How We Measure Progress

(And Why the Scale Gets It Wrong)

If you’ve ever been told your BMI is “too high”
or the scale says you’re not making progress
despite training, eating better, and feeling stronger —

this page will explain why.

At Optimise Longevity Lab, we don’t guess.
We don’t rely on outdated population averages.
And we don’t reduce health to a single number.

We measure structure, composition, and risk —
because that’s what actually drives long-term health and performance.

Why BMI and the scale are poor measures of progress

BMI and bodyweight were never designed to assess individual health.

BMI does not distinguish between muscle, fat, or bone.
It ignores how fat is distributed.
And it assumes all bodies respond the same way to training, age, and lifestyle.

This is why two people with the same BMI can have completely different health profiles — and why many active, muscular, or older adults are often misclassified as “overweight” or “at risk.”

The scale has similar limitations.

It cannot tell the difference between fat loss and muscle gain,
and it cannot reflect improvements in strength, posture, or metabolic health.

In practice, this means:

  1. It ignores bone density and body structure

  2. It provides no meaningful insight into health risk

  3. It often contradicts how people actually look and feel

  4. It encourages people to chase numbers instead of outcomes

When the measurement is flawed, the conclusion will be too.

What We Measure Instead (and why it matters)

When people come to Optimise Longevity Lab, they’re usually not confused about effort — they’ve already been trying.

They’re training.
They’re trying to eat better.
They’re showing up.

What’s missing is not discipline — it’s feedback.

Instead of asking “What do you weigh?”
we ask “What is your body actually made of — and how is it changing over time?”

That’s why we focus on measurements that reflect real progress, not guesswork.

We track changes in:

  • Body fat and lean mass (not just weight)

  • Fat distribution — where it’s stored and where it’s coming from

  • Circumference and shape changes across the torso and limbs

  • Posture, balance, and structural symmetry

  • Trends over time, not single-day readings

These markers tell us whether someone is becoming stronger, leaner, more resilient, and lower risk — even when the scale doesn’t move.

This is why many clients see visible and measurable progress
before the scale ever reflects it.

And it’s why we never make decisions based on a single number,
taken out of context.

How we use 3D body scanning (and what it does not do)

What it does well

3D scanning is especially useful for:

  • Tracking fat loss vs muscle retention

  • Identifying where fat is being lost from (or not)

  • Showing visible shape changes that the scale ignores

  • Keeping people motivated when weight stalls but progress continues

This is why many clients look and feel better long before the scale reflects it — and why relying on bodyweight alone often leads to the wrong conclusions.

What it does not do

We’re very clear about the limitations.

3D body scanning:

  • Does not directly measure visceral fat like a medical scan

  • Does not measure bone density like a DEXA

  • Does not replace blood work, clinical assessment, or medical imaging

Any estimates are derived from body shape, volume, and population-validated models — the same category of modelling used in large-scale health research.

That’s also why we never interpret a scan in isolation.

The goal isn’t perfect numbers

It’s better decisions.

Used properly, 3D body scanning helps us:

  • Avoid false negatives (“nothing’s working”)

  • Avoid false positives (“the scale dropped so all is well”)

  • Make calmer, smarter adjustments over time

That’s how sustainable progress is built — and maintained.

3D body scanning is not a diagnosis.
And it’s not a crystal ball.

What it gives us — when used correctly — is something far more useful:
a clear, repeatable way to measure change in the human body over time.

At Optimise Longevity Lab, we use 3D body scanning to capture a full-body structural model — measuring shape, circumference, volume, and proportions in a way a scale or BMI never can.

From that, we can estimate:

  • Body composition trends

  • Fat distribution patterns

  • Circumference and volume changes

  • Postural and structural asymmetries

Most importantly, we can track how these change scan to scan, under the same conditions.

That’s where its real value lies.