Healthy waist to hip ratio

SirMickTravisSirMickTravis Posts: 2,607
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With a waist of 28.5" and hips of 35" I worked out my ratio was 0.82. I've lost some weight recently so I'm trying to fatten up at the moment. However looking online it suggests that for a man a healthy ratio is up to about 0.95. That suggests I can probably afford to add about 6 inches to my stomach without getting unhealthy. I have to say though that if I did that I'm convinced I'd be looking a bit tubby.

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  • Will_BeeWill_Bee Posts: 1,567
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    How can a mans hips be bigger than his waist?

    Unless you look like this guy.....guy in street jpg
  • DangermooseDangermoose Posts: 67,076
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    Will_Bee wrote: »
    How can a mans hips be bigger than his waist?

    Unless you look like this guy.....guy in street jpg

    Oh crikey :o
  • skp20040skp20040 Posts: 66,872
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    Will_Bee wrote: »
    How can a mans hips be bigger than his waist?

    Unless you look like this guy.....guy in street jpg

    He looks like that guy who was on X Factor last year
  • NaturalDancerNaturalDancer Posts: 5,128
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    With a waist of 28.5" and hips of 35" I worked out my ratio was 0.82. I've lost some weight recently so I'm trying to fatten up at the moment. However looking online it suggests that for a man a healthy ratio is up to about 0.95. That suggests I can probably afford to add about 6 inches to my stomach without getting unhealthy. I have to say though that if I did that I'm convinced I'd be looking a bit tubby.

    And what about your hips, how many inches do you think you can add to them? Do you mean you'll be ok if your waist is 34.5" and your hips 36"?
  • SJ_MentalSJ_Mental Posts: 16,138
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    about 4 inches.
  • EbonyHamsterEbonyHamster Posts: 8,175
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    Will_Bee wrote: »
    How can a mans hips be bigger than his waist?

    Unless you look like this guy.....guy in street jpg

    My OHs hips are bigger than his waist

    And no he looks nothing like that guy
  • SirMickTravisSirMickTravis Posts: 2,607
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    Men might not be as curvy as women but they do curve inwards from the hips to the small of the back and then outwards towards the chest. That is unless they have an unusually large stomach. I don't think I have dysmorphia but I just wonder if I'm a bit too sensitive about body fat.
  • SherbetLemonSherbetLemon Posts: 4,073
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    With a waist of 28.5" .... .......That suggests I can probably afford to add about 6 inches to my stomach without getting unhealthy. I have to say though that if I did that I'm convinced I'd be looking a bit tubby.
    Wow. I've never heard of a grown man with a waist so small. That sounds really unhealthy. Even a 34" waist is on the smaller end of average.
  • Grabid RanniesGrabid Rannies Posts: 4,588
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    Wow. I've never heard of a grown man with a waist so small. That sounds really unhealthy. Even a 34" waist is on the smaller end of average.

    What? 30-32" is normal. After that unless you're a bodybuilder then you're edging towards podgy.
  • lemoncurdlemoncurd Posts: 57,778
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    I would say, for the average person, one hip to one waist.
  • EbonyHamsterEbonyHamster Posts: 8,175
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    What? 30-32" is normal. After that unless you're a bodybuilder then you're edging towards podgy.

    My OH isn't a bd builder, his waist is 35 and he's not podgy
  • lemoncurdlemoncurd Posts: 57,778
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    Wow. I've never heard of a grown man with a waist so small. That sounds really unhealthy. Even a 34" waist is on the smaller end of average.

    Really? I'm a lardarse and I wear 34" trousers!
  • Grabid RanniesGrabid Rannies Posts: 4,588
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    My OH isn't a bd builder, his waist is 35 and he's not podgy

    Unless he's proportionally of above-average height, a 35" waist on a man is not exactly svelte and that's just that.
  • hellsTinkerbellhellsTinkerbell Posts: 9,871
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    With a waist of 28.5" and hips of 35" I worked out my ratio was 0.82. I've lost some weight recently so I'm trying to fatten up at the moment. However looking online it suggests that for a man a healthy ratio is up to about 0.95. That suggests I can probably afford to add about 6 inches to my stomach without getting unhealthy. I have to say though that if I did that I'm convinced I'd be looking a bit tubby.

    That's not right.

    Ive got a son with a 28 inch waist and he's as slim as can be.
    If he had 35 inch hips ...as his mother...i'd be worried.
  • EbonyHamsterEbonyHamster Posts: 8,175
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    Unless he's proportionally of above-average height, a 35" waist on a man is not exactly svelte and that's just that.

    He can wear 32 jeans

    His stomach is flat and he as the start of abs

    He's not fat, not by a long way, not skinny either, has a large back and large shoulders
  • DaisyBillDaisyBill Posts: 4,339
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    I think the 'waist/height' ratio works just as well, OP. Your waist should be 50% or less than your height. I think this works for men and women.
    So if you are 6' (72'') your waist should be 36'' or less.
  • luckylilaluckylila Posts: 3,671
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    OP, you only need to worry about those types of guidelines if you're in the 'danger zone' (ie: not in the ideal range). The point of it is to identify people who are overweight 'apple' shapes (carrying extra weight on the abdomen) because that type of overweight carries much higher risk of diabetes and heart disease than 'pear' shaped overweight (carrying extra weight on hips and thighs).

    Also, your point about the extra waist measurement doesn't make sense. If you gained weight on your waist, then you would also gain weight on your hips, so your ratio would keep changing as you gained weight.

    The guidance takes difference builds/body types into account.
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