What your waist measurement says about your health

Keeping within a healthy weight range is a good way to improve your overall health and many doctors recommend measuring body mass index (BMI) to help calculate your body fat percentage. However, while a BMI calculator can be a useful tool, it is not always accurate – for example, if you weigh more due to muscle type.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines¹ recommend that health practitioners and those wanting to assess their overall weight profile also include their waist measurement in the calculation – for those with a BMI below 35. Rather than focusing on a specific figure, the guidelines advise people keep their waist circumference at “less than half of their height”.

This additional waist measurement helps to identify if you are carrying excess abdominal fat, which can be a health risk for many obesity-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), and cardiovascular disease.

This simple way of measuring should hopefully help people to better assess their chance of developing diseases associated with having overweight and hit their weight loss goals. According to Professor Rachel Batterham, Consultant in Obesity, Diabetes, and Endocrinology, at University College London (UCL), increased fat in the abdomen raises a person’s chance of developing several life-limiting diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

“Waist-to-height ratio is a simple, easy-to-use measure that identifies people who are at increased health risk and would benefit from weight management support to improve their health,” she says.

Two types of fat

If your waist measurement is above what it should be, it is likely that you are carrying excess fat in your abdomen.

As a guide, the NHS recommends losing weight regardless of your height or age, if your waist measurement is:

It’s common for people to think that doing targeted exercise – such as sit-ups – will reduce your waistline and help you lose weight. However, spot reduction is a myth, says David Starr, Performance Nutritionist.

“You can’t choose where you lose fat from,” he explains. “And there aren’t any particular exercises that make you lose fat from your stomach as opposed to other areas.

“In terms of exercise, the standard advice for people who want to lose fat from any area, is to be more physically active and move more – whether this means more walking, using the stairs instead of the lift, or other activities.”

In addition, increasing resistance training can also increase weight loss, as muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest.

To lose excess fat and increase overall fitness, a healthy diet and reducing your calorie intake is a must for successful weight loss. One way of ensuring we get maximum benefit from the food we eat is to focus on fresh, unprocessed ingredients.

Starr advises keeping all your food as fresh and unprocessed as possible.

“Focus on nutritionally dense foods such as whole grains,” he says. “Frozen veg is also a great addition to your diet as it is often frozen very quickly and as a result maintains vitamin content.”

You may think you’re eating the right things, but are you eating them at the right times? Starr explains that it’s important to consume enough protein at the right times. This macronutrient helps your body to build and maintain muscle mass and the creation of hormones.

Crucially, it’s beneficial to consume your protein in small portions throughout your day, rather than tucking into an enormous steak in one meal.

“Most people should aim to have a significant protein portion in each meal,” he says. “Good protein sources include meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or cheese, as well as legumes, nuts, and grains.”

While carbohydrates are an important source of fuel, it’s a good idea to avoid ‘refined’ carbohydrates such as pasta, white bread, rice, and potatoes.

According to Starr, they will increase your blood sugar level and – if you’re not exercising – your body will store the energy as fat. He recommends choosing more complex carbohydrate sources such as leafy veg, wholegrain bread, and wholewheat pasta as they will give you a flatter blood sugar level.

It’s important to remember that bloating can also increase your waist measurement, potentially causing unnecessary anxiety. To keep any bloating in check, make sure you include soluble fibre in your diet – sources include oats, peas, and carrots – and make sure you consume probiotic foods such as natural yoghurt and sauerkraut which can have great health benefits.

“This helps your stomach to digest food more efficiently, and reduces bloating,” explains Starr.

While there’s no quick fix or targeted exercise to get that waist measurement down, adopting healthy habits in terms of diet and exercise will help to reduce visceral and subcutaneous fat, as well as improving our overall health.