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Fat in your belly is linked with greater health risks than fat from other parts of your body. Measuring the circumference of your waist, or how wide your torso is all the way around, is an easy way to determine whether you have excess fat in your abdominal area. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. PREPARE

Use a soft tape measure to assess your waist size. Pull up or remove your shirt and lower the waistline of your skirt, shorts or pants, if needed, so that your middle is exposed. Stand in front of a mirror, if possible, to make sure you’re positioning the tape measure correctly.

Step 2. FIND THE RIGHT SPOT

Press your fingers into your torso near the right side of your waist. Push your fingers into your skin to find the bony pelvis. Keep pushing and moving your fingers along the edge of the hip bone until you find the top curve of the bone. This spot is known as the iliac crest. The highest point will be located on the side of your torso, just underneath the lower portion of your ribcage. Generally, this spot will be at around the same level as your bellybutton, and near, or at, the narrowest part of your torso.

Step 3. WRAP THE TAPE MEASURE

Position the tape measure horizontally at this spot at the top of your hip bone. Then circle it around your abdomen and entire torso. Make sure that the tape lies horizontal on all sides of your torso. Place the end of the tape measure which reads “0” at the spot on the tape where the loop circles your waist completely.

Step 4. MEASURE

Avoid sucking in your gut. Stand up straight and exhale gently as you pull the tape so that it stays taut against your body, but make sure it is not squeezing into your skin. Look at the number at the point where the “0” end of the tape intersects around your waist. This is your waist measurement.

A waist size of >40 inches (>102cm) for men, and a waist size of >35 inches (>88 cm) for women is considered high-risk. A high number may indicate that you have excess fat in your abdominal area. If your BMI is 25 or higher, this can increase your risk of certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia (uncontrolled cholesterol), high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Why Your Belly Size Matters//Unbuckled belt ((C) Corbis)

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Friday, January 29, 2010 8:13:21 PM
Sure are a lot of sensitive people in here. BMI is not very accurate for real athletes and muscle does weigh more than fat. But a lot of people consider themselves fit and more like athletes. Work out with an NBA or NFL team and see if you can even keep up for a day. The waist to hip ratio is probably a better indicator of overall fat and risk. And there are better ways to find out if you have too much fat, especially the fat near the organs.
Friday, January 22, 2010 10:49:37 AM

ok so im a nurse, so i agree that if you have a large waiste size it is bad but not because bmi says so its because the excess fat around your abdomin puts strain on you heart and other organs, and for BMI, i am a chesty person with larg hips but my waiste size is only 34 but it tells me i am almost at the top of the over wieght side, cuz some one my hieght should be 136 wellw ith a  dd chest and 42 inch hips the only way i will ever see 136 is if i have a breast redeuction and have some of the bone mass taken from my hips,

Friday, January 15, 2010 5:01:34 AM

Our health is our most important asset.  For many people, being overweight is associated with being uncomfortable in their own skin.  To assist with weight control; keep a daily food journal and every time the urge to snack is felt, first drink a large glass of clear water.  This simple act will help you to eat less.  Water will soon become one of your best friends.  The major reason so many people in America are overweight is because we eat too much for comfort!  It does not hurt to treat ourselves with something special once in a while, what is necessary is that we limit our portions and do not overeat!  It is also necessary to keep our body properly hydrated, so drink a full glass of water with each meal or snack. Being overweight ******, but after reading a book, I lost 85 pounds!  Words can not express how good I feel! This is a comment which I recently received about the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps

Tuesday, January 05, 2010 5:56:37 PM
Eh, I don't consider BMI very accurate..  210 @ 5'9", but I can bench 250+, curl 100+, and leg press 500+.. I could go for losing 10-15 lbs..but I don't think I'd consider myself obese at this point.  I think this would be accurate for average physiques, but beyond that, it's just not that accurate.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 4:49:07 PM
I've always been big as well, but I'm not fat, there's a difference  I'm 5'7" and 161 lbs. with a 28" waist.  I work out regularly  cycling, rock climbing, hiking and weight lifting when the weather's bad.  The BMI is used as a way to easily measure large ammounts of people using the same method.  Muscle weighs more than fat so people that are extremely in shape tend to be told they're overweight on BMI calculators like this when in reality if they went to the gym they would be told that they are "underweight".  Severely overweight people should NOT be fine with how they look, especially when they are younger.  Childhood obesity is a serious epidemic and because kids don't feel embarassed for being overweight, they never change their habits and just keep gaining weight.  It's time for parents and adults to start giving their kids tough love when it comes to their child's weight because at this rate one fourth of American children will develop type 2 Diabetes by the time they're thirty (Type 2 Diabetes was only EVER associated with adults until recent years) and they're extremely likely to have a heart attack by the time they're 45.  This is a matter for unhealthy and healthy people alike to care about.  With nationalized healthcare becoming a reality, healthy people are going to have to pay incredibly hightaxes to pay for the millions of unhealthy americans (open heart surgery and insulin shots are NOT cheap, people!)  Do NOT coddle the unhealthy that still have a chance to become healthy, if they think it's OK to be 17 and 300 lbs. then they will never become healthy and have a chance to truly enjoy their lives!
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 3:43:00 PM

I'm always a big person growing up. No matter how much workout I do, I still big according to the BMI chart. Now, I learned that as long as I feel good under my skin, I'm good...sometime it not the number that counts, it the way you look and the confident you have. We all have different body type, we can't all look the same. How boring would that be!

Tuesday, January 05, 2010 10:05:56 AM
what's wrong with your calculator? I entered 6 ft ht. 185 lbs. and a 29" waist. It says I have a BMI of over 25 and am overweight....are you kidding?.....what a joke. Sad
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 7:43:50 AM
I never believe the BMI. It says I'm underweight but I'm not. If I weighed what it considers "normal" I think I would look pudgy. Like other people have said, there's other factors that come into play besides just height and weight.
Monday, November 30, 2009 9:02:16 PM
pcktazn, exercising alone isn't enough to get rid of a belly pouch. Eating right is even more crucial than exercising to get a firm tummy.
Monday, November 30, 2009 7:24:55 PM

I'm 5'2" and 119 pounds and according to the calculator im completely average. But i still have a"pooch" thing on my stomach?? No matter now much i exercise, do crunches, run/jog or whatever it will NOT go away!! It drives me crazy!! And apparently I am not over weight or have a bad bmi. What is the deal here???

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