waist size

[stonecircle]

Just been watching the news and absorbing the fact that a woman with anything larger than a 35 inch waist is at much greater risk of developing diabetes, liver cancer etc etc.

Have just measured my waist (you have to measure it at the height of your navel) and mine is 38" blush. In my defence:

• I have just eaten
• I'm 5 foot 11"
• I've had 3 children - the third was a whopping 12 lbs and my midriff has never been the same since ....

I'm a size 16 and 13 stone which I don't think is too bad for my height, but anything fitted around my waist can be a bit tricky. Even when I lost about a stone a couple of years ago and went down to a size 14, my middle didn't really change.

So what do you think? Surely I ought to be allowed a few more inches than someone say 5 foot?!! I don't understand how they can have a 'one size fits all' guideline?

I'm sure there's a waist:hip ratio (will have a look online)

I'm in a similar situation.
5'5"
Size 12 rump
Size 14 top
Waist was 40" but I'm working it down, now 37" (improving but still bad)
Diabetes in family (both sides)
Gallstone and colitis. I'm prone to bloating.

My belly muscle is nil and I've now got the flappy apron of flesh

These studies are based on the fact that the average woman is 5'4. So with your height and frame (by that I mean your skeletal and muscular structure) I would definitely not worry about being a few inches wider than the average woman.

Obviously a size 16 at 5'11 will look very different than a size 16 at 5'2

However, having just checked your BMI - you are currently in the overweight range and this will undeniably have an impact on your future health, if it hasn't already. Some of the diseases mentioned in articles like these are somewhat preventable and you would be doing yourself and your family a disservice if you completely ignored the advice that's out there.

70 - how are you getting your waist size down? Even when I was just under 12 stone a couple of years ago my waist size didn't alter that much. Like you I get very bloated so can't bear anything tight around it and baby no. (now 15!) left me with a lot of flab which doesn't shift.

Miiaaoow - yes I'm always trying to lose a few pounds. I weighed myself this morning though and was 12 stone 10 so I just squeeze into the healthy BMI range!

It's odd that, when calculating BMI they take height into account but will happily declare a limit for healthy waist size without doing so!

hmmm... take it all with a pinch of salt. I'm 5ft 3.5 and just under 9 stone - although waist is relatively podgy at about 29 inches. Last year I had cancer and developed type 2 diabetes and have high BP.

I exercise 5 times week and eat a low suagr/carb diet.

All my female relatives - cousins and sister are very over-weight and all of them are the picture of health - ho hum....

Forgot to say I get really fed up with these news stories and the constant implication that my lifestyle has caused these problems.
In fact even my GP automatically says - lose weight - in response to my BP and blood sugar - without even looking at me properly

I think the waist measurement doesn't take into account because it's about where your body stores it's fat.

If you have a bigger waist chances are that's where your body is storing the fat and that's one if the dangers.

I am a very pear shape with a small waist, even when I was 13 stone and a big 16 I was only just into the 'danger' waist measurement.

Unfortunately it's worse for your organs of they have fat stores around them (rather than fat on bum, legs, boobs and arms like me)

As far as reducing waist size I'd look at working on core strength and getting your stomach muscles stronger. However, tbh the only thing that helps is general weight loss.

If you find you're bloated a lot is it worth looking at some things that you eat. I know that's lots of carbs make some people bloated. Chickpeas and Quorn does it for me!

This isn't new. Our pharmacy has had leaflets on the counter for years with this kind of advice.

If your waist measurement is more than half your height it does increase your risk. So, with a 38" waist you would need to be at least 6 foot tall.

There is also the waist to hip ratio but some women have naturally very narrow hips so I think that must be dependent on build. Clearly, if your waist is larger than your hips (unless you are pregnant) then that represents a much higher risk as well.

Unfortunately people will get defensive about this, but a good friend is a doctor who specialises in diabetes and she confirms that most of her patents are very much head in the sand about taking responsibility for themselves. She also told me that over 70% of type 2 diabetics would be symptom free and not require drugs if they just simply lost weight. They would still have diabetes, but it would be controlled.

The problem is that as more people who have preventable conditions it becomes a huge drain on the NHS and it affects all of us. I have lost count of the number of threads on here recently from posters who complain about having to wait several weeks to see their GP. If we all took more responsibility about our own health it would ease the load. (Talks to self sternly about doing some exercise this afternoon)

stone I've cut out all the fat I can since finding out about my cholesterol , (which being a vegetarian, the only feasible fat was cheese and crisps) and cut out bread,wheat,pulses though I eat oat cereal.
This is why Low Carb wouldn't work for me.

I know I need to shift the belly weight because of the diabetes risk, I'm trying not to be Head In The Sand (honestly) . I work with high risk patients (diabetes and other health issues) so I can see where it leads

Mine is 41 inch in morning and 43 in afternoon! I have colitis. Really trying to lose weight and the bad habits, ESP as feeling crap.

70 this is why man evolved into an omnivore:)
Cutting out lean protein and relying on carbs or cheese, eggs or pulses, which are the only options for veggies, is not really a balanced diet.

If you have cut out all you say then what are you eating- just vegetables and fruit?

70 there are studies that seem to show that fat isn't the cause of high cholesterol. Might be worth googling.

Sorry can't link as I'm on my phone.