Why does your waist measurement matter? Waist circumference is a good measure of fat around your middle. This type of fat builds up around your organs, and is linked to high blood fat levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. A larger waist usually also means there is excess fat inside your organs.
Common reasons for someone to have belly fat even when they're skinny is: Being too sedentary (inactive), which builds visceral fat around the organs and abdominal fat. Eating too many processed foods, which stores at the belly.
'Waist circumference is considered a useful indicator of health. Women whose waist circumference is less than 80cm are considered to be at low risk of developing chronic disease and those with waist circumferences of 88cm or more are considered high risk.
What should your waist measurement be? For men, a waist circumference below 94cm (37in) is 'low risk', 94–102cm (37-40in) is 'high risk' and more than 102cm (40in) is 'very high'. For women, below 80cm (31.5in) is low risk, 80–88cm (31.5-34.6in) is high risk and more than 88cm (34.6in) is very high.
Never mind perfectly sculpted cheekbones, enviably arched brows or a pert derriere, a recent study has discovered the most attractive female attribute is a cinched-in waist: one that measures a fraction under 26½ in (the equivalent of a size eight).
If your waist is bigger than your hips, than you may have too much fat concentrated around the middle part of your body - something known as "intra-abdominal obesity". This type of fat location is related to a higher chance of getting heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
If your stomach sticks out even if you are skinny, you may need to change certain habits to try to get rid of it. In order to do so, first you need to figure out what causes your protruded belly. It may be the regular consumption of alcohol, stress, hormones, bad posture, recent pregnancy, bloating, or others.
A combination of things happens as we age. We tend to lose muscle mass, so our abdominal muscles aren't as tight as they once were, and the loss of elastin and collagen in our skin allows gravity to have its way so skin starts to sag. Both can cause the waistline to expand.
Your waist size or waist circumference is, in part, genetic. People can be genetically more likely to have smaller or larger waists. However, keep in mind that lifestyle choices and your environment can also impact your waist size.
When you start to lose fat, it's proportionate throughout your body, whether it's your neck, waist, ankle circumference. You'll come out smaller but have the same body shape."
How quickly will you lose weight? The volunteers reduced their waist sizes by an average of 1 inch for every 4lb (1.81kg) they lost. So if you lose 1lb (0.45kg) a week you could hope to reduce your waistline by an inch after four weeks.
The average waist circumference for women aged 18 and over in 2017–18 was 88 cm (ABS 2018). A high-risk waist circumference is more common in older women. In 2017–18 (ABS 2019): around 4 in 5 women aged 75 and over (84%) had a high risk waist circumference.
Generally speaking, a 28-inch waist is on the small side and indicates low abdominal fat, a marker of good health. However, having a slim waist doesn't automatically make you healthy. And you must also consider other diet and lifestyle factors.
In general, keep waist circumference to less than half your height. For example, for a 6-foot man (72 inches), a healthy waist size would be anything less than 36 inches. For a 5-foot-2 woman (62 inches), a healthy waist size would be anything less than 31 inches.
Apple Body Shape
As an apple-shaped woman, your defining proportion is your bust is your largest measurement. Your shoulders and your waist are also wider than your hips. Similar to an inverted-triangle shaped woman, your torso makes a V shape, but your waist is wider.
Waist to hip ratios
Healthy women have ratios of 0.67 to 0.80 while healthy men have 0.80 to 0.95. For attractiveness, ideal for men is 0.90 and female ideal is 0.7 (for Western populations only).
Hourglass body shape is the most popular and desired body shape by women for which they practise extensive exercises and workouts. This body shape is all about equal hips and bust measurements and waists narrower than bust and hips.
Generally, a measurement of 36 inches at the bust and hip and 24 inches at the waist is considered an ideal hourglass figure. Scientists believe that a woman's figure is an outcome of evolutionary adaptation for reproductive fitness.
Your waist is made up of muscle, and those muscles can respond to heavy weights by growing bigger. After doing heavily weighted exercises for an extended period of time, it may lead to a broader, or 'thicker-looking', waist.