Waist Measurements
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CharleneMarie_723 wrote: »For a 5'4'' female, what is the "ideal" waist measurement? For health, and for vanity.
I'm 5'4" and for health I've heard the 1/2 your height is healthy so 32 inches for us shorties. For vanity I felt good in a size 4 when I had a 27 inch waist, but I would also be happy smaller than that since my bone structure is small. I'm at 34 inches right now so I have a LONG way to go. Even with my small frame I've always had a booty. At my lightest my hips were 36 inches, now they're 41.5 BOO! Everyone on this post is so tiny I'm jealous.0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »
The American Council on Exercise has categorized the range of body fat percentages as follows:Traveler120 wrote: »'They' say that the ideal measurements for women are:
Waist - 38% of your height (natural waist measured at narrowest part of torso)
Shoulders - 62% of your height (measured at about armpit level)
Lean Body Mass (in Kg) - (height in meters) cubed x 10
Body Fat- 20%
So for me at 5'5' =65in=1.651m, my ideal dimensions would be:
Waist - 25 inches
Shoulders - 40 inches
LBM - 45kg=99 lbs
Using above LBM, at 20% Body Fat, ideal weight=99/0.8=124 lbs
I'm roughly down to these so called ideal measurements but personally would prefer to be at 17% body fat so that's what I'm working on.
So, to answer your question OP, at 5'4'=64 inches, your ideal waist is 64x0.38=24.32inches.
I've never heard of these "ideals." Where do they come from? I'm entertained by them more than anything.
Someone's imagination, I think. Even quick basic research contradicts the body fat % part... under 30% is healthy, and between 21% and 24% for real fitness.
Description Women / Men
Essential fat 12-15% / 2-5%
Athletes 16-20% / 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% / 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% / 18-25%
Obese 32%+ / 25%+
20% is right in the middle of the athletic and fitness range. I'd call that ideal. I know that for me, I find athletic and fit bodies very good looking. Most people do. Maybe that's where the number came from?
20 is in the athletic range. Fitness begins at 21. So, what you personally find ideal is an athlete type. That's not a universal ideal. Fitness may be. That's about health and activity and I agree that many people find that appealing. The waist to height ratio you cite of 38% I don't see on health sites - I've seen under 43%, from Penn State for example. Your numbers would have my ideal as a 23 inch waist. No way. At my tiniest, at 105 pounds, I was at a 24". I couldn't be smaller and still be at a healthy BMI. So I think your numbers are suspect.0 -
I think the numbers are suspect too. And not only that, i have a problem with the whole idea of "ideal" to begin with. I'm not particularly happy with my body and i want to slim down but i have no intention of striving to meet criteria that someone else has set. As long as you're within a health weight range, reasonably fit, have food on the table and a roof over your head, I really don't have energy to waste working about an inch on my waist!0
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Lol yep I'm with you on that, i haven't seen my waist in a while. I definitely don't fit the ratio, most of my weight is around my middle which is the unhealthiest place to have it.afatpersonwholikesfood wrote: »Good to know about the waist to hip ratio! Mine is in the 0.8 or less category. My waist circumference, on the other hand....LOL. We won't talk about that.
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Traveler120 wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »'They' say that the ideal measurements for women are:
Waist - 38% of your height (natural waist measured at narrowest part of torso)
Shoulders - 62% of your height (measured at about armpit level)
Lean Body Mass (in Kg) - (height in meters) cubed x 10
Body Fat- 20%
So for me at 5'5' =65in=1.651m, my ideal dimensions would be:
Waist - 25 inches
Shoulders - 40 inches
LBM - 45kg=99 lbs
Using above LBM, at 20% Body Fat, ideal weight=99/0.8=124 lbs
I'm roughly down to these so called ideal measurements but personally would prefer to be at 17% body fat so that's what I'm working on.
So, to answer your question OP, at 5'4'=64 inches, your ideal waist is 64x0.38=24.32inches.
HAHAHA what a load of BS.
24 inches waist? Where do you even get that stuff? My bones are wider than that!
And 20% body fat ideal? WTF? Anything under 30% is considered normal, as far as I know...
That's what this "big boned" guy has been telling himself.
If you stripped the flesh and cartilage from my body, I might be able to get a 23.56" waist. It's not about being "big boned", it's about having a skeletal structure that's not able to be that size. The measurement at the top of my hips (what I measure and wear pants as my waist) is 33.25" and my pelvic girdle is sticking out (visibly noticeable).0 -
Look at the difference in bone structure between Kate Moss and Rhonda Rousey, for instance (neither has a BF problem, obviously):
Kate is very long through the torso and has a more narrow ribcage. Her tiny waist is related to that as much as it is to her bodyfat. But Rhonda looks fabulous, clearly, even if her waist isn't as tiny as someone built differently structurally.0 -
Both women look fabulous. They have the ideal bodies for their professions. The difference you're seeing is simply muscle mass not bone structure. Kate could very well put on muscle and look like Rhonda and Rhonda could lose it and look like Kate. According to healthyceleb, Kate's waist is 23 and Rhonda's is 25. They're both 5'7".cafeaulait7 wrote: »Look at the difference in bone structure between Kate Moss and Rhonda Rousey, for instance (neither has a BF problem, obviously):
Kate is very long through the torso and has a more narrow ribcage. Her tiny waist is related to that as much as it is to her bodyfat. But Rhonda looks fabulous, clearly, even if her waist isn't as tiny as someone built differently structurally.0 -
That's why "they" clearly said to measure at the natural waist, which is the narrowest part of the torso, not just any random spot. This is for women, not men by the way.Traveler120 wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »'They' say that the ideal measurements for women are:
Waist - 38% of your height (natural waist measured at narrowest part of torso)
Shoulders - 62% of your height (measured at about armpit level)
Lean Body Mass (in Kg) - (height in meters) cubed x 10
Body Fat- 20%
So for me at 5'5' =65in=1.651m, my ideal dimensions would be:
Waist - 25 inches
Shoulders - 40 inches
LBM - 45kg=99 lbs
Using above LBM, at 20% Body Fat, ideal weight=99/0.8=124 lbs
I'm roughly down to these so called ideal measurements but personally would prefer to be at 17% body fat so that's what I'm working on.
So, to answer your question OP, at 5'4'=64 inches, your ideal waist is 64x0.38=24.32inches.
HAHAHA what a load of BS.
24 inches waist? Where do you even get that stuff? My bones are wider than that!
And 20% body fat ideal? WTF? Anything under 30% is considered normal, as far as I know...
That's what this "big boned" guy has been telling himself.
If you stripped the flesh and cartilage from my body, I might be able to get a 23.56" waist. It's not about being "big boned", it's about having a skeletal structure that's not able to be that size. The measurement at the top of my hips (what I measure and wear pants as my waist) is 33.25" and my pelvic girdle is sticking out (visibly noticeable).0 -
The point is, @Traveler120 (and I mean this as a respectful debating point) that people don't fit in formulas. Waist and shoulders as a % of height is just not something you can pin down for women. If it was, we would be able to shop for clothes off the shelf like men can. I have a pair of jeans that I wore at my absolute slimmest ever size (was sick and underweight). My friend needed a change recently at my house, and I loaned her my skinny-skinny jeans, and they were literally falling off her. She has a teeny tiny waist and I don't, I never had and I never will (certainly not after two kids anyway lol).
Anyhoo...
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Well, the 0.8 waist to hip ratio is a generally accepted formula, BMI, BMR, ideal body fat ranges and weights are all formulas. They're not set in stone, just guidelines/ballpark estimates for the average population. This particular one about the waist/shoulders/LBM/weight (which you can find from various sites) is simply another formula for those of us who're curious just for curiousity's sake. And I liked it because it agreed with my own image of what'd be ideal.The point is, @Traveler120 (and I mean this as a respectful debating point) that people don't fit in formulas. Waist and shoulders as a % of height is just not something you can pin down for women. If it was, we would be able to shop for clothes off the shelf like men can. I have a pair of jeans that I wore at my absolute slimmest ever size (was sick and underweight). My friend needed a change recently at my house, and I loaned her my skinny-skinny jeans, and they were literally falling off her. She has a teeny tiny waist and I don't, I never had and I never will (certainly not after two kids anyway lol).
Anyhoo...
Incidentally, at the beginning of my weight loss, I had a 31 inch waist and 39 inch hips which is 0.79 waist/hip ratio. It was under 0.8 which is supposedly healthy but my body fat was 32% which is obese. So to me, waist/hip ratio was meaningless. Now, I'm at 25.5 waist and 34 inch hips with body fat under 20% but still have some unwanted belly fat and arm fat. It's got to go even though "they" say I'm good.
Ultimately, all that matters is YOUR own opinion of what look suits you best, formulas be damned.0 -
Stacescotty wrote: »It's medically advised to maintain a waist circumference that's no more than half your height. Google "waist to height ratio".
Yes, this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waist-to-height_ratio0 -
No they're not set in stone but they are generally recognized by health professionals as being indicative of healthy weight ranges and are widely used because they are backed up by scientific research and evidence. And 38% Waist to height is generally regarded as underweight. I'm a nursing student and this measurement isn't mentioned in my textbooks (which is why I'm suspicious of it because they're pretty thorough) but a quick search of reputable websites (government mainly) throws up figures between 50-42%.0
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I'm 5 ft 2 - 125 lbs and I have a 27 inch waist which is apparently 'healthy'.
I have no idea of my BF%!
I'm hoping to lose a couple more inches from my waist - I'm in recomp now,so we'll see.0 -
Without any source for these "ideals" and without any attempt to identify who "they" are who came up with them, I am left believing that they were made up for this thread.0
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Traveler120 wrote: »'They' say that the ideal measurements for women are:
Waist - 38% of your height (natural waist measured at narrowest part of torso)
Shoulders - 62% of your height (measured at about armpit level)
Lean Body Mass (in Kg) - (height in meters) cubed x 10
Body Fat- 20%
So for me at 5'5' =65in=1.651m, my ideal dimensions would be:
Waist - 25 inches
Shoulders - 40 inches
LBM - 45kg=99 lbs
Using above LBM, at 20% Body Fat, ideal weight=99/0.8=124 lbs
I'm roughly down to these so called ideal measurements but personally would prefer to be at 17% body fat so that's what I'm working on.
So, to answer your question OP, at 5'4'=64 inches, your ideal waist is 64x0.38=24.32inches.
Who is "they"? That is not the usual medical recommendation. 20% BF is low for a women. Possibly dangerously low for an older woman.0 -
As Lewis Black says "They". The they that say the stock market is going to have downturn and the yen is going to rise. The they that say it is going to rain tomorrow. They said eggs are bad for you and now they say eggs are good for you. Whoever they are, they run the world. I just want to know how to be one of them.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »'They' say that the ideal measurements for women are:
Waist - 38% of your height (natural waist measured at narrowest part of torso)
Shoulders - 62% of your height (measured at about armpit level)
Lean Body Mass (in Kg) - (height in meters) cubed x 10
Body Fat- 20%
So for me at 5'5' =65in=1.651m, my ideal dimensions would be:
Waist - 25 inches
Shoulders - 40 inches
LBM - 45kg=99 lbs
Using above LBM, at 20% Body Fat, ideal weight=99/0.8=124 lbs
I'm roughly down to these so called ideal measurements but personally would prefer to be at 17% body fat so that's what I'm working on.
So, to answer your question OP, at 5'4'=64 inches, your ideal waist is 64x0.38=24.32inches.
Who is "they"? That is not the usual medical recommendation. 20% BF is low for a women. Possibly dangerously low for an older woman.0 -
That body fat % for women at 20% is ridiculous and makes no allowance for age
Here's one of the easily locatable google image charts
Lean is lower than ideal
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Traveler120 wrote: »
That's why "they" clearly said to measure at the natural waist, which is the narrowest part of the torso, not just any random spot. This is for women, not men by the way.Traveler120 wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »'They' say that the ideal measurements for women are:
Waist - 38% of your height (natural waist measured at narrowest part of torso)
Shoulders - 62% of your height (measured at about armpit level)
Lean Body Mass (in Kg) - (height in meters) cubed x 10
Body Fat- 20%
So for me at 5'5' =65in=1.651m, my ideal dimensions would be:
Waist - 25 inches
Shoulders - 40 inches
LBM - 45kg=99 lbs
Using above LBM, at 20% Body Fat, ideal weight=99/0.8=124 lbs
I'm roughly down to these so called ideal measurements but personally would prefer to be at 17% body fat so that's what I'm working on.
So, to answer your question OP, at 5'4'=64 inches, your ideal waist is 64x0.38=24.32inches.
HAHAHA what a load of BS.
24 inches waist? Where do you even get that stuff? My bones are wider than that!
And 20% body fat ideal? WTF? Anything under 30% is considered normal, as far as I know...
That's what this "big boned" guy has been telling himself.
If you stripped the flesh and cartilage from my body, I might be able to get a 23.56" waist. It's not about being "big boned", it's about having a skeletal structure that's not able to be that size. The measurement at the top of my hips (what I measure and wear pants as my waist) is 33.25" and my pelvic girdle is sticking out (visibly noticeable).
The narrowest part of my torso is at the top of my pelvic girdle, aka my natural waist. Bolded - that's why I answered, unless you know something about my gender that I don't.0
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