I don't believe too much in the BMI for myself since I store so much fat in my stomach even at the high end of a normal BMI for me, even enough to be considered abdominally obese! And that's where all the health risk is, right?
So my question is, what is the most exact way to determine a healthy waist (which depends on your height! I don't just want one number for all women.... I'm 5 inches taller than most women!) and I'm looking not just for a maximum, but for a MINIMUM as well (a waist you can still have and not be getting into the range of underweight/unhealthy), because if I can have a normal BMI and be abdominally obese, then I can't just rely on BMI to determine my health risks; I have to be more cautious than that.
Thanks!

Try looking up Waist to Hip Ratio. Here is an example of a calculator that will do it for you:

http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/whr

A quick rule of thumb for a healthy waist measurement is half your height, so at 5'10" that'd be 35". Sorry never heard of a minimum before.

Kitty

I've never heard of a minimum either. If your bf is too low..then it's too low. But there isn't such a thing as too small of a waist unless you lack body fat.

That's what Dr. Oz recommends - a waist less than your height divided by 2. That puts me at 36" or less.

Wow, TY to the original poster and to those who responded with the 1/2 height. I'd never heard that before and I was really wondering. I've always carried more weight (at 200 I wore a size 13 juniors where my mom at 160 wore a size 16). This makes so much more sense to me!! THANK YOU!

There are an awful lot of skinny people out there with large bellies.

I think all you can do is continue to aim as low as you are comfortable going.

Also, eating healthier foods at a slim weight will hopefully give a smaller stomach than to someone eating garbage.

Don't get too hung up on the numbers, just keep working at it.