Yes, using hash marks was what I was thinking. But writing a number, crossing it out when it changes. It was a way around using paperclips. Which is, of course, what the paperclip method is trying to avoid in the first place.
What I personally think works best is using the labels I made. Placing a CURRENT label on the page where any stat changes. But I didn't want to make that some kind of requirement for using the notebook.
As it's billed as an all-in-one item, I needed to include some way of tracking your stats, so the large blocks were the best solution I could come up with that didn't involve using any extra items (like paperclips).
Hope that helps.