waist should be less than half your height

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  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I know they say waist, but do they mean waist (as in the natural waist) or belly? If they mean waist, I'm close. If they mean belly, not so much...

    I was wondering the same thing. My waist isn't so bad but my belly is a different story.

    Your waist is below your rib cage and above the hip bone.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I've been having a real hard time understanding my waist measurement as it hasn't moved to much, but my weight loss has been good, 26 lbs, have no idea where the inches have come from, cause my inches all over haven't done much. But I've had to get some new jeans and dress pants, what I had was falling off, I tried a belt for awhile. Anyway this formula brings me much closer to my inches. This would put me at a 30 inch waist, which I am just under I am under at a 28. My my health program I have been using says I need a22 inch waist. I am closer to this half a height. And six inches I would need to drop to come close to that twenty some measurement. Hmm confused

    Wow, a 22 in waist is small even for someone 5 ft tall. What program are you using?
    agreed
    what are you using?
    I can't fathom a 22 inch waist.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    WebMD defines waist measurement as being made at the top of your hip bones which should be right about at your belly button.

    A 22 inch waist is very tiny. Are you looking at some Chinese site? That's the only place where I've heard people shooting for measurements that small.

    I have a really large rib cage (thanks, Dad!) so I'll never have a small waist. Even when I was muscular and weighed 114 pounds mine was never under 26".
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    WebMD defines waist measurement as being made at the top of your hip bones which should be right about at your belly button.

    My waist is definitely not at my belly button. More like 2" above it. On me, it's about half way between bottom rib and top of hip bone.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I don't even have any space between lower ribs and hip bone. I just measure where they meet, about 2 inches above belly button. And even that's no easy task, my belly is very soft and I get different readings every time. But I think I'm in the clear; I'm 63.38 inches tall and about 30 inches wide, after breakfast :tongue:
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    I know they say waist, but do they mean waist (as in the natural waist) or belly? If they mean waist, I'm close. If they mean belly, not so much...

    The waist can be measured at the point where you bend. I need to bend slightly to the side, in order to find the point using a measuring tape (my under bust measurement, are an inch smaller, but this doesn't count).
  • ScottDowell
    ScottDowell Posts: 95 Member
    At 5' 10" I need to get to 35", better get going on my 30 day challenge!

    I too have a same height and my weight is actually less my height.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Bumping for the post thanksgiving new comers.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    So I should have a 38" waist? I guess I'm done. I just thought I needed to lose weight.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited November 2014
    Mine should be 32 or less..I don't think I've ever had a 32 inch waist. Even at 170 pounds. It's dat pear shape.
  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Mine should be 32 or less..I don't think I've ever had a 32 inch waist. Even at 170 pounds. It's dat pear shape.

    It sounds like you're measuring yourself at your navel, or where you wear pants, rather than your anatomical waist. Pear shapes have slim waists.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Mine should be 32 or less..I don't think I've ever had a 32 inch waist. Even at 170 pounds. It's dat pear shape.

    If that's YOU and current in the photo, you're measuring wrong. lol.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Mine should be 32 or less..I don't think I've ever had a 32 inch waist. Even at 170 pounds. It's dat pear shape.

    If that's YOU and current in the photo, you're measuring wrong. lol.

    Natural waist is 27, you're right though. I'm about a 30.5 at the navel. Is that where you should measure for this or even lower?
  • Kenda2427
    Kenda2427 Posts: 1,592 Member
    Mine is already less than that and I still have 5-10 lbs to lose. That calculation doesn't work so well for us short folks
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Kenda2427 wrote: »
    Mine is already less than that and I still have 5-10 lbs to lose. That calculation doesn't work so well for us short folks
    It's not a calculation for vanity. It's a calculation for a HEALTH prediction. Mine is a bit less than it says. That's kinda that point: BE LESS.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    I have a 28 inch waist at 5'7" (67 inches). I am in. :smokin:
  • westcoastgrl21
    westcoastgrl21 Posts: 172 Member
    I think this is where the "test" can be mis-guided. I'm sure the natural waist measurement is what was used as the standard for the study. However, the power behind the low waist-to-height ratio is the assumption that if your ratio is low, you have less belly fat. Belly fat is much more "dangerous" to carry than, say, *kitten* fat. There's a lot of science behind that statement (look it up yourself). So if you're carrying a lot of belly fat, but it just happens to be dis-proportionately located below your natural waist...you could have a low waist-to-height ratio but still have a large amount of unhealthy belly fat.

    quote="Sabine_Stroehm;21455197"]
    I know they say waist, but do they mean waist (as in the natural waist) or belly? If they mean waist, I'm close. If they mean belly, not so much...

    Like to know this? I'm wondering too, does anyone know?
    I assume they used the pretty standard approach:

    http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Your-Waist[/quote]
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    I know they say waist, but do they mean waist (as in the natural waist) or belly? If they mean waist, I'm close. If they mean belly, not so much...

    Like to know this? I'm wondering too, does anyone know?
    I assume they used the pretty standard approach:

    http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Your-Waist

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    westcoastgrl21 wanna fix those quotes?
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
    Eesh! I still have a long way to go… especially since that's where I carry my weight! But I still have lots more weight to lose too… so maybe!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    cincysweetheart wrote: »
    Eesh! I still have a long way to go… especially since that's where I carry my weight! But I still have lots more weight to lose too… so maybe!
    And where you carry the weight is part of the point. Good luck on your journey, it's a good one!

  • tony56pr
    tony56pr Posts: 141 Member
    6'-0" and my waist was 57" yeah I was obese. Now, 32.5" so lost 2 feet + around my equator lol
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    I have always understood women were supposed to measure their "waist" at the smallest part. For me, that is way above my navel, right under my ribcage. At 5'9", my true waist is currently 35 inches, so I need to lose an inch to get in the healthy range. I still want to lose at least 40 lbs, so I'm sure it will happen.

    It does depress me a bit, as my waist used to always be smaller, even when I weighed more. I would love to get back to the 29 inches it was at a healthy weight. *sigh* I will keep working at it.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    From NHS

    To measure your waist:
    find the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips
    breathe out naturally
    wrap a tape measure around your waist midway between these points to find your measurement

    You have a higher risk of health problems if your waist size is:
    more than 94cm (37 inches) if you're a man
    more than 80cm (31.5 inches) if you're a woman

    Your risk of health problems is even higher if your waist size is:
    more than 102cm (40 inches) if you're a man
    more than 88cm (34.5 inches) if you're a woman


  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    I just need to be taller and I will be fine.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    NHS is the UK, right? Since I'm American, I'll assume that doesn't apply to me.
    ;)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited November 2014
    This is interesting.. I'm officially obese and still have 22 pounds to be considered overweight (and about 55 pounds to be at the very top-end of healthy BMI), yet I only need to lose 2 more inches for my waist to be half my height. I may become an obese person with a healthy waist to height ratio.. weight is a weird thing.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    NHS is the UK, right? Since I'm American, I'll assume that doesn't apply to me.
    ;)

    <chuckles>
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    This is interesting.. I'm officially obese and still have 22 pounds to be considered overweight (and about 55 pounds to be at the very top-end of healthy BMI), yet I only need to lose 2 more inches for my waist to be half my height. I may become an obese person with a healthy waist to height ratio.. weight is a weird thing.

    I have 10lbs to go to reach my maximum BMI range of 25, but my waist is 42% of my height - genetics
  • ScientificExplorerGirl
    ScientificExplorerGirl Posts: 535 Member
    Very easy for hour-glass or pear shapes. At a 33.75" waist my hips would be at 50" (Just guessing!). Definitely would like to be <<< on this one :-)
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    edited November 2014
    vismal wrote: »
    To the people saying they "don't agree", what exactly do you not agree with? Unless you object to the way this study was designed the results are the results. You must also understand a correlation is just that, a correlation. We know smoking is highly correlated with lung cancer. We also know plenty of people who smoke and have never had lung cancer. Having a waist 2x > height does not guarantee healthy problems, you are simply at more risk to develop them then someone who does not have waist 2x > height.


    This +1

    People should read the article, understand what it is saying and why. For goodness sake no wonder there is so much misunderstanding.

    Lol@ the people who deemed to flag the OP for posting a legitimate article from a national newspaper about legitimate medical research. Get a grip.
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