How to measure your waistline: tips

2023-08-04 17:42:00

How to measure your waist circumference in cm?

  • Stand upright, feet together, without shoes, arms relaxed along the body and hips;
  • Take a tape measure, place the zero over the navel and extend it lengthwise halfway between the last palpable rib (the 12th) and the iliac crest (the hip bone), or about two inches above the navel, at the level of the pelvis;
  • Measure the waist circumference at the end of the expiration (without holding the breath);
  • The tape measure must remain parallel to the ground;
  • Double check the measurement a second time to make sure the first measurement taken was correct. If the second is different, repeat the process again.

“It is important to repeat the measurement in the same way, rather on an empty stomach when the stomach is still at rest. If you are comfortable with your body, it may be worthwhile to have someone help you and realize measurement in front of a mirror” completes Alexandra Murcier, dietitian-nutritionist. Also avoid taking the measurement on a garment (thick or loose sweater) and preferably be naked.

How often do you calculate your waistline?

“When it is necessary to reduce your waist circumference, a measurement of the abdominal circumference (AP) once a month is sufficient. For the purpose of control to simply stabilize your weight and your figure, once every three months is enough” indicates Alexandra Murcier, dietician nutritionist.

Know how to interpret the result

A waist circumference greater than 94 cm in men and 80 cm in women is a high risk of developing cardio-metabolic disorders (type 2 diabetes, coronary insufficiency, etc.); beyond 102 cm in the male sex and 88 cm in the opposite sex, the risk will be said to be “very high” (source 1).

Consider other factors

Depending on certain stages of life, it can be more or less revealing about the state of health to know your waistline. For example, if you are pregnant or have a medical condition that causes your belly to be bloated, your waist circumference may be higher than the threshold recommended by health authorities. Additionally, people of certain ethnicities tend to have a narrower waistline, such as those of Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian descent, for example (source 2).

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Why check your abdominal circumference?

“The waist circumference is sometimes more interesting than the weighing itself, because this first takes into account the morphology of the person” indicates Alexandra Murcier, dietician-nutritionist. Indeed, a person can have a normal BMI (body mass indicator) but an excess abdominal circumference. With the associated pathological risks: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular risks….

What additional indicators to control its silhouette?

In addition to the abdominal circumference (AP) and the BMI, it may be interesting to rely on more “mundane” criteria: “Looking at whether you have changed the belt hole or not can indicate a variation taking a picture of yourself can be useful provided you take a benevolent look at your body” nuance Alexandra Murcier, dietician-nutritionist.

Without forgetting, certain formulas indicative of the weight: formula of Broca, Lorentz, Creff or Monnerot-Dumaine.

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