Hip, Bust, Waist Ratios?

LilMissRaptr
LilMissRaptr Posts: 37 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So I had been told that regardless of overall weight that ratios are pretty indicative of overall health, I tried to run some research but I'm getting conflicting results. Any feedback or sourced info on this?

My Measurements

Weight: 143.5 lbs.
Height: 5'2"
Bust: 40 in.
Waist: 31 in.
Hips: 38 in.
«13

Replies

  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    You are an hourglass. I'm similar but different numbers. I gain and lose evenly so it's about 20 pounds before I realize I've been getting bigger.
  • aliwhalen
    aliwhalen Posts: 150 Member
    I could be WAY off here, but I thought the concerns were typically if you carry it in your waist, the fat cells can interfere with vital organs? I heard a snippet about this on NPR once, but it was a while ago. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in!
  • commanderval
    commanderval Posts: 187 Member
    5' 3'', juggling between 132 and 127 lbs


    bust: 34''
    waist: 26''
    hips: 38''

    I just lost way too much boobage :(... Not sure if I'm considered hourglass or pear shaped. I find it quite difficult to find good info on the subject.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    5'7.5" around 180 pounds
    Bust: 35
    Waist: 28
    Hips: 43

    If you carry weight in your stomach (making you an apple shape), you have a higher risk of some diseases. You, OP, have an hour glass figure. If, for example, your bust and waist were reversed, you would be an apple shape.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    5' 3'', juggling between 132 and 127 lbs


    bust: 34''
    waist: 26''
    hips: 38''

    I just lost way too much boobage :(... Not sure if I'm considered hourglass or pear shaped. I find it quite difficult to find good info on the subject.

    I would consider you pretty close to hourglass shape. Pear shaped, IMO, is more like my measurements where your hips are quite a bit larger than your bust.
  • AlliSteff
    AlliSteff Posts: 211 Member
    5'-3", 141.6 lb

    Bust: 36
    Wasit: 28
    Hips: 38

    My understanding is that the waist to hip ratio is important with regards to visceral fat...the higher the ratio, the better
  • candidcastaway
    candidcastaway Posts: 11 Member
    I took my measurements for the first time today, since that's the main way I plan on tracking my weight loss. The scale gets too obsessive for me.

    CW: 171, 5'2"
    Bust: 38
    Waist: 27
    Hips: 37

    I heard ratios were the best way to gauge health, but I could be waaaay off. This is all (fairly) new to me.
  • fattybumclaire
    fattybumclaire Posts: 91 Member
    The British heart foundation state that a womans health is at risk if her waist is bigger than 31.5 inches but I seriously can't imagine how they come up with such an arbitrary number for all sizes of woman. I have tiny friends who don't even reach 5 ft tall and a couple of almost 6 ft tall friends - a 31 inch waist on my smaller friends would be relatively much larger than on the 6 ft tall friends.

    A lot of athletes are considered obese as their bmi s are so high due to muscle weight.

    I don't actually think anyone has come up with an all encompassing system yet!!!
  • squishycatmew
    squishycatmew Posts: 151 Member
    I thought it was meant to be a waist to height measurement? At least, that's what it is in the US, and what the research I've read is on. A general waist measurement is kind of useless.
  • SharonCMach
    SharonCMach Posts: 305 Member
    5'5, 105-108

    Bust: 34
    Waist: 27
    Hip: 34

    Im an inverted triangle
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • gracehmcd
    gracehmcd Posts: 1
    5'6 and 128
    bust:36
    waist:26
    hips:37

    I'm an hourglass/pear shape
  • rdkstar
    rdkstar Posts: 260 Member
    Goto http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/

    They have a waist to hip calc and a waist to height calc. It will tell you how your doing.
  • chele1028
    chele1028 Posts: 248 Member
    I think I am hourglass shaped? At least that is what I see compared to what I was. Or maybe pear shaped.

    5'3"
    124 lbs

    Bust: 35
    Waist: 27
    Hips: 36
  • BarbieFromHellx
    BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
    A little over 5'4" and hovering around 123 lbs.

    Bust: 36
    Waist: 26 (25.5 on a good day lol)
    Hips: 36

    Those measurements were taken monthssssssss ago, and I'm certain my boobs have shrunk since then :(
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    5'6 and 128
    bust:36
    waist:26
    hips:37

    I'm an hourglass/pear shape
    I've never seen an hourglass shaped like a pear. You are hourglass, not pear. Pear would be if you had i.e. 47 inch hips.
  • amyelizabs
    amyelizabs Posts: 4 Member
    5"10, 167 pounds

    bust: 32 inches
    waist: 29 inches
    hips: 36 inches

    Think that's hourglass :smile:

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  • SwedishSarah
    SwedishSarah Posts: 4,350 Member
    4'11''
    110 pounds

    bust: 37
    waist:26
    hips: 38

    My waist to hip ratio is .68.
    A waist to hip ratio of below .80 puts a person at lower risk for heart and other health issues.
  • Lizabelle1212
    Lizabelle1212 Posts: 252 Member
    The main measurement I usually hear about for being indicative of your overall health is your waist circumference. 35" is typically what is said to be the maximum healthy waist circumference for women:

    WebMD:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/calculating-your-waist-circumference__

    Nat'l Heart, Lung & Blood Institute:
    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
    If I read this correctly, a hip to waist ratio of .8 or less (for a woman) is within the healthy range.
  • sprucey85
    sprucey85 Posts: 64 Member
    My measurements at the mo are:

    Height: 5 ft 2" (hopefully this won't decrease!)
    Bust: 44 inches
    Waist: 39 inches
    Hips: 46 inches

    My body shape is hour glass (doesn't feel like it at the mo with the extra fat!)

    My waist to hip ratio is 0.85 which is just border line between moderate health risk and high health risk, I have lost weight so I'm going in the right direction!
  • nadamandar
    nadamandar Posts: 82
    I'm just over 5'4", 124 lbs.

    34-29-38. Damn beer - totally goes to my belly!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    5'5", 133 pounds, 37/30/37.
  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
    People keep mixing hourglass and ruler shapes.
    An hourglass shape has bust and hip measurements that are equal or close to equal, with the waist ten inches smaller.
    Figures that have approximately the same bust and hip measurements but with a waist measurement that is less than ten inches smaller (like 7 or 8 inches) is considered a "ruler" shape. For example, 38-26-38 would be an hourglass. 38-31-38 would be a ruler.

    I think the hip/waist ratio is supposed to be .08 or less regardless of figure type.

    Also, your waist measurement should be no more than half your height. For example, a 5'4" (64 inches) girl should have a waist no larger than 32 inches.
  • SwedishSarah
    SwedishSarah Posts: 4,350 Member
    People keep mixing hourglass and ruler shapes.
    An hourglass shape has bust and hip measurements that are equal or close to equal, with the waist ten inches smaller.
    Figures that have approximately the same bust and hip measurements but with a waist measurement that is less than ten inches smaller (like 7 or 8 inches) is considered a "ruler" shape. For example, 38-26-38 would be an hourglass. 38-31-38 would be a ruler.

    I think the hip/waist ratio is supposed to be .08 or less regardless of figure type.

    Also, your waist measurement should be no more than half your height. For example, a 5'4" (64 inches) girl should have a waist no larger than 32 inches.


    Would 37-26-38 be considered an hourglass? I am an inch off from bust to hips.
  • Heartisalonelyhunter
    Heartisalonelyhunter Posts: 786 Member
    An hourglass is generally defined by a waist/hip ratio of 0.7 or less (usually that's about 10 inches difference or more) with bust/hip measurements around equal. The lower the ratio the lower your risk of heart disease.
    Here's a calculator.
    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/waist-to-hip-ratio

    The ideal ratio in terms of health (and even fertility) is 0.7 for a woman, 0.9 for a man
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    An hourglass is generally defined by a waist/hip ratio of 0.7 or less (usually that's about 10 inches difference or more) with bust/hip measurements around equal. The lower the ratio the lower your risk of heart disease.
    Here's a calculator.
    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/waist-to-hip-ratio

    The ideal ratio in terms of health (and even fertility) is 0.7 for a woman, 0.9 for a man

    Interesting. I'm curious how thoroughly this has been studied.

    Here's what the calc spat out when I gave my measurements:

    Your shape puts you at reduced risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Frequently referred to as pear shape, you tend to keep fat off your midsection and more on your hips. Your body does not convert this lower body fat as readily as midsection fat, which keeps cholesterol down.
  • Heartisalonelyhunter
    Heartisalonelyhunter Posts: 786 Member
    An hourglass is generally defined by a waist/hip ratio of 0.7 or less (usually that's about 10 inches difference or more) with bust/hip measurements around equal. The lower the ratio the lower your risk of heart disease.
    Here's a calculator.
    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/waist-to-hip-ratio

    The ideal ratio in terms of health (and even fertility) is 0.7 for a woman, 0.9 for a man

    Interesting. I'm curious how thoroughly this has been studied.

    Here's what the calc spat out when I gave my measurements:

    Your shape puts you at reduced risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Frequently referred to as pear shape, you tend to keep fat off your midsection and more on your hips. Your body does not convert this lower body fat as readily as midsection fat, which keeps cholesterol down.

    It has been studied extensively... Here's the link to Wikipedia which mentions some of the studies. It's definitely a fascinating subject.
    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waist–hip_ratio
  • CalicoMonroe
    CalicoMonroe Posts: 14
    Every single measurement they have managed to come up with over the decades has flaws. Every single person is completely different in shape and their genetics.....

    I am the same in height and I have a hourglass figure with a naturally large behind. I gain weight evenly and lose weight evenly. Looking at me I do not look anywhere near how much I actually weigh because the fat that I am fighting is very well hidden. I can lose quite a bit of weight and it takes a long time for me to see a difference but I can feel a difference right away.

    They're quickly finding that BMI is not the best way to predict health and rarely does anyone fall into 1 solid category of body shape. If you look at the weight recommendations there is such a LARGE range (for our height a "healthy" weight can be anywhere from 101 to 131).

    If you want to know the very best indicator of health you will look to your physician and your blood work (cholesterol, liver/kidney functions hormone levels) and cardiac workup. You can meet every single number of the BMI, the scale, the tape measure and still be so very unhealthy. I have also seen people who fall into the morbid obese range and yet their blood work and cardiac workup comes back AMAZINGLY healthy.

    That is just my two cents from working as a nurse in primary care for 10+ years.....
  • tmaryam
    tmaryam Posts: 289 Member
    I think it varies. For instance, I have a very small waist, but I still carry belly fat below my natural waist line. (Not saying I'm overweight, I could stand to gain about 15 lbs of muscle.) I have nice measurements, but I also have 30% body fat so that can't be good.

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