Measuring Yourself

Options
I really want to start measuring myself (I wish I had started when I first began MFP but alas)...

but I'm not sure how to do it.

a) What tool do I need? Just a basic tape measure?
b) What parts of my body should I be measuring and how do I do it correctly?

The answers may seem extremely obvious but for some reason I'm just curious what the answers actually are.

Thanks for any and all advice. :)

Replies

  • lelstar
    lelstar Posts: 374 Member
    Options
    Don't worry I had to ask mum cos she makes clothes. Dress makers tape measure, in other words the soft ones rather than the metal ones builders use. Waist is where most people narrow just above their hips, neck is on here too, hips is where the leg joint is so don't worry if you feel kind of like you're measuring your butt too, bust/chest has to be in line with your nipples. Another one I've found useful is low waist which is about 2cm or 4 fingers below your belly button, its where most pants sit these days.
  • natpalit
    natpalit Posts: 113 Member
    Options
    MFP doesn't have all of these but this is what I measure:

    Chest,
    Waist,
    Hips,
    Upper Arm circumference
    Thigh circumference
    Calf circumference.

    If you don't want to do that many, if you're anything like me, and a pear shape, then I'd suggest just adding thigh circumference to what you measure. I gained 7kgs and my waist and hips only went up by 1 inch each, whereas my thighs went up by 2ins in circumference each.....

    Also, if you're aiming to lose a lot of weight, then try *borrowing* some of those free paper tape measure you get from IKEA, then not only do you have a record of what you've lost in numbers, but you can mark onto the IKEA ones for every big milestone, and see how far you've come.