The string test. Aibu to think this is a pretty clear way to show you're overweight?

[africanprincessinscotland]

I caught a bit of a BBC programme earlier where they were doing the string test. I've never heard of it before, but it makes perfect sense. If your waist measurement is more than half your height, you are overweight. And because it's around your waist, it indicates how much visceral fat you have. That's the really bad type.

So, you get a piece of string, cut it to the length of your height (heel to head), fold it in half and put it around your waist. If it doesn't meet, you're overweight. Very simple.

I know that BMI is controversial, but with this, you can't really argue against it, can you? Unless you're pregnant!

Steppemum very well explained

africanprincessinscotland are you really or do you just think you should have a BMI of 19-20 and you’re a bit higher than that?

BMI is a damned good screening - if you come out with an adverse result, then you look at whether any of the confounders (such as unusual levels of muscle) could apply. The main complaint against it is that it's not a precise diagnostic method - something it has never claimed to be.

The waist/height ratio is also a good screening.

Put then together, and one would hope to 'pass' both. But if you pass just one of them, you might be doing OK.

Mind you, assuming an average height of 5ft 4 or 5 that makes you obese if you need size 14 from many stores.

I thought the point of this is that its a different way of showing whether you are a healthy weight or not, and maybe more accurate in terms of health (I.e visceral fat) than bmi. So everyone saying "I'm overweight but this puts me healthy so its wrong" well your just going off bmi which may be wrong too. Thats the point of the measurement, it looks at visceral fat not overall weight. Overweight is actually a pretty arbitrary figure in terms of bmi , yes being larger is not good for you but they are completely made up cut offs for iverweigt and obese really just based off population averages.

need to try this.

im 5ft 3 1/2inches tall....trying to work out what half of that is!

Serendipity no I'm definitely fat. I have rolls of flab on my belly, arms and legs. And it's because my diet has been appalling for months now. I'm not bothered about my BMI. I know what clothes fit when I'm a healthy weight (for me), and at the moment I don't fit into them. **

Interestingly, the NHS guidance is that women’s waists should be below 31.5 inches regardless of height, which fits with the pp’s intuition that 34 inches seems a lot for a 5’8” woman, but seems difficult to achieve if you’re 6 foot tall.

This doesn't work for me or my dp. I'm definitely overweight but the string thinks I'm fine. My dp is definitely not overweight but the string says he is.

ShesAYarnEater, it would be 31 and 3/4 inches

Re size 14 clothes, in the 70's a size 18 had same measurements as todays 14
Im 5'2 and 9 stone , aged 61, but ive had a big waist from mid teens so i failed the string test!

Blossomy well mine's above my hips but below my ribs. It goes in...so I can feel it. If yours doesn't go in....feel where your ribs end, and stick your finger in there below the last rib...that's your waist.

Below half on me (I used string as couldn't find tape measure!) but I'm very definitely in the overweight category
5ft 10 hourglass but around 15 stone

A doctor once told me the best way to tell if you are overweight is strip off to your undies and jump up and down a couple of times. If flesh continues to move and wobble after your feet have landed then you have extra fat you don't need. (Doesn't include the breasts which will bounce).
Obviously don't try this in Sainsburys but in the privacy of your home.

I’m a ‘skinny’ 5’5” apple. I only just passed the string test with a centimetre to spare.

I drink too much wine though, which gives you bad visceral fat apparently, and carry all my weight on my boobs and tummy.
Given me something to think about.

We've known about this for ages, only before I only heard about using tape measure. Never thought about using string, but it's the same thing.

Haven't measured yet, but I will say that I'm quite a 'straight' person rather than hour-glass so not sure it will be good news for me.
I've been over the waist guidelines for diabetes for a long time while still not being overweight.

" I don't know anyone who is overweight that doesn't."

I know a few. One friend only thought about it when her doctor told her.

When posters say the string “meets” do you mean it meets loosely or do you mean it digs in and so you make the “give” that way?

I have loose skin on my stomach from weight loss so this test wouldnt be fair on me or others in my position.

or extra skin you dont need littlevoice.

Exactly @HelenaDove

That’s my issue too.

I can make the ends “meet” with a centimetre or so of “give” but the string digs into my skin as there’s lots of loose skin so to speak.

And I imagine you could force ends to meet without loose skin too. Like forcing trousers to fit even though you can’t breath in them

This would be great for DH. Technically overweight but a triangular shaped gym-bunny. He is definitely healthier than a skinny-legged bloke with a tummy. And that's the point, isn't it?

The only problem I can see is that it may well be not great across races. Hip to waist ratio is a great indicator of health in Caucasian women but it's a different number for Japanese women.

Deer with me, it literally just met...I was a stone overweight at the time but I've always had good abdominal muscles and as a pear shape, my upper body is on the slim side...small chest and flat stomach. I lost the stone and my waist showed even more...and my chest went pretty much flat.

If the objective is to identify risk factors for thingslike heart attacks then It’s a good test because it’s more accurate on the risk factors than BMI. You can be overweight according to BMI but be very pear shaped and so pass, but actually carrying all your weight on bum and thighs is much lower risk than having skinnny legs and a big tummy, so it makes sense. The reason heart disease risk goes up for post-menopausal women is because the hormonal changes affect fat distribution patterns ( encourage abdominal fat storage).

Or have a diastasis recti. I have my waist measurement csn fluctuate throughout the day as my core muscles fatigue. It sounds like a good test but people woukd need to be informed of conditions that can affect measurement (i will however be looking for string first thing tomorrow when my tummy is at its flattest lol)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-37409500

i dont think the string test would work for this guy either

22 stone weight loss achieved all by willpower through diet and excersise and NHS wont remove the loose skin until he gets below a certain BMI But he cant meet the BMI target because of his loose skin.