How to Measure Your Waist

Waist circumference is one of the most useful and accessible measurements you can take. It reflects abdominal fat — the type most strongly linked to metabolic health risks — and it responds to lifestyle changes in a way that scale weight often does not. Best of all, it requires nothing more than a soft tape measure.

To measure consistently, stand upright and relax your abdomen — do not pull it in. Find the top of your hip bone and the bottom of your ribcage, then place the tape midway between these two points, usually around the level of your navel. Keep the tape parallel to the floor and snug against your skin without compressing it.

Take the measurement at the end of a normal exhale. Breathe naturally, and record the number to the nearest quarter inch or half centimeter. Measuring at the same time of day, in the same spot, and under the same conditions each time removes most of the variability that makes tracking frustrating.

Log your waist weekly rather than daily, since day-to-day changes are usually just water and digestion. Over a month or two, a downward trend in waist circumference — even when weight is unchanged — is one of the clearest signs that you are losing fat and improving your body composition.