Does anyone know the correct way to do this. I tried looking online but everyone says something different. Some say right above the hip bones but I can barely feel where that is. Some say below the rib cage but above the belly button. Some say measure at the belly button. Does anyone know the correct way to do this so I can get a semi true measurement.
You're right, every site is going to tell you something different. Since there isn't any "right" place, you just need to pick one place and use it consistently.
My gym teaches the personal trainers to measure the smallest part of the waist because that's easy to locate on most women. But for those who have a lot of belly fat and may not have a smallest part, it's easier to pick a landmark like the belly button. You just want to pick a place that it's easy to locate on you every time you measure.
I tend to use the "smallest" part of the waist because (as Meg mentioned) it's easiest to find for me. On my body, that is about two inches above my navel -- everybody is different.
I measure in two places: right across the belly button (where I store some fat) and right under my ribcage (the smallest part on my body). As long as one is consistent, it doesn't matter much, but I like to measure in both places because a. my ego likes the smaller measurement, and b. I tend to gain and lose weight on my tummy first, so I want to keep an eye on the belly button measurement.
I do the same as the previous poster. 1 measurement right under my chest, 1 at the smallest part of my waist, which is right above my belly button. Just figure out which spot is easiest for you to find and stick with that spot - or spots!
For taller, or longer torsoed women, the waist is usually ABOVE the belly button. My natural waist is a couple inches above the naval. Your true waist is the narrowest part of the torso. For me, that is between my ribcage and belly button. For shorter women, it usually hits closer to the naval, since they have less/shorter torso.
By seamstress standards and professional measuring-it is the narrowest part.
I always figured that my waist must be at the belly button because that's where all of my pants stop. But I measure 3 parts of my waist. I measure the smallest part (which tend to be not too far below my boobs, then my belly button and then half way between belly button and the smallest part (under my boobs). And then there is the hips (which falls across my pot belly). So, i get about 4 different torso readings...but it helps me to realize that i am losing belly fat and i carry alot of frontal belly fat!!! And having so many places to measure, makes me realize how many inches total I am losing all over.
Where your pants fall is not your waist-especially since there are pants with many, many different rises. Especially with the low rise fad-where they sit on the mid-upper hip.
Smallest part of the waist is the waist. If you do not have a defined waist, like an apple figure-THEN you have to measure at the belly button area.
correct way to measure waist
Since there isn't any "right" place, you just need to pick one place and use it consistently.
