Continued from How Long Should I Exercise?

Roadblock 6 To lose 15 pounds fast, I have to weight myself every week to see how well I’m doing.

Success Strategy Look beyond the scale.

Your hips don’t lie, but sometimes your scale does. Weight training builds denser muscle.

Some weeks, the number on the scale will look the same or higher, but if you check your waist, hip, or thigh measurements — or use another means to check body-fat percentage — you’ll discover that something great has happened.

You’re building muscle, which makes you look leaner and boosts your metabolism all day. Take notice of how your clothes fit better, too. Using more than one gauge of your progress will keep you from getting discouraged when the scale won’t budge.

The Science Behind The Strategy Muscle is a neat freak’s dream. One pound of the stuff takes up 22 percent less space than a pound of fat. By doing weight training, you can slim down, even if you don’t seem to have lost as many pounds as you might expect in a given week.