measurements confusion...

cmbneeley

my question is probably pretty dumb, but i don't know WHERE to measure my hips and waist. is my waist my smallest part, or at the level of my bellybutton (because my smallest part is about an 1.5 higher than my bellybutton)? and my hips... is that AT my hips bone or my widest part (which is really around the middle of my butt and around my huge thighs)? i don't think i've ever been able to keep accurate and consistent records because i've always heard conflicting opinions.

and on another note-- i'm learning to sew and i can't for the life of me figure out what measurement to use for my "hipline"-- is that where i want the skirt/pants to sit on me? or at my hip bones? or my widest part?
and when i'm trying to measure my waist-- do i use my smallest part or around my bellybutton? i seriously have a 20 inch difference between my smallest measurement (about 1.5 inches above my bellybutton) and my largest measurement (about halfway down my butt). it' ridiculous and makes finding clothes that fit well nearly impossible. any people that sew or alter have an answer to that one on the side?

to illustrate my point...
smallest part: 32.75
at bellybutton: 35.75
love handles: 41
hip bones: 42.25
largest part (half-way down bum): 52

those numbers are pretty embarrassing, but i've lost 3-6 inches at every point since starting in late january along with 23 lbs. so i celebrate those numbers! but seriously... which ones do i record on mfp for "waist" and "hips"?

SueInAz

As far as measuring yourself for tracking purposes, I don't really think it makes a difference where you are measuring as long as you are consistent from measurement to measurement.

That said, I measure my waist at the smallest point, which is your natural waistline. I added a measurement for "Belly" which I measure across my belly button. I measure my hips across my hipbones because otherwise I'd be all over the place, but you could add another measurement category for the widest spot and track that, too. I also added another measurement, "Thighs". I measure the widest spot on my left thigh and track that. It's my one stubborn spot!

cmbneeley

i didn't know you could add measurements to track on mfp... how do you do that?

Bviera

I did a quick Google search and found this site that may be helpful to you:
http://www.burdastyle.com/techniques/how-to-measure-yourself

My mom has been sewing her whole life and recently she found a book that teaches her exactly where to measure for sewing purposes. You should try and find something like that! She got all my measurements and is constantly making dresses and skirts for me now. :-)

As for measuring for weightloss purposes: I measure my waist right above my belly button, which is usually where my pants sit (when they are not low riders), my hips at the widest part (for me, it's around half way down my butt), I fold my arm at a 90 degree angle, but not flexed, and measure that, I put weight on my calf and measure that, and measure my thighs at the thickest part (which is the upper thigh in my case).

Bviera

i didn't know you could add measurements to track on mfp... how do you do that?

Same place where you add your weight, under "check-in." There's a link that says, "Change measurements." There, you can add and delete whatever measurements you want.

PJilly

i didn't know you could add measurements to track on mfp... how do you do that?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/measurements/change

123456654321

Measuring for tracking purposes you can measure wherever you want as long as it's the same place every time. If you want to take "real" measurements (for clothing or something) You measure your waist at the smallest part (that will be well above your belly button) and your hips at the biggest part (will be under your actual hip bone.)