Thread: My waist is where?!

I was watching Dr. Oz the other day and realized I have been measuring my waist wrong! I thought my waist was 5 inches below my bust line which is 28inches but Dr Oz says to measure directly across your belly button - OUCH my waist is bigger than I thought! Do you measure correctly? ..c::

i measure my waist where it "curves" in(barley no curve here). guess that's wrong :-(
who is Dr. Oz?

I think the natural waist is slightly above the belly button - if your waist curves inwards, you're going to measure the narrowest part.

The waist guidelines I was taught in designing/sewing clothes were:

1. Midway from ribcage to hips
2. Smallest indentation/natural waist
3. Across navel

They all give slightly different locations, but they are to be used with different body types really. The more curvy is usually the smallest measurement between ribcage and hips, but if the person is more straight in build and there is no discernable smaller area, then use the navel line or the mid line.

Of course...things change LOL I don't know where they put the waist now :)

Yes, I've alway measured at the navel or SLIGHTLY above. I don't even recognize my waist anymore. I think someone switched with me while I was sleeping.

I think it depends on the purpose of the measurement -- 'waist' is a vague term.

For clothing, it's the narrowest part of the midsection OR the area where the waist of the garment will sit (which can vary by garment or season)

Dr. Oz is measuring for health purposes and for his 'formula' he wants the across-the-bellybutton measurement.

(Dr. Oz is the latest trendy health guru who appears regularly on Oprah)

I'm guessing here ...

Could it be that you where you measure depends on what you are measuring for?

If you're measuring for body fat analysis you follow Dr. Oz's directions.

if you're measuring for clothes or modeling purposes, you follow T.H and Mahsati and Georgine's instructions.

Whoops!

Lauren beat me too it

.And did a better job of it too! Thank you for clearing it up for us Lauren! ..g.:

Across the bellybutton?????

I thought (and maybe this is for sewing) that you were supposed to tie a piece of elastic around your middle, and walk around for a couple of minutes, bending and just doing normal movement. Where the elastic ends up settling is your waist measurement. ??

How are you supposed to determine your body fat that way? Waist to hip ratio or something? What if you carry all your fat in your butt or thighs?

My bellybutton is quite high, pretty much at the same point I would call my waist (the smallest part!) but it seems like they can vary in height almost to level with the top of the hips. It seems a bit weird to me that you wouldn't just measure the natural waist ie. the smallest part.
Body fat analysis using a tape measure is notoriously inaccurate.

I've seen Dr. Oz and I think I know what the hullaballoo about waist measurement is about. There is a correlation between higher waist measurements and the increased likelihood of some diseases. To be more specific, the omentum (sp?) is a specialized fatty panel of fat in the abdomen that can wreak all kinds of havoc on the body if it's enlarged. So, logic would say large omentum=higher risk; it's the so called belly fat that everyone's been so excited about lately.

You may have a large omentum if your body has no momentum...just dance!

Originally Posted by anala

You may have a large omentum if your body has no momentum...just dance!

..g.:,r:;

Funny. But, having suffered from a large omentum, I have to say that dancing alone didn't help reduce it. Changing my diet is what did it for me (and losing weight).

My natural waist is pretty far above my navel. I'm an "apple" shape, so when I'm fat I'm round and when I'm thin I'm kind of straight up and down.

i don't understand why bellydance costumes give me al ot of times the waist measurment, most of the costumes sit at the hip? teh measurment to look for is hip and lower hip (butt??)?

Yup, my "narrow part" and my navel have definitely parted ways. They were never really close, but they have drifted apart over the years and now have little to say to one another. ..l;, ..cr.: ,f::

I'm hoping some dedicated exercise and improved food regimen (no more jalopeno Cheetos!) will bring them closer together again.

(We need a hopeful wistful looking Pollyanna type smiley)

Originally Posted by aziyade

Across the bellybutton?????

I thought (and maybe this is for sewing) that you were supposed to tie a piece of elastic around your middle, and walk around for a couple of minutes, bending and just doing normal movement. Where the elastic ends up settling is your waist measurement. ??

If I did that right now my waist measurement would be the same as my bra band measurement cause that is where athe elastic would end up!..l;,..l;,

I have always done it across my belly button so that I would make sure I was measuring in the same place each time.

Originally Posted by dunyah

..g.:,r:;

Funny. But, having suffered from a large omentum, I have to say that dancing alone didn't help reduce it. Changing my diet is what did it for me (and losing weight).

My natural waist is pretty far above my navel. I'm an "apple" shape, so when I'm fat I'm round and when I'm thin I'm kind of straight up and down.

Yup. My omentum is where carbs go to die.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Dr. Oz is measuring for health purposes and for his 'formula' he wants the across-the-bellybutton measurement.

I'm in really big trouble . . .

That measurement, along with the "natural waist" (smallest part) measurement, has increased a lot in the last two-three years. Even my ribcage measurement has increased!

When clothes shopping, it used to be that to fit in the hips, the waist was too big. Now, it's often just a bit too snug in the waist and fits perfectly in the hips.

I need to do some fat-burning activity.

Big Time.

Deborah

Originally Posted by Georgine

i don't understand why bellydance costumes give me al ot of times the waist measurment, most of the costumes sit at the hip? teh measurment to look for is hip and lower hip (butt??)?

You know, I've wondered the same thing. I usually assume that the seller means "upper hip" if they say "waist" but it's a belt or skirt. If it's a dress or a belt with a waist strap and they say "waist" I assume it's actually the waist. But I guess it's always safest to ask the seller.

Originally Posted by casbahdance

I'm in really big trouble . . .

That measurement, along with the "natural waist" (smallest part) measurement, has increased a lot in the last two-three years. Even my ribcage measurement has increased!

When clothes shopping, it used to be that to fit in the hips, the waist was too big. Now, it's often just a bit too snug in the waist and fits perfectly in the hips.

I need to do some fat-burning activity.

Big Time.

Deborah

I need to BURN BUTTER TOO! My BMI is good but I want a smaller waist! More Water Less Coke!

I've always measured the waist as the smallest part. This is the part that if you stand in front of a mirror and bend side to side, that's where you bend.

*Sigh* I really envy you people who have long enough torsos to debate where your waist actually is.

My rib cage sits inside my pelvis. Midway between the ribcage and hips?! No such place! There's just an indentation where my ribcage narrows to slide inside the pelvis. Happens to be at about belly button level.

I swear I'm missing vertebrae or something...If you see some spare vertebrae lying around could ya send 'em home to Minneapolis? They're sorrily missed....

Originally Posted by anala

You may have a large omentum if your body has no momentum...just dance!

I dance quite a bit, but still have a large omentum. I achieve this through a rigorous regime of carboloading. OM NOM NOM.

Well me narrowest part is definetly above my navel but I wonder if for men the navel is the natural waist line. Zorba may have to chime in here.

Weight loss is not the main theme of the Dr. Oz Diet. Instead, the program is based more on overall health and disease prevention than weight loss. This is monitored by waist circumference, while the number on the scale is much less important. According to Dr. Oz, an ideal waist size for a 30 year old female is 32 ½ inches and 35 inches for a 30 year old male. The reason for the emphasis on waist size is because fat tissue in the abdomen area is a key determinant to many risk factors of medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The diet promotes healthy lifestyle habits focusing on nutrition, fitness, and a healthy mind. This is not a quick fix diet to shed 10 pounds in a week. It is not about getting into skinny jeans. Rather, it is about providing you with information on how your body works in hopes that supportive choices will be made toward nurturing your body to its optimal capacity. As an end result, excess body weight will be lost.

I can see his logic, but it sounds very simplistic to me.
How can you say that all 30 year old women should have a certain size waist? I'm 6' tall, surely I would be expected to have a bigger waist than a 4'11" lady who is the same age?

Originally Posted by Linnyg

I have always done it across my belly button so that I would make sure I was measuring in the same place each time.

Yes...I think that as I gain/lose weight, my waist size may sometimes stay the same, but my waist migrates up and down my body. So I started measuring my belly-button-line, too, just as comparison.

Originally Posted by firefly5

I can see his logic, but it sounds very simplistic to me.
How can you say that all 30 year old women should have a certain size waist? I'm 6' tall, surely I would be expected to have a bigger waist than a 4'11" lady who is the same age?

Yeah, that doesn't make sense to me either. I thought the heath indicator was supposed to be the hip to waist ratio.

Actually, I always wondered about the ratio thing. What if someone has really low body fat, but narrow hips, does that make them less healthy?

Originally Posted by Zamira

Yeah, that doesn't make sense to me either. I thought the heath indicator was supposed to be the hip to waist ratio.

Actually, I always wondered about the ratio thing. What if someone has really low body fat, but narrow hips, does that make them less healthy?

I think that hip/waist ratio thing is about "ideal" body shape. According to that ratio (which I just now can't remember of course) I was absolutely "perfect" . . . whoo-hoo! ..g.:

Not so much anymore . . .

Deborah

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