Lower Waist and Natural Waist

onedayatatime12
onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

My problematic area is and has always been my waist. :tongue:

Thing is the natural waist AND the lower waist have been going down (inches) thankfully, but I'm wondering. Is there a standard measurement for the lower waist in comparison to your natural waist? Suppose my natural waist is supposed to be 25, then is there a measurement set in stone for my lower waist? (My hips are 35ish).

And to clarify, I mean the lovely love handles (so aptly named :laugh: ) which accumulate around your belly button area, when I say 'lower waist'.

Thank you all!

Replies

  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    I'm sure it probably varies from person to person, depending on how love-handle-y they are. My love handles are not even the same size, so I don't think it would be useful for me. xD
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    Okay thank you :D
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I don't know about standards - but my waist is 27", my tummy is 32" and my hips are 34" and I feel like that is a good ratio for my body size (but I am working at making them all smaller!).
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
    Can't help really but I have a question of my own. What do you consider to be lower waist and what is natural? My narrowest point is my belly button. So I measure lower waist to be sort of where my jeans would fit. I am a bit of an odd shape (aren't we all) I have a short torso between ribs and hips is a really small distance so I wear pretty much everything on the top of my hips.
  • pestopoli
    pestopoli Posts: 111 Member
    I have similar measurments to you - 26 natural waist and 36 hips. My guess is your lower waist should rest comfortable in between the two numbers, but that the exact proportion will be ultimately determined by genes, so a bit different for all. Even among incredibly fit people (mainly thinking of women here), I noticed differences in "love handle size".
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    Can't help really but I have a question of my own. What do you consider to be lower waist and what is natural? My narrowest point is my belly button. So I measure lower waist to be sort of where my jeans would fit. I am a bit of an odd shape (aren't we all) I have a short torso between ribs and hips is a really small distance so I wear pretty much everything on the top of my hips.

    Natural waist is the crease when you bend to the side, and the lower waist is the imaginary line running straight through the middle of your belly button all around your back, etc.

    tumblr_ljknfr0Jrn1qgcm1uo1_500.jpg

    See her belly button?-that's where I'd measure the lower waist The natural waist is smaller than her lower waist, but HOW much smaller approx is my question?
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    I have similar measurments to you - 26 natural waist and 36 hips. My guess is your lower waist should rest comfortable in between the two numbers, but that the exact proportion will be ultimately determined by genes, so a bit different for all. Even among incredibly fit people (mainly thinking of women here), I noticed differences in "love handle size".

    Thank you for your insight! I agree that it should be comfortably in between the two numbers, as you said. :)
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
    Thanks.

    Mine are in the same place. No wonder I look odd in high waisted stuff!!!!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Thanks.

    Mine are in the same place. No wonder I look odd in high waisted stuff!!!!

    Ditto. My belly button is quite high.
  • sunnyflower1177
    sunnyflower1177 Posts: 212
    wonder how mine are--too big to mention!
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    Do you mean is there a set ideal measurement for the larger part of your stomach/waist in comparison to your waist where it should be? (natural waist) If so, not that I know of. I think it's determined by genetics and where you tend to store fat.

    I do measure both areas separately though and they are quite different. What you describe as lower waist is somewhere between waist and hips. My waist (smallest area) is 28", the largest part of my stomach, around the belly button is 32" and hips 34"
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    There is no standard as there is no "standard" size for people. Everyone is different, but I would venture to say that your "lower waist" should be larger than your "natural waist" but smaller than the widest part of your hips.
  • tj1376
    tj1376 Posts: 1,402 Member
    Can't help really but I have a question of my own. What do you consider to be lower waist and what is natural? My narrowest point is my belly button. So I measure lower waist to be sort of where my jeans would fit. I am a bit of an odd shape (aren't we all) I have a short torso between ribs and hips is a really small distance so I wear pretty much everything on the top of my hips.

    Natural waist is the crease when you bend to the side, and the lower waist is the imaginary line running straight through the middle of your belly button all around your back, etc.

    tumblr_ljknfr0Jrn1qgcm1uo1_500.jpg

    See her belly button?-that's where I'd measure the lower waist The natural waist is smaller than her lower waist, but HOW much smaller approx is my question?

    So if your natural waist and lower waist are the same thing that only leaves you one measurement, right?
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    From a strictly measurement point of view - if you want to measure your love handles it's not as important where exactly you measure as it is important that you measure the same place consistently over time. You can decide based on your body where the biggest part of your love handles is (like just above the hip bones for example) and then decide that is the place you want to measure. For custom fit clothing you essentially tape off the natural waist with like a thin strip of paper 1/2" to 1" wide and you can use a paperclip to hold the tape in place for reusability. Then you would determine where you want to measure for love handles, say 2" down from the natural waist. So you can paperclip little 2" strips of paper to your waist tape. Now you just place your measuring tape around your body as indicated by your hanging paper guides and you are done! You can repeat the process as needed to measure the same place and track progress.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    “Natural waist" is just a new fad way to describe the belly/stomach area. It just came around when the low raise pants became fashionable, and makes things too complicated; it was much easier for me to find pants that actually fit my natural waist.

    Not everybody can nicely wear low raise pants. Curvy ladies with a small waist and larger hips (like myself), have a hard time to find the right size and fit. We all end up with a big gap in the back. It is the opposite for ladies with very little difference, in inches, between the natural waist and the stomach area.

    It is sad that we cannot longer find pants that set and fit at the natural waist.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    Can't help really but I have a question of my own. What do you consider to be lower waist and what is natural? My narrowest point is my belly button. So I measure lower waist to be sort of where my jeans would fit. I am a bit of an odd shape (aren't we all) I have a short torso between ribs and hips is a really small distance so I wear pretty much everything on the top of my hips.

    Natural waist is the crease when you bend to the side, and the lower waist is the imaginary line running straight through the middle of your belly button all around your back, etc.

    tumblr_ljknfr0Jrn1qgcm1uo1_500.jpg

    See her belly button?-that's where I'd measure the lower waist The natural waist is smaller than her lower waist, but HOW much smaller approx is my question?

    So if your natural waist and lower waist are the same thing that only leaves you one measurement, right?

    exactly.. there is not standard measurement because not everyone is built the same with the same structure. for instance the girl in that photo has a long torso. her torso is like 3 times the length of mine. i literally have 1.5" inches of space between where my rib cage ends and my hip bone begins . my torso doesnt have space for a low waist, a natural waist or any type waist for that matter :laugh:
  • jimshine
    jimshine Posts: 199 Member
    Even guys can have issues with this. I have long, slender legs and a small butt. My natural waist is rather low and small compared to my torso. I wear pants with the waist higher up around my stomach so I never had a gut flopping over my pants. The issue you run into doing that is the legs tend to larger in diameter and fit baggy.
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    Can't help really but I have a question of my own. What do you consider to be lower waist and what is natural? My narrowest point is my belly button. So I measure lower waist to be sort of where my jeans would fit. I am a bit of an odd shape (aren't we all) I have a short torso between ribs and hips is a really small distance so I wear pretty much everything on the top of my hips.

    Natural waist is the crease when you bend to the side, and the lower waist is the imaginary line running straight through the middle of your belly button all around your back, etc.

    tumblr_ljknfr0Jrn1qgcm1uo1_500.jpg

    See her belly button?-that's where I'd measure the lower waist The natural waist is smaller than her lower waist, but HOW much smaller approx is my question?

    So if your natural waist and lower waist are the same thing that only leaves you one measurement, right?

    Yes, I would presume so but I have some reasonable distance from my natural waist to my lower waist which is why I was asking.
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    Can't help really but I have a question of my own. What do you consider to be lower waist and what is natural? My narrowest point is my belly button. So I measure lower waist to be sort of where my jeans would fit. I am a bit of an odd shape (aren't we all) I have a short torso between ribs and hips is a really small distance so I wear pretty much everything on the top of my hips.

    Natural waist is the crease when you bend to the side, and the lower waist is the imaginary line running straight through the middle of your belly button all around your back, etc.

    tumblr_ljknfr0Jrn1qgcm1uo1_500.jpg

    See her belly button?-that's where I'd measure the lower waist The natural waist is smaller than her lower waist, but HOW much smaller approx is my question?

    So if your natural waist and lower waist are the same thing that only leaves you one measurement, right?

    exactly.. there is not standard measurement because not everyone is built the same with the same structure. for instance the girl in that photo has a long torso. her torso is like 3 times the length of mine. i literally have 1.5" inches of space between where my rib cage ends and my hip bone begins . my torso doesnt have space for a low waist, a natural waist or any type waist for that matter :laugh:

    I guess it depends on body type then haha. I think for the most part, the measurements are in between their natural waist and hip measurements, if there's a reasonable measurable distance then! I'm not as long torso-ed as the girl in the picture, but I definitely don't have a small torso. It's probably about two inches shorter than hers maybe?
  • bio01979
    bio01979 Posts: 313
    you can find pants that sit at the natural waist again because sadly the 80s are back lol

    I see people wearing higher waisted pants all the time now
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member
    Umm, not at MY natural waist. Or at least nobody should be wearing pants that high. :laugh:

    My 'natural waist' is a good 4" above my belly button. But I have a long torso - as in, I can't wear a 1-piece bathing suit because it won't cover all my 'parts' at once.

    Which is why pants sized by the waist size depress me. They are sized for a person's natural waist, but I'm not dressing for my natural waist, so I have to go up a bunch of sizes!
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    Umm, not at MY natural waist. Or at least nobody should be wearing pants that high. :laugh:

    My 'natural waist' is a good 4" above my belly button. But I have a long torso - as in, I can't wear a 1-piece bathing suit because it won't cover all my 'parts' at once.

    Which is why pants sized by the waist size depress me. They are sized for a person's natural waist, but I'm not dressing for my natural waist, so I have to go up a bunch of sizes!

    I don't have such a long torso, but I can see what you mean! haha :laugh:
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    you can find pants that sit at the natural waist again because sadly the 80s are back lol

    I see people wearing higher waisted pants all the time now

    YESS! I know! I wanna be able to fit in a retro-style bathing suit-I may not look good in 'em, but they look good! :D
  • onedayatatime12
    onedayatatime12 Posts: 577 Member
    Hm, so I measured myself, and with the fat that I have on my tummy, my natural waist is two inches above my 'lower waist' (imaginary circle over belly button around back). Perhaps that is why my natural waist should be 25, and my lower waist somewhere around 27-28. I'm at 31.5 this morning, I think, so hopefully in a few months, I should reach my goal of getting toned. Yay!

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