Stress Belly / Visceral Fat

Have you talked to your doctor about whether you really have a health risk?

You don't say how tall you are, or how old.

For an average height adult woman, your waist measurement would be fairly normal. (Many here, including me, think in those silly inches. Your waist is 25.5 inches to 26.8 inches.) I'm about 140cm (5'5"), a healthy weight, and my waist is about 72-73cm (28.5").

For an average height adult woman, your hip measurement would be very narrow (just over 28"). Mine is around 93 cm (about 36.5"), which is fairly average, maybe even lower average.

Are you very petite in height?

The waist to hip ratio is only one way of screening for health risk. Like the other risk screeners (waist to height ratio, BMI, for example), it is not accurate for everyone. Usually our doctor would evaluate us personally, looking at various health markers. What does your doctor say about your waist or visceral fat?

There are various strategies for addressing stress, and those might be beneficial for you (things like exercise, meditation, counseling/therapy, etc.). Your question seems to be more physical, though, so that would be a reason to talk with your doctor.

Best wishes!

QueenOfVines wrote: »

My Height is 156cm
My Weight 45kg
My BMI is 18.5. (almost underweight)
My age 43 yr.

I have just retaken my measurements, and it's 68cm/72cm . so my WHR is 0.94.

way above the healthy ratio of 0.8.

So, translating into imperial for other people who use the same wrong-headed measurement scheme I do , you're about 5'1.5", quite petite**.

Your waist to hip ratio is high, so that (as a matter of statistical analysis, not individual diagnosis) suggests possible concern.

You waist to height ratio, 68cm to 156cm, is 0.44. That's within the healthy range of 0.42-0.48 for all-age women (i.e. statistically suggests more positive health outcomes).

Your BMI is at the bottom of the healthy range, the range that also statistically suggests more positive health outcomes.

Your waist to hip ratio is not in what would normally be considered the healthy range. However, I believe your hip measurement is relatively low, even for your height, so the issue may be more that you have an unsually narrow pelvis, as opposed to an unusually large waist. For any of the screening metrics, some individual people's body configuration may result in a misleading value. I don't know whether that might be true for you.

So two of the three standard screening metrics suggest no cause for concern. I understand that you feel your waist measurement is too high, and I also understand that concern, in context of your sense that you may have heightened cortisol. Under those circumstances, I think your best bet would be to discuss your concern with your doctor. There are health conditions that can increase waist size, and those can be diagnosed by a doctor, not by random people like me on the internet.

Wishing you all the best! :flowerforyou:



** With apologies, I misstated my height previously; 5'5" is actually about 165cm. I don't arithmetic well!

You do have quite narrow hips I think, skewing the proportion. It's impossible to judge based purely on numbers.

High cortisol is something that can be checked with a blood test. High visceral fat can perhaps be tested too, with a scan, I don't know about that part. But I would start by getting a confirmation from a doctor that you have high cortisol and a 'stress belly' before worrying about your waist to hip ratio.

melgreywolf75 wrote: »

Hello,
Waist to Hip Ratio is one guide, but more accurate will be using the fat measurement machine. Besides blood test, CT Scan which is very costly.

Go get a good fat measurement machine, which will also give you an indicator of how much visceral fats you have. The Healthline website says below 13 is good. But my family doctor says below 15 (I think he is being kind to me).

Stay healthy.

Those machines don't work! I actually got into an argument with a doctor, a medical professional who used such a thing you hold in your hands during an office health check. He told me I had about 41% bodyfat. At a bmi of around 22. I guess I now know that my boobs contain lots of fat.

QueenOfVines wrote: »

Here is my pic... I don't think it's just small hip. I have a ball in front of me...

Do you have a picture of you standing up straight? You're arching your back which is pushing your stomach out. I think you are creating something that isn't there.

yirara wrote: »

Also, this asks for the womb thread. I just can't find it.

This one, I'm guessing

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

QueenOfVines wrote: »

Here is my pic... I don't think it's just small hip. I have a ball in front of me...

Your posture is the problem. You’re arching your back, which is forcing your stomach out — it’s obvious really in this picture, because a) we can see you arching and b) the line of your dress is shifting back. Stand up completely straight.

You are a thin woman with a small waistline, bad posture and underdeveloped Glutes. You probably genetically have narrow hips, but a lot of the “hip” measurement comes from the size of your Glutes. You can build them up to increase your waist/hip ratio if you like, but I don’t think it’s going to change any health indicator for you. You are most likely fine just how you are and are an outlier due to small hips/Glutes. A DEXA can help determine fat distribution as well. I hope you feel less worried after reading these replies.

Edit - also, you are small breasted like me which also contributes to the appearance of a larger waist. My belly bump sticks out further than my boobs as well.