Measurements — Under or Over Skin Flaps?

sgriska

When you take body measurements (particularly waist), do you move overhanging skin out of the way or measure on top of it?

I have been measuring underneath my skin folds because that’s how I wear my pants unless I’ve got a girdle on holding things together, but then when I see a discussion of Waist to Height Ratio or something not clothing-specific, I always wonder “which” waist they mean — is the flap hanging off my ribs meant to be included in that or not?

thaevilgenius

Usually(the US navy method of calculating body fat) you measure it from the belly button

sgriska

Yeah, but I have skin hanging down on the sides at the level of my belly button.

collectingblues

I would do over -- it's adding to your girth.

People wear clothes in all sorts of ways that make the clothes not fit. Just because you put your pants under your folds doesn't mean that the folds don't ad to your measurements.

kshama2001

I have uterine fibroids that enlarge my abdomen to more than a 5 month pregnancy size, so don't look at things like the Waist to Height Ratio.

(I do measure my waist, but that's just to freak out at how much it blows up when I ovulate, and label it Fibroid rather than Waist.)

jemhh

If measuring to buy clothes, over.

Otherwise, however you prefer.

I have a permanent floop and measure under it when taking a hip measurement to compare month to month.

ahoy_m8

thaevilgenius wrote: »

Usually(the US navy method of calculating body fat) you measure it from the belly button

That's for men. The formula for women takes waist at the smallest point (generally above navel) and hips at largest point (generally below pubis)

viajera99

The US Navy measurement is at the belly button for men. For women, it's taken at the smallest circumference of the torso between the ribs and the pelvis. I'd measure under excess skin.

Maxxitt

pismodiver wrote: »

The US Navy measurement is at the belly button for men. For women, it's taken at the smallest circumference of the torso between the ribs and the pelvis. I'd measure under excess skin.

That's my opinion as well.