Accurate waist measurement help needed
missykaymorgan
Posts: 2 Member
Hey all! I'm a bit confused.
I'm kicking up my strength training and am more concerned about losing inches vs weight (not overweight, just very much trying to tone up).
I'm trying to find out exactly where I should be taking my waist measurement. I am only 5'2" and have a pretty darn short torso. I've read to measure either 1) in the slimmest part of your waist and 2) along your belly button line. Well...I kind of have an issue with both of those.
1. The slimmest part of my waist is literally at the very bottom of my rib cage. Also, I don't really have any accumulative fat there. So there's not really a whole lot to lose in that area to begin with.
2. The area along my belly button is literally about an inch below where my ribcage ends. So, again, not really any accumulative fat there that I can lose.
What I am concerned about, however, is losing that extra fat in my lower abdomen area, below my belly button. But, being a woman, that area likes to go back and forth between being angrily bloated and not-so-bloated (I swear I'm always in some state of bloatedness). So trying to get any kind of accurate measurement in that target area is damn near impossible.
I appreciate ANY information/suggestions you may have.
I'm kicking up my strength training and am more concerned about losing inches vs weight (not overweight, just very much trying to tone up).
I'm trying to find out exactly where I should be taking my waist measurement. I am only 5'2" and have a pretty darn short torso. I've read to measure either 1) in the slimmest part of your waist and 2) along your belly button line. Well...I kind of have an issue with both of those.
1. The slimmest part of my waist is literally at the very bottom of my rib cage. Also, I don't really have any accumulative fat there. So there's not really a whole lot to lose in that area to begin with.
2. The area along my belly button is literally about an inch below where my ribcage ends. So, again, not really any accumulative fat there that I can lose.
What I am concerned about, however, is losing that extra fat in my lower abdomen area, below my belly button. But, being a woman, that area likes to go back and forth between being angrily bloated and not-so-bloated (I swear I'm always in some state of bloatedness). So trying to get any kind of accurate measurement in that target area is damn near impossible.
I appreciate ANY information/suggestions you may have.
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Replies
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First, measure your waist anyway, even if it seems like you don't have fat to lose there.
Second, I'd take measurements at BOTH of the areas you mentioned and just note which is which. Or, pick one or the other but the main thing is to consistently measure in the same spot.0 -
Measure yourself at the slimmest part and across your belly button. Track both.0
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Measure yourself at the slimmest part and across your belly button. Track both.
that.
apparently im weird (well, we know that but anyways) and my natural waist, slimmest part AND my belly button are all in the same line.
which makes it easy to measure lol
however i do also measure my ribcage cause... im weird? (and yes, ive lost inches there lol)0 -
Measure first thing in the morning - before eating anything you will be less bloated than after you start consuming food/fluids. I would pick 3 measurements - natural waist, belly button, hip bones - those are easy spots to find and they will stay the same spot from week to week.0
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »Measure yourself at the slimmest part and across your belly button. Track both.
that.
apparently im weird (well, we know that but anyways) and my natural waist, slimmest part AND my belly button are all in the same line.
which makes it easy to measure lol
however i do also measure my ribcage cause... im weird? (and yes, ive lost inches there lol)
The more measurements the merrier!
We lose size in all sorts of spots. I measure my waist at the two spots above, hips, thigh, calf, wrist, forearm, and neck. I have no idea why but I've never measured my bicep/upper arm area.0 -
Really, you can measure anywhere you want. I measure my belly button because it's approximately the widest part of my abdomen and it's easy to find the exact same spot each week. If you want to measure another part of your abdomen, go for it. It might be harder to get in the same spot but if you have a mole or freckle or something, just go off of that. You'll see some fluctuation with bloating but I'd imagine you could still see an overall trend over time.
Honestly, photos might be better feedback for you though. Take one with your abs flexed and unflexed every couple weeks and compare.0 -
Bend sideways where u bend is your natural waist or the slimmest part of your torso0
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »Measure yourself at the slimmest part and across your belly button. Track both.
that.
apparently im weird (well, we know that but anyways) and my natural waist, slimmest part AND my belly button are all in the same line.
which makes it easy to measure lol
however i do also measure my ribcage cause... im weird? (and yes, ive lost inches there lol)
I am kind of fascinated that your belly button is the slimmest part of your waist, it's so cool how we are all different! My 'waist' is likely where the OP's is, the slimmest part is right below my rib cage. Just this morning I figured out how you can add more measurements you want to track to MFP so I added a few. Like you, I am going to start tracking my rib cage (where my bra band sits). I don't expect my rib cage to get smaller, but hopefully some of that fat on my back will go one of these days!
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I measured rib cage, natural waist (just below ribs for me) and the very top of my hip bones. Even without a lot of extra weight there when I started (or so I thought because my tummy was flat!), I lost s surprising number of inches from those spots.
It's also nice to track more measurement spots than just your waist and hips because sometimes there will be a lot of change in one measurement but not others.0 -
All very awesome suggestions...thank you all for your input. Taking measurements of multiple areas and adding photos to document the process sounds like the best way to go about it. It's good to know that we all have different natural waist definitions. I was starting to think I didn't fall into the norm!0
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »Measure yourself at the slimmest part and across your belly button. Track both.
that.
apparently im weird (well, we know that but anyways) and my natural waist, slimmest part AND my belly button are all in the same line.
which makes it easy to measure lol
however i do also measure my ribcage cause... im weird? (and yes, ive lost inches there lol)
I am weird too then. My belly button is where my waist is, and that is directly below the bottom of my ribs at the side.
My ribs and hips have 2.5 in distance between them.
There was a good belly button/waist thread a year or more ago with a number of pictures posted and a good description of the differences.
Those with a belly button and waist in line tend to be a B shape in profile. Looks like you have a top tummy and bottom tummy.
Those with the belly button below the waist tend to be a D shape in profile with the bottom of the D extending out a little more.
I looked to see if I had a pic on my phone for an example of the B type, fortunately I don't. (Wouldn't like to scare you all)
Cheers, h.
ETA, it doesn't matter how much weight I am carrying, when I sit down my belly button gets lost in my waist crease and my top tummy bloops over waistbands.0 -
blues4miles wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »Measure yourself at the slimmest part and across your belly button. Track both.
that.
apparently im weird (well, we know that but anyways) and my natural waist, slimmest part AND my belly button are all in the same line.
which makes it easy to measure lol
however i do also measure my ribcage cause... im weird? (and yes, ive lost inches there lol)
I am kind of fascinated that your belly button is the slimmest part of your waist, it's so cool how we are all different! My 'waist' is likely where the OP's is, the slimmest part is right below my rib cage. Just this morning I figured out how you can add more measurements you want to track to MFP so I added a few. Like you, I am going to start tracking my rib cage (where my bra band sits). I don't expect my rib cage to get smaller, but hopefully some of that fat on my back will go one of these days!
i always assumed everyone's was like that till i think maybe the thread mentioned below LOL i had just never... thought about it LOLOLOLmiddlehaitch wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »Measure yourself at the slimmest part and across your belly button. Track both.
that.
apparently im weird (well, we know that but anyways) and my natural waist, slimmest part AND my belly button are all in the same line.
which makes it easy to measure lol
however i do also measure my ribcage cause... im weird? (and yes, ive lost inches there lol)
I am weird too then. My belly button is where my waist is, and that is directly below the bottom of my ribs at the side.
My ribs and hips have 2.5 in distance between them.
There was a good belly button/waist thread a year or more ago with a number of pictures posted and a good description of the differences.
Those with a belly button and waist in line tend to be a B shape in profile.
Those with the belly button below the waist tend to be a D shape in profile with the bottom of the D extending out a little more.
I looked to see if I had a pic on my phone for an example of the B type, fortunately I don't. (Wouldn't like to scare you all)
Cheers, h.
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I track waist (slimmest point) & naval circumference).0
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I'm the same way. My waist hits just at the bottom of my ribs, my belly button is below that. I take and track measurements. Hips also. I'm 5'. My torso is ridiculously short. Low rise pants usually come up to my belly button.0
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As a nurse, when I measure a patient's waist, I was taught to measure around the hip bones. So I find them with my fingers and line the tape up with them. Not sure if that helps. Whatever works best for you is what you should do, of course. 0
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@callsitlikeiseeit oooh, have you been following the thread about where to measure for hips too?
The confusion there was it is not the top of the hips across the belly, but correctly around the widest part, usually just above the top of the thigh.
We are also different.
Cheers, h.
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If you are never sure, get a piece of thin elastic (not like rubber band, but like to sewing). Tie it around your approx. waist, a little tight so that you have to stretch it. The elastic will settle at the narrowest part of your waist. As for where to measure...wherever you want as mentioned before. I do natural waist and belly button.0
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It's also helpful to lightly flex your abs when you measure; that will eliminate any "sucking in" that you might be tempted to do.0
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