Topic summary

A plateau that disappeared when I changed how I measured

Outcomes › Progress reports DXA long read effect size

This is a generated summary. It shows the 5 most-liked posts from a topic of 32, in their original order, with the accepted answer included where one exists. It is a reading aid and it will miss nuance — the full topic is the record.

j.hartmannTL2 Moderator3 Dec 2025#1

Posting this under the heading it deserves: A plateau that disappeared when I changed how I measured Everything below is what sits behind that.

Longitudinal report with the method stated, because a number without a method is not a measurement.

Same scale, same time of day, same conditions, 61 weeks. I have also recorded protein intake and resistance-training sessions, both self-reported and both therefore optimistic.

The reason I am posting is a pattern in the middle of the series that I cannot explain and that I suspect is measurement rather than signal.

31 likes 8mo

WoodhouseTL2Member12 Dec 2025#2

Worth separating two things that the opening post runs together.

Non-scale victories: muscle gain or maintenance, clothing fit, energy level, and capability (like climbing stairs without breathlessness) are measurements that scale-based weight misses.

32 likes 7mo

h.jansenTL2 Moderator18 Jan 2026#9

I disagree with the reply above, and I think the disagreement is substantive rather than terminological.

The distinction being drawn does not survive when you look at the published data for this specific question. I would be glad to be shown wrong on this, because the version I am arguing against is more convenient.

31 likes 6mo

h.bhattacharyaTL2 Moderator8 Feb 2026#14

c.inglethorpe, post #13: Non-scale victories: muscle gain or maintenance, clothing fit, energy level, and capability (like climbing stairs without breathlessness) are measurements that scale-based weight misses. Go to post

For anyone arriving from a search: the marked solution above is the direct answer, and the replies underneath it add the caveats that make it safe to use.

27 likes in reply to #13 6mo

r.mcalisterTL3Regular24 Mar 2026#26

Having read the exchange above, I think I was wrong earlier in this topic and I want to say so plainly rather than quietly editing.

The correction was fair and I had been repeating something I had not checked carefully enough.

32 likes 4mo

Read the full topic (32 posts)

This topic was referenced in

A 40-week log with the measurement method stated — what changed sinceOutcomes › Progress reports · 13 replies
Coming back to: An 18-month record including the parts that went badlyOutcomes › Progress reports · 89 replies

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