40 inch waist really that bad for a male?
Shorelivin42
Posts: 22 Member
Hey all,
Recently put on some weight and was reading up about waist size. I was a little shocked to find out that my waist size is unhealthy and apparently puts me at risk. I am 24 yo, 5'10", 181 lbs with a 42 inch waist. I've gained about 15 lbs in the last 8 months or so and probably 5 inches on my waist. I'm okay with it but I know I've got a little beer belly now
and I'm definitely a bit softer in the middle than I was LOL but I was shocked to see that a waist over 40 inches is considered very unhealthy. Should I consider losing weight for health reasons? Is anybody else surprised?! LOL 
Recently put on some weight and was reading up about waist size. I was a little shocked to find out that my waist size is unhealthy and apparently puts me at risk. I am 24 yo, 5'10", 181 lbs with a 42 inch waist. I've gained about 15 lbs in the last 8 months or so and probably 5 inches on my waist. I'm okay with it but I know I've got a little beer belly now
and I'm definitely a bit softer in the middle than I was LOL but I was shocked to see that a waist over 40 inches is considered very unhealthy. Should I consider losing weight for health reasons? Is anybody else surprised?! LOL 2
Replies
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5'11" 181 lb 42in2
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Yes, a waist size over 40" greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc...
Also, are you sure you're 181?
<<< I'm 5'10" and 1824 -
The current medical consensus is that 40 inches and up in men is associated with higher health risks. Does that mean you're going to live forever if you lose an inch around your waist? No. But I would ask yourself if you think you're as healthy as you could be.6
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Yes, a waist size over 40" greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc...
Also, are you sure you're 181?
<<< I'm 5'10" and 182
Okay thanks. Was just surprising I guess LOL yeah we are about the same height and weight. What is your waist size, if you don't mind?
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Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Yes, a waist size over 40" greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc...
Also, are you sure you're 181?
<<< I'm 5'10" and 182
Okay thanks. Was just surprising I guess LOL yeah we are about the same height and weight. What is your waist size, if you don't mind?
35"5 -
Yeah sorry to spring the news but you are definitely overweight and in a category that is long-term not going to be good for your health. You would benefit from losing some weight. I don't mean that if you don't lose 2 inches off your waist you are going to for sure die young or anything like that, but if you are asking if it could cause you potential health problems then the answer is yes.
At my most overweight I was 200 pounds at 6' tall and I probably was close to what you look like now and I think I had a 38'' waist. I dropped to 155 pounds and a 30'' waist and definitely felt a lot better.13 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Yes, a waist size over 40" greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc...
Also, are you sure you're 181?
<<< I'm 5'10" and 182
Okay thanks. Was just surprising I guess LOL yeah we are about the same height and weight. What is your waist size, if you don't mind?
35"
Ahh, okay. I was a 37" in January when I weighed about 165. Felt like I was in decent shape then. I would say most of the weight I gained went to my stomach. I'm not talking pants size though. I mean like actual waist circumference
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Stop doing what you started doing ~8 months ago and start doing again whatever you stopped doing ~8 months ago.21
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Aaron_K123 wrote: »Yeah sorry to spring the news but you are definitely overweight and in a category that is long-term not going to be good for your health. You would benefit from losing some weight. I don't mean that if you don't lose 2 inches off your waist you are going to for sure die young or anything like that, but if you are asking if it could cause you potential health problems then the answer is yes.
At my most overweight I was 200 pounds at 6' tall and I probably was close to what you look like now and I think I had a 38'' waist. I dropped to 155 pounds and a 30'' waist and definitely felt a lot better.
Thanks for your honesty! I guess it's possible to not feel like you're overweight but still be at risk of some health issues. I had always been in good shape until recently. I was shocked to see that all of these online calculators said I was overweight!
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Your gut looks much bigger than 5' 10" 181, no offense. It's definitely not healthy. You need to lose weight, so stop making excuses! For reference, I currently have a 44" waist and I am 23 pounds into the "obese" category. At my current rate, I will be out of obese in about 6 weeks.
You want a <36" waist as a male. That doesn't mean get 36" and stop either, 36" is the upper limit of healthy. You want to be about 150-160 at your height, if you do no lifting.10 -
Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Yes, a waist size over 40" greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc...
Also, are you sure you're 181?
<<< I'm 5'10" and 182
Okay thanks. Was just surprising I guess LOL yeah we are about the same height and weight. What is your waist size, if you don't mind?
35"
Ahh, okay. I was a 37" in January when I weighed about 165. Felt like I was in decent shape then. I would say most of the weight I gained went to my stomach. I'm not talking pants size though. I mean like actual waist circumference
Some of this is just bad genetic luck. Someone your height and weight who carries their weight more evenly might not have the same health risks. I've got quite the beer belly myself (about the same circumference as you, only I'm female and 8 inches shorter), which is a drag, but there's not much to be done about it other than try and keep the weight down.3 -
Your gut looks much bigger than 5' 10" 181, no offense. It's definitely not healthy. You need to lose weight, so stop making excuses! For reference, I currently have a 44" waist and I am 23 pounds into the "obese" category. At my current rate, I will be out of obese in about 6 weeks.
You want a <36" waist as a male. That doesn't mean get 36" and stop either, 36" is the upper limit of healthy. You want to be about 150-160 at your height, if you do no lifting.
None taken! Thanks for being honest. For reference, this was me in January at about 165 and with a 37 inch waist. Never thought I was anywhere near overweight then. I was lifting then and hitting the gym but my diet wasn't great. I'll probably renew my gym membership. That should really kickstart me and help get back to where I was.
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Yes, a waist size over 40" greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc...
Also, are you sure you're 181?
<<< I'm 5'10" and 182
Okay thanks. Was just surprising I guess LOL yeah we are about the same height and weight. What is your waist size, if you don't mind?
35"
Ahh, okay. I was a 37" in January when I weighed about 165. Felt like I was in decent shape then. I would say most of the weight I gained went to my stomach. I'm not talking pants size though. I mean like actual waist circumference
Some of this is just bad genetic luck. Someone your height and weight who carries their weight more evenly might not have the same health risks. I've got quite the beer belly myself (about the same circumference as you, only I'm female and 8 inches shorter), which is a drag, but there's not much to be done about it other than try and keep the weight down.
Never thought of it that way. I guess that's true. Cause weight wise I never felt overweight. 180 isn't terrible for 5'10" so the waist thing threw me off. Thanks!
1 -
Shorelivin42 wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »Yeah sorry to spring the news but you are definitely overweight and in a category that is long-term not going to be good for your health. You would benefit from losing some weight. I don't mean that if you don't lose 2 inches off your waist you are going to for sure die young or anything like that, but if you are asking if it could cause you potential health problems then the answer is yes.
At my most overweight I was 200 pounds at 6' tall and I probably was close to what you look like now and I think I had a 38'' waist. I dropped to 155 pounds and a 30'' waist and definitely felt a lot better.
Thanks for your honesty! I guess it's possible to not feel like you're overweight but still be at risk of some health issues. I had always been in good shape until recently. I was shocked to see that all of these online calculators said I was overweight!
I spent most of my adult life at around 185 pounds thinking I was right where I should be because I was 6' tall. Took some introspection and learning about my body to realize I actually have a very small frame so 185 on me is actually overweight even though on most 6' tall men 185 probably isn't. I have pictures public on my profile. The "before" picture of me in February 2014 was at 180 pounds and I had a good amount of gut. The "after" in July I think was around 160 pounds. I got down to 155 and was looking pretty lean then.0 -
Shorelivin42 wrote: »Your gut looks much bigger than 5' 10" 181, no offense. It's definitely not healthy. You need to lose weight, so stop making excuses! For reference, I currently have a 44" waist and I am 23 pounds into the "obese" category. At my current rate, I will be out of obese in about 6 weeks.
You want a <36" waist as a male. That doesn't mean get 36" and stop either, 36" is the upper limit of healthy. You want to be about 150-160 at your height, if you do no lifting.
None taken! Thanks for being honest. For reference, this was me in January at about 165 and with a 37 inch waist. Never thought I was anywhere near overweight then. I was lifting then and hitting the gym but my diet wasn't great. I'll probably renew my gym membership. That should really kickstart me and help get back to where I was.
You are still pretty overweight in this picture, or more correctly overfat. Unfortunately you store your excess fat in the most unhealthy place, round your middle.12 -
The rule of thumb is that your waist needs to be < 2x your height to be "healthy." So, if you're 80" (6'8") tall or taller, you should be fine w/a waist of 40".
Otherwise, you probably are at risk for health problems commonly associated w/obesity, including but not limited to diabetes and heart disease.
BTW, I'm 5'8" (68") tall and when I weighed 196 my waist was 40". Now that I weigh 158, my waist is 33" within the <2x height standard.4 -
I'm always shocked at people's perceptions about their own weight and health. So many people seem to have no idea about their own health risks. I know many overweight people who think leaner, normal weight people are sickly, that they are normal (because they are surrounded by other overweight people.) I also know a few obese people who think they are only a little on the heavy side. And many of them think they just ended up fat not because of the choices they make, but rather due to "being born that way" or having a "natural family tendency" toward it.
I'm not sure how people wouldn't realize that having a big belly with all that extra visceral fat wrapped around the internal organs putting pressure on the heart and joints is unhealthy. I thought we all had health education in school. Plus, it's all over the media these days. I assumed that most people knew their obesity was unhealthy but just weren't doing anything about it. A lot of the overweight people I know readily admit to that. But I guess that's not the case for everyone. It's interesting that in this day and age some don't even know it's a problem.
Is it really possible that so many people don't know? And would more people do something about it if they knew it was a health risk?17 -
Shorelivin42 wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Yes, a waist size over 40" greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc...
Also, are you sure you're 181?
<<< I'm 5'10" and 182
Okay thanks. Was just surprising I guess LOL yeah we are about the same height and weight. What is your waist size, if you don't mind?
35"
Ahh, okay. I was a 37" in January when I weighed about 165. Felt like I was in decent shape then. I would say most of the weight I gained went to my stomach. I'm not talking pants size though. I mean like actual waist circumference
Some of this is just bad genetic luck. Someone your height and weight who carries their weight more evenly might not have the same health risks. I've got quite the beer belly myself (about the same circumference as you, only I'm female and 8 inches shorter), which is a drag, but there's not much to be done about it other than try and keep the weight down.
Never thought of it that way. I guess that's true. Cause weight wise I never felt overweight. 180 isn't terrible for 5'10" so the waist thing threw me off. Thanks!
The circumference of the waist (beer belly) is a greater indicator of risk than the scale number. The visceral fat around the abdomen/internal organs causes serious health complications down the road.
ETA: As an example, my husband is 6' tall and 200 pounds, which could be borderline overweight on some frames. But he does not have a belly and he is muscular, with a 34-35" waist, so his doctor considers his weight to be acceptable, since he is listed as "fit and athletic" in the doctor's notes. (Lean mass/fat mass ratios matter more than scale weight.)4 -
Shorelivin42 wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Shorelivin42 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Yes, a waist size over 40" greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc...
Also, are you sure you're 181?
<<< I'm 5'10" and 182
Okay thanks. Was just surprising I guess LOL yeah we are about the same height and weight. What is your waist size, if you don't mind?
35"
Ahh, okay. I was a 37" in January when I weighed about 165. Felt like I was in decent shape then. I would say most of the weight I gained went to my stomach. I'm not talking pants size though. I mean like actual waist circumference
Some of this is just bad genetic luck. Someone your height and weight who carries their weight more evenly might not have the same health risks. I've got quite the beer belly myself (about the same circumference as you, only I'm female and 8 inches shorter), which is a drag, but there's not much to be done about it other than try and keep the weight down.
Never thought of it that way. I guess that's true. Cause weight wise I never felt overweight. 180 isn't terrible for 5'10" so the waist thing threw me off. Thanks!
The circumference of the waist (beer belly) is a greater indicator of risk than the scale number. The visceral fat around the abdomen/internal organs causes serious health complications down the road.
Sadly, this is my understanding as well. To make it even less fun, I believe the guideline is actually the lesser of 40 inches (35 for women) or half your height, so the OP would ideally be aiming for 35 inches. I've got another 10.5 inches to go myself, which seems almost insurmountable until I remember that it's better to keep trying and fall short than give up. And I'm sure the inches I've lost already won't hurt!9 -
If it helps motivate you, your belly looks like mine did when I had my heart attack at age 43. Cholesterol build up. Watch some YouTube videos on visceral fat my friend! You might have more healthy arteries than me but you might not.15
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