week tracker keeps the two sets together.
Why the tape matters more than the scales
Scales move with water, salt, sleep, the time of the month and what you ate last night. A tape around the waist does not care about any of that. People regularly lose inches while the scales barely move, especially in the first few weeks when muscle is coming on. There is a longer guide on that here.
Measuring yourself at home
- Same day, same time. First thing, after the toilet, before breakfast. Every time.
- One tape, fixed spots. Pick your sites once (waist at the belly button is the one that matters most) and never move them. A soft tape, snug, not digging in.
- Weigh once a week, not once a day. If you must weigh daily, average the seven and only compare the averages.
- Write it down straight away. Numbers you did not write down did not happen.
Progress photos, if you want them
Photos are optional and they are yours. If you take them, make them comparable: same spot in the house, same light (daylight from a window beats the bathroom bulb), same time of day, phone propped at the same height, same clothes, front, side and back. Do not suck in, do not flex. Take them in week one even if you hate them, because the week-eight version is the one people wish they had. I never post a client photo without a clear yes, in writing, from the client.
What a fair comparison looks like
Two columns, same sites, same conditions, eight weeks apart. Not a photo from a good angle, not a number from a heavy week. When the numbers are taken the same way, the decision about what to do next is easy.