WHY do I have a 33 inch waist??????
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lift weights0
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I think it is genetics...but it's SO HUGE! Yes, it is awfully large for my height and weight. I'm measuring around my belly button, it's the same above and below is that right or should I go higher? Honestly higher up it goes in a couple of inches but not much.
It sounds like I need more strength training. I don't do a lot. I'm actually getting a proper schedule from my gym tomorrow, and when I have a bit more time I'm going to get a personal trainer.
I do tend to hit the protein goal MFP sets every day (I think it's 45g?) despite being vegan, because I eat beans, nuts and tofu quite a lot.
I am going to die one day...but it won't be with a 33 inch waist, that's for sure!
You should be measuring the narrowing part of you abdomen. My waist is far above my bellybutton. My waist meaurement is 27 inches and going around my bellybutton is 30. You actual natural waist is the smallest part of you midsection and it falls in different places for lots of people.0 -
I eat soy but I'm trying to cut it back to just tofu. I've started using more almond milk and less soy milk. I was worried the soy products might not be good for me. I'll try spirulina.
In terms of healthy measurements, I was looking at this: http://www.livestrong.com/waist-circumference/ which recommends 33 inches as the maximum. Here is the Australian government one which says 80 centimetres: http://www.measureup.gov.au/internet/abhi/publishing.nsf/Content/Weight,+waist+circumference+and+BMI-lp
Of course this depends on body shape and I'm sorry if I made anyone with a larger waist feel bad! It's mostly because I am so short and otherwise slim, like I said I look like a ball with sticks lol it's weird and disproportionate...
I'll see the doctor, I notice if you aren't obviously obese they say you're "fine" and don't pay much attention...but I actually just had a blood test to check everything so I'll find out the results soon. My cholesterol is always high even though being vegan I consume practically none. I assume that's genetic too.
Thanks everyone0 -
I have a 33 inch belly 5'5" and 10 stone 1 (141pounds) It is the curse of the apple shape I'm afraid, however exercise and weights help, I've lost 6 pounds so far but 3" from my belly.
To the other posters I think the british heart foundation has guidelines of over 32" round the belly button is increased risk over 35" high risk for women.
Could also be bloating problems, dunno if it's an apple bodyshape curse but I seem to see alot of threads from apples (including myself) that have digestion issues and get really bloated from certain vegetables like cabbage.
feel free to add it's good to have MFPers with the same problem areas to steal ideas off of
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Thanks for putting it out there. I am a Personal Fitness Trainer, Nutrition coach and I can say with certainty that yes genetics have a bit to do with it, however your life style is everything. You have an apple shape and you store your fat around the waist. I am a pear and store it on my butt and hips. However, now that I turned 50 my waist is bigger than it used to be: 28 now instead of 26. As we age, we store more fat there. I love Bob Harper, too and would highly recommend his book, "The Skinny Rules." If I don't want a big, butt and hips, I weight train hard 3 x per week, lots of squats, deadlifts, lunges, do 1 hour of cardio a day, and stay away from foods that convert to sugar or only eat those food in the morning because all whole grains turn to sugar and stores as fat on my body. I never eat white flour, no biscuits, those of some of the worst things out there because of the added fat as well.
Oatmeal in morning or Ezekiel toast with protein like eggs/egg whites, Salad for lunch with chicken breast and protein and vegs for dinner. Lots of plain nonfat Greek yogurt when hungry mixed with fresh fruit. Fructose in fruit also turns to sugar in the body and stores as fat so try to eat that early in the day as well so you can burn it off. Our bodies burn fat at night so go 12 hours without eating to give your body enough of a change to burn the fat you worked to burn off earlier in the day.
Good luck and let me know if I can help you further. If you become my friend, you can read what I eat everyday because I allow my friends to view it.0 -
I would definitely consider adding more heavy weight lifting to your plan. I don't carry that much weight around my waist (although much more now than when I was in my 20s), but I have always had a lot of weight on my thighs/butt vs. my upper body, and I also thought it made me look disproportionate even when I wasn't at all overweight in general. Adding some muscle has made everything firmer and look more proportional even if I haven't lost much fat off of my "problem" areas.0
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Do you think you could have a gluten intolerance or have an allergy to wheat or milk? Those things can cause your stomach area to be a little more bloated and larger.
Other than that, I would just suggest doing weight training and toning up. Pilates or yoga could also help tone the abs more.
It sounds like you are at a healthy weight and should celebrate your success!:flowerforyou:0 -
Oh I have the same problem! my waist is huge (compared to the rest of my body), i envy all those girls that have tiny waist... everything else is fine, and i learned how to live with it.
Some people like that btw, the other day a guy told me that he loves to grab my waist when he kisses me. 8)
just learn how to live with it.
i have very wide bones so there's nothing i can do. is yours like that too?
oh and another thing. it's actually good for our (in my case future) babies, that's what my doctor said, they will have plenty of space.
So learn how to love yourself, that's the best thing to do about your waist.
x0 -
33 inch waist sounds pretty good to me. It is 40 inches that there is a concern about waist size and correlation (not causation) with heart issues.0
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Thank you everyone, definitely will increase the lifting.
I already do yoga at least once a week. Was thinking about adding pilates but my schedule is a bit overloaded! Hopefully in the next few weeks.
I am in my early 20s so it's a bit disappointing this is happening already! I used to think my hips were big but they're actually probably not too bad (though could do with being a bit smaller), my waist is the extreme thing...I hope it would be good for having babies, but I'd probably just get hugely fat and then my hips would expand and my vagina would tear up (you can tell I'm not ready for kids yet).
I could be gluten intolerant though I gave it up for several months a few years ago due to a family member being intolerant...no change during that period, though if there is a family history maybe it's something to reconsider. I like gluten though :-(
Not milk intolerance because I haven't had any milk for months and it's been several weeks since I even ate anything with milk solids.0 -
Genetics play a role, yes but your rolls are not genetics.
I am 5'3 and in the avatar you see I weighed about 110 lbs or so. (IMHO that was too skinny.) I have NEVER had a small waist. What is more important that mere waist size is the question, are you in proportion? In the avatar you see my measurements were 34C" - 24 (3/4) - 34. But that was before I put on a considerable amount of lean mass. My bf% was about 14-15%
If you look at my home page you will see another pic of me. I'm wearing a silver bikini. You will notice a considerable difference. I was about 120 lbs. My bf% was about the same as you can see similar definition. My measurements had changed to 36C" - 25 - 35. My hips were still very lean but I had put on some muscle. My waste had gotten just a bit thicker from increased muscle. And though my breast size remained the same (they are implants), my lats had gotten bigger. I was still in relative proportion. It's very hard to maintain that type of low bf for a woman all the time. So you guessed it, my waste measurements would go up to 27" as this is where I carried most of my bodyfat, the other two measurements would only increase fraction of an inch.
Now as to why you have the squishy mid-section. I am thinking that you are likely skinny fat. Many aerobics instructors fall victim to this because they do so many hours of cardio on such a regular basis that their metabolism adjusts. So they must either continue to keep doing more cardio (which is very catabolic) and/or decrease the amount of calories they consume just to maintain their BMI. So they end up losing more lean mass thus DEcreasing their metabolism and they end up like a hamster on a the wheel they have in their cages; running fast and furious, however never gaining any ground.
How can you fix this? Well, first you have to stop doing ALL cardiovascular exercise for at least ONE WEEK to allow your metabolism to adjust. You will feel fat and bloated. But you will survive. While you are doing this start weight resistance training. The extra body fat is merely stored energy that your body can tap into to fuel more intense weight-bearing training. As the weeks progress you can add back some cardio to your training regimen or just keep it to (3) brisk 20 minute walks per week. This is more than enough to maintain cardiovascular health. You may find that you won't ever need more than this type of cardio to maintain an acceptable level of bf with NO SQUISHY midsection.
As for your diet - THAT IS KEY. I've only known of ONE vegetarian bodybuilder (Not that you want to compete, I get it but your directives are the same believe it or not). She looked amazing... I've been in the gym 28 years today and I have NEVER seen another.
I'm not telling you what to do. If you can maintain a vegan diet having your macro ratios at 40% (protein), 30% (carbs), 30% (fat) clean with no processed foods (ie fake fats, additives, preservatives, etc) then rock on. If not, you may want to consider making some adjustments.
BTW - I was also recently horrified when I broke out the tape measure and it came back at 30". My other measurements were well within the realm of acceptable. But my waste was 3 inches past "fat and happy". So let me tell you, that was all the motivation I needed to keep on the straight and narrow! I was 130 lbs when I did this measurement. I am guesstimating that I will need to lost about 10 pounds to get as lean as I once was. I've devised a meal plan that should get me there by 31 OCT. If you wish to view my journals and ask questions, be my guest. :glasses:
BTW - as to where to measure. It's simple. You measure at the narrowest part of your midsection. This are is different for everyone. The narrowness of your waste is determined by bone structure (breadth of hips and rib cage), how far your hips are from your ribcage, musculature and yes, body fat (or excess skin).0 -
Around your belly button is not around your waist. You should be measuring around the smallest part of your torso.
It should be about halfway between you bellybutton and nipples (for both genders). For me, that's about 5" above my bellybutton.0 -
A couple things that stick out to me is maybe lack of protein and strength training. I read bob harpers latest book skinny rules. He mentioned that being vegan was no longer working for his body so he incorporated more protein...although he highly recommends fish he also recommended chicken and egg whites.
I am 5 ft with a 27 inch waist and that is my trouble spot. I carry quite a bit of fluff on top of my abs. As for sweets I know that is my problem.
Check out his book it's a quick read. Good luck!
LOVE that book!..... and Bob!0 -
I read that your waist is the smallest area of your midsection. It may be higher or lower depending on the person. Perhaps what you are measuring is your abdomen?0
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Because you are apple-shaped rather than pear-shaped?0
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I read that your waist is the smallest area of your midsection. It may be higher or lower depending on the person.
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Try this waist to hip ratio calculator:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calculator_waist.asp
waist to hip ratio is an indicator of genetic disposition, as people who gain more weight in their mid-section can be at a greater risk for type 2 diabetes and heart problems, if they don't keep to a healthy weight. I myself am currently the illusive, Avocado, between apple and pear. Overall fat loss will make that go away--don't worry sounds like you have just enough fat that what's left is that stubborn mid-section fat, a good way to kick that is just upping your exercise game. Find a way to make time for it. Weight lifting is good, but generally, any way you can get out and move will be beneficial. Keep it up here at MFP! I've found a 40/30/30 carbs/fat/protein is helping me. BTW, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian and I find to get the extra protein I do protein shakes, but legumes such as chickpeas (garbonzo beans) and lentils are a great way to get protein and fiber.
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Around your belly button is not around your waist. You should be measuring around the smallest part of your torso.
It should be about halfway between you bellybutton and nipples (for both genders). For me, that's about 5" above my bellybutton.
The smallest part of my waist IS at my belly button. Everyone is shaped differently. But otherwise, yes, measure at the smallest part or as someone else said, where it creases when you bend.0 -
I have really high cholestral too. And I don't eat animal fat nor eggs It is a genetic thing. Definitely try removing the soy . . . the problem is that it is all processed. I forgot to mention this, but shoot for more NATURALLY occuring fiber than what MFP suggests. I am usually 10 g more at the end of every day because I eat sooo much salad.
My diary is public, you are welcome to go check it out.
I love the spirulina, here is what I buy
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015VI2U8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
You want to get 100% pure, non GMO. Otherwise they put a lot of unnecessary fillers.
One more suggestion, and this might sound silly . . . get happy. If your emotional well being is faltering, your body will hold on to negative things, including fat! I have eaten the same for a long while, but I was gaining weight!!! 50 lbs in a 2 year period. Well, I broke up with my boyfriend, (the best thing I have EVER EVER done) and withing 4 months, I am down 18 lbs.
A step in the right direction is realizing that you are beautiful, and you are healthy, and that you are proud of your self for working towards a goal. DO NOT beat yourself up, but make wise decisions.0 -
That is just rude and unnecessary.
I don't even have to fight the trolls because you're doing it for me! :-D You get +100
Sorry, why was this post rule and unnecessary?
Personally, I would say that if you're not happy with the way you look, then yes, you need to try something new. Paleo works for a lot of people, so it's a valid recommendation. Also, I would say you may be on to something by cutting out the pasta and the vegan desert biscuits - how many calories are in each one of those? Just because something is vegan doesn't mean it's low calorie or low sugar. Personally, for me, sugar and starchy carbs are my downfall; and I've had to give up all of it - and I mean all of it. I actually bake my own bread, and I'm really good at it. But I gave it up, even though I loved it, in exchange for being in better condition. I simply can't eat bread or pasta at all, or I'll bounce up about 3 pounds in a day. Just the way I'm built.
I would also definitely recommend weight training and increasing your protein.0 -
Are you measuring in the right spot? That seems awfully large for your height and weight. Unless you're just super skinny everywhere and every bit of fat is sitting in your waist.
I'm 5'3" and 155 pounds and my waist is 29 inches. Granted, I'm an hourglass, so I have a small waist in general, but still ...
^^^^ This. If you measure your waist where most people now wear thier pants whichis below the navel about 3" then 33" is pretty normal but at the actual waist which is a good 3" above the navel then 27" is more normal. I measure both. I'm 5'1" about 136 right now and above the navel I'm 26.5" but below I'm 33"0 -
YAY I'm a pear and I'm healthy!!! 5/ 3 50 years old...and a 33 inch waist and 44 inch hip! ( I do plan on working these hips down with zumba which starts in 2 weeks)..but over all I'm happy being a pear.0 -
You say that you see people your size on here eating much more than you with a smaller waist....hmmm...maybe you could try what they are doing and see if there is something to it?I just made a terrible discovery...my waist is 33 inches! Or 83 centimetres!
That goes against all the government/medical guidelines saying anything bigger than 33 inches or 80 centimetres is a serious health hazard, even if the rest of you is fine.
I'm 162 centimetres and 55 kilograms, that's 5'3 and 121 pounds in American. So I'm not really overweight, my BMI is okay, I'm slightly chubbier than I'd like which is why I'm on here...but my legs and arms are pretty toned and slim and my waist is HUGE. I had no idea it was that bad, I knew it was where I stored all my fat and that trousers are always tight on me (dresses are not)...but above the healthy range? When I'm a size 8 (4 in America)? Searching on this board and others I see people with my height and weight normally have 26-28 inch waists! Even people who are larger overall and I see eating more than me have smaller waist measurements! What is wrong with me???
And what do I do?
All the guidelines I see online say boring things which I already do and have been for years and yet I STILL have a huge waist. You know, they recommend cardio (I do a fair bit) and cutting out soft drinks and beer and stuff which I never drink anyway...I am a dairy-avoiding vegetarian so my diet is mostly vegan, I have a pretty bad weakness for vegan sweet treats but not excessive amounts, maybe like 2 biscuits a day (or maybe that is the problem and I have to cut out desserts completely?). I normally have 1200-1500 net calories a day and do 30-60 minutes of cardio every day plus martial arts and dumbbells a few times a week. I'm a bit nervous to make my diary public but would it help?
Could it really be pasta once a week and a couple of vegan biscuits most days doing this? Should I go on a severe vegetable-only diet? Or should I up my cardio to 2 hours a day? Add in an intense weight lifting schedule?
I'm really only concerned about my waist...I'd like to be fitter and stronger overall but I can already do 10 kilometre runs without stopping, proper push-ups, see individual muscles in my arms/legs etc...but I have this giant fat waist with huge fat rolls when I sit down. It's incongruous. I'm quite worried.0 -
Would rather not risk eating more, but I am considering having more smaller spaced out meals. I try and do that but it's hard when I'm at work all day.0
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Believe the real problem is relying on the government to tell you what is healthy.0
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The healthy waist size is 35 inches for women. you are good to go.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/150376-healthy-waist-size-bmi/
That is incorrect. A "healthy" waist size is no more than half one's height. It's relative and Livestrong has some very questionable advice.
This "half ones height" seems off. Because I am 66inches and if I had a 33 inch waist, I would look VERY silly!0 -
I'm in a similar position. I measure 36-30-36 and due to being short waisted will never be able to shrink my waist down much more unless I shrink everywhere else too. I am increasing my strength training this month to try and shape my muscles but am trying to happier with my genetics and appreciate my body more. it's comparing myself to others or magical measurements that gets me down so will be stopping that ASAP.0
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I honestly believe it is largely genetic. Your bmi is way less than mine. I am 5'5 and 174 pounds but my waist is 31.5. At your weight it was about 25 even when i did next to no exercise. But i have an hour glass figure like my mother before me and im sure it is largely genetics that predict your body shape. Eating healthy, exercise, keeping within the healthy bmi range, i think they are more meaningful than waist measurement in your case. Some people just can't help their body type.0
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I agree, that it is genetic. It appears that you are doing everything you can to be healthy. If you feel well, and your health is good I wouldn't worry too much about it. Body types are something we all have to live with. We are all individuals. Averages are just that, a group of numbers, averaged. Try not to fret over it, and know you are doing the best you can to have a healthy body. That is all any of us can do.0
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