Disproportionately Large Waist?

TomKat428
TomKat428 Posts: 30
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else here feel like their waist is far too large for their body size? Did your proportions get better as you continued to lose body fat, or is it something we just have to deal with?

I'm 5'6", 138 pounds, and my measurements are 36-30-38. It looks ridiculous. I look big because my waist is so wide. My stomach is actually pretty flat, so it might just be the way my frame is built :(
I was looking at the measurements in the 150-160 pound thread, and was so discouraged. A lot of the girls in my height range (5'5-5'7) at that weight had a 28" or so waist. I don't understand why mine refuses to shrink :(

Thanks in advance for your feedback!
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Replies

  • speedgraphic19
    speedgraphic19 Posts: 36
    You're close to the weight/height/measurements I started with, actually. I started with measurements about 32-30-41 (5'5", 140lbs). Now I'm at 30.5-26-35.5.

    So yes, your waist might get smaller! It could be your frame, sure, but I thought the same and look what happened. And it might take time, it all depends on where your body thinks fat should come off of first.
  • lanapoo
    lanapoo Posts: 57
    At my skinniest, I was 38,31,39 and I'm 5'9. It's just the way we're built. It does cause few problems when it comes to fashion because if I wanted a pencil skirt, but considering the proportions, I'd look ridiculous. I wouldn't worry too much about it though. Being toned and fit matters the most. If you're debating on possibly removing part of your ribs and wearing a corset, I don't think that'd be a good idea, but that's just my personal opinion. :X
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
    Well I am 5 foot 5, weigh in at 156 pounds and I am 38, 33, 39 at the moment...never had a teeny waist over 20 years old...
  • EmiBun
    EmiBun Posts: 84 Member
    I'm 28"-23.5"-31"

    So my upper body has always been tiny. Im a pear :((I'm 5,6. 116 lbs)
  • rhinesb
    rhinesb Posts: 204 Member
    I would guess it depends on how short your torso is...I have long legs but my waist is short. So at my skinniest I am 30-31 inch waist (and healthy weight). I am however NOT my skinniest right now.
  • BritneysStuntDouble
    BritneysStuntDouble Posts: 849 Member
    Does anyone else here feel like their waist is far too large for their body size?
    YES I'M REALLY FAT THOUGH
  • AnnaMaus
    AnnaMaus Posts: 167 Member
    I'm built the same way, with long legs and large breasts.

    When you lose weight and tone, you will have a rocking figure. Don't sweat not having a tiny waist.
  • Brianna72994
    Brianna72994 Posts: 887
    I actually have a small waist and big hips that I cant get rid of. So it looks quite disproportional.
  • RobynC79
    RobynC79 Posts: 331 Member
    Oh yes...... me!

    I am build like a sheet of plywood - from the side I am skinny, but from the front I'm built like a rectangle. All the women on my father's side of the family are the same - a huge barrel chest with no waist. My measurements are 110lbs, 5'5", 33-25-37, but all the difference between waist and hip is in my *kitten* - from the front I barely change. I also have a really short, thick neck, so I look like I've had an anvil dropped on my head and I've been compressed...

    It sucks! I'd love to have a smaller waist, but this is what I'm stuck with. You might find you change a lot as you lose weight, though.
  • christabel6
    christabel6 Posts: 173 Member
    It sounds like your natural body shape may be an athletic figure - there's some more info on that here: http://www.channel4.com/4beauty/style/dress-for-your-body-shape/athletic/how-to-dress-an-athletic-body-shape

    I have a friend who looks like this and I envy her because she always looks stylish and lots of different clothes suit her shape.
  • gingerveg
    gingerveg Posts: 748 Member
    Yes the curse of being a rectangle body shape. And yes it gets better with weight loss but we never turn into hourglasses (sadly).
  • sandra152
    sandra152 Posts: 77
    I started with 42.35 .40. now with reagular execise I am 40. 32 .38 so I say it's the exercise that helps so dont give up :smile:
  • TomKat428
    TomKat428 Posts: 30
    Thank you for your kind comments! You ladies all look gorgeous to me, so I'll keep at it and focus on health and overall fitness. Thanks again for making me feel like I'm not alone!
  • takingnameskickingbutt
    takingnameskickingbutt Posts: 231 Member
    I'm an orange on stilts.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I actually have a small waist and big hips that I cant get rid of. So it looks quite disproportional.

    Yeah this is me too. Small waist and bust but huge hips and thighs. Learn to embrace!
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
    Carrying my 9#3oz son blew my waistline all to ****. I may never get it back. Fortunately that's what corsets are for. I don't think I'll ever have a 20" waistline again but I can hope! It was 36-20-36 at one point many, many years ago BC (before children).
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    Be sure you are measuring in the correct place. Your waist is not necessarily where your pants fit or at your belly button like some people seem to think. It is at the smallest section of your torso. In my case it's an inch or so above my belly button.
  • Sabrina__26
    Sabrina__26 Posts: 78
    That's not bad at all. I have the weirdest body shape ever (according to some sites it's called a spoon shape) and I have a REALLY big waist. The last time I measured myself I was 38-36-42. I live in baggy jumpers and t-shirts as my stomach just sticks out so much, at least yours is flat.

    I did have a small waist once, so it gives me hope that hopefully once I've lost the weight I can have a normal body shape. At my slimmest my body measurements were 28-23-30, I'm not looking to get that slim again, but would just like to have a waist again.
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    I'm short waisted (and short in general) and even at my lowest weight, I think I have a boxy-looking mid-section.
  • lilylux
    lilylux Posts: 109 Member
    You're not alone!! (Obviously by all the replies :)). I"m 5'1, 118 pounds and 35, 30, 36. I like the link above about the "athletic" figure - sounds much better than a 'boyish' figure! The more I lose weight the more I think "aha.....this is what my figure is ACTUALLY meant to look like" instead of being a bloated sack of potatoes :D Acceptance is key! Good luck :)
  • 708Vivian
    708Vivian Posts: 25 Member
    I like athletic too. Boyish, banana, rectangle or worse brick don't sounds as nice.

    I'm 38 - 30 - 36 with broad shoulders and don't think I will ever be an hourglass or have a 20-something waist.
  • oakfruit
    oakfruit Posts: 20 Member
    Even at my thinnest (100 lbs at 5'7") I've never had a waist less than 26 inches. Right now at 117 lbs I'm 33-27-35 with an AA bust - not much "womanliness" happening over here...

    It's not so much my waist that bothers me so much as my lack of bust - I'd feel much more proportional if I had some curves up top.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    Does anyone else here feel like their waist is far too large for their body size?
    YES I'M REALLY FAT THOUGH

    LOL

    You funny guy.
  • christabel6
    christabel6 Posts: 173 Member
    Carrying my 9#3oz son blew my waistline all to ****. I may never get it back. Fortunately that's what corsets are for. I don't think I'll ever have a 20" waistline again but I can hope! It was 36-20-36 at one point many, many years ago BC (before children).

    Hah yes :-)

    When at a healthy weight I can get an hourglass proportion by wearing a corset - without one it's a tantalising 2-3 inches away.
  • kw344
    kw344 Posts: 7 Member
    I'm an orange on stilts.
    [/quote

    That's how I feel!
  • cleback
    cleback Posts: 261 Member
    Yep... My measurements are 32ish-26-34. I'm 5'5" 118 lbs, 17% BF. Would love to get my waist down to 25" but I don't know if that will ever happen! As a senior in HS, I went through a rough patch and my weight went down to a measly 108 lbs. I do not think my waist was 25" even then.
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
    Be sure you are measuring in the correct place. Your waist is not necessarily where your pants fit or at your belly button like some people seem to think. It is at the smallest section of your torso. In my case it's an inch or so above my belly button.

    Yeah, it took me about six weeks to figure this out...very good point. I think they need some guidance on where to take measurements on MFP where you record measurements. It would have really helped. And you can't rename them once you start, so I have Waist, and Waist 2. LOL (For body fat measurements, often they ask for Naval, so I keep track of both now).

    This is sort of my problem: proportions. I could keep losing to see my abs, but then I would lose more of my bust...this is how women get into lifting, I think! Can't afford to lose more weight in one spot, but need it to come off in another. We hope and pray! LOL I'm like 32-29(on a good day)-35.5 at 5'3"
  • rosered93
    rosered93 Posts: 69 Member
    I'm 5'7", 130lbs, and ~35-27/27.5-35. Some might call that a disproportionately large waist because for some reason 24" has become the magic number. But remember, you're a pretty tall girl. And honestly, as you lose weight it basically depends on the distance between the bottom of your ribcage and the top of your pelvis. I've been down to like 121lbs and my waist was... 26?26.5? And I looked downright skeletal otherwise. Don't sweat it :)
  • snooj
    snooj Posts: 69 Member
    Honestly sounds like you have a waist. It's smaller than both your bust and hips, which is the idea. At my heaviest (145 pounds at 5'3"), my measurement was 36-37-42. Not good. Losing weight definitely helped. For the first time ever I have a waist. I'm now about 32-28-38.
  • shellfly
    shellfly Posts: 186
    I've felt the same way. I'm 5'5", 115lbs, and my measurements were 34, 28.5, 34. I'm pleased to say I lost an inch off my waist in the past month or two though. I've been really focusing on strength training, and I think it is making a difference.

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