I had my assessment at the gym before starting with a PT. When he took measurements he pulled tight on the measuring tape. I loved it!! LOL! I always wrap loosely. He got that I have a 33" waist around the belly button. I'm proud of my waist. It's tiny compared to the rest of me. (I carry my weight on my lower half and in the boobs) But it also makes pants difficult to fit because once they fit my hips and rear, the waist generally needs to be cinched.

But I'm proud of my 33" waist. It's an inch away from being healthy for my height. (I've read that waists should be no more than half your height.)

Along those lines, do you measure at the belly button or at the narrowest point. I've heard two inches above the belly button, and if you measure there, I DO have a healthy waist now.

The "belly-button waist" is so weird to me.

I too have a very small waist for my size if you measure where where it bends when I do a side bend (which is where I always thought your waist was!)

But my hips and butt flare out pretty dramatically from what I perceive to be my waist so if I measured at my belly button that is pretty close to where I measure my hips. So it makes no sense to me to measure my waist there, arghghghg.

I'm going to go with the side bendy place.

The place that bends when I do side bends IS where my belly button is. OH NO! I'm mis shaped!!!

My measurement around my belly button also happens to be 33 which makes me pretty happy too because it's getting pretty close to healthy for my height, Now that I'm smaller you can really see my pear shape, my hips are 45 inches, They've shrunk quite a bit, but I'm excited for them to go down more!

I've not measured out of shame but I supose I should. 33 inches sounds good. Where is there information on healthy waist sizes?

I cannot count myself among the wasp-waisted, alas. In fact, I tend to fit hips, rear, and thighs into pants long before I do the waist, especially if the pants are higher-waisted. I have a pair of pants in a size that I am OUT of that I never got to wear, because by the time the waist fit the rest of them were clown pants (fortunately I didn't buy them recently, or for goal pants).

I assure you, I do my abdominal workouts with special attention and great regularity.

I've followed what Dr. Oz has said, and I remember once on Good Morning America he said women's waists should be half their height in inches and that you CAN suck it in!! LOL! That surprised me, that's why I remember it. But I haven't seen that anywhere else except in that one clip on GMA.

Don't worry if you are thick waisted. It will come off! I'm just one of the lucky ones from a health perspective. Apparently it's healthier to carry weight in the hips, thighs and rear. Most women I know carry their weight in the belly.

Calluna, I feel your pain, just in the opposite way! LOL! I have a pair of pants that are never going to fit because now that my hips and rear finally squeeze in, the waist is gigantic and they actually fall off! Last week I couldn't get in them, this week they finally fit, and even though they're still a touch tight in the thighs, they fall off! Go figure!

I get a slightly different number each time I take my waist measurement. If I'm off slightly about how high up I'm measuring or how tight I'm pulling the thing around me I get various results.

I'm glad I'm not alone in the mystification about why the waist should be measured *below* the actual waist!

I too have the hour glass figure. Small waist, larger hips and chest. It's a good shape to be! Even if pants are sometimes hard to fit.

Congratulations on your measurements!! I've been taking mine all along thankfully and am looking forward to a healthy number!

I am so confused by measurements that I've never really bothered to take mine.

I'm not sure where exactly you're supposed to measure, how tight to pull the tape, and if I don't measure in the exact same spot next time, how accurate are they?

So envious of you guys with the little waists. Mine is huge.

LOL! This is why I was so thrilled when he pulled the tape tight. I guess that way there's no guess work. Tight is tight as opposed to how loose you hold it, which depends on the day.

As far as being on the same spot, I use freckles. I do! But the guy who measured me measured up X inches from my knee for my thigh and X inches up from elbow for my upper arm.

Yeah, but I'd probably be jealous of your butt or something.

Yep. 43 inches here. But shrinking!

Mikayla -- you are so funny! You probably have a normal body ... whereas you can see what would happen if I measured my waist at my belly button -- horrors!

We are all built so differently.