Waist Hip Ratio. I released a recent blog highlighting the positives and negatives of the BMI calculation and wanted to follow up on this with another measurement that you may find useful.

Just to recap, BMI (Body Mass Index) is a well-known measurement that checks weight against height to select a number that you then can plot in a range for health. You can check yours here on our BMI calculator. 

This unfortunately in some circumstances can be misleading, and my BMI blog covers this in more detail.

One example is if you have a high muscle mass, you may see your BMI number to be ‘overweight’..

What to use instead of BMI?

The measurement that is now recommended as standard by the British Diabetes Association is the

Waist : Hip Ratio

This is a simple and quick-to-do measurement that just requires a tape measure. The tape measure below is designed to assist you to be more accurate as it holds the tape in place as required so you can record your numbers.. 

How to take your own Waist-Hip Ratio

Start with the tape around your tummy, this should be the smallest part of the waist. Record this number.

Next, drop the tape down around the hips, you need to measure the widest point across your bottom. Take down this number.

Next, you need to divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement this will give you another number called the ratio. You use this number to check against the guidelines below.

Waist Hip Ratio Guidelines

The following are the recommended parameters:

• Men Waist Hip Ratio under 0.95
• Women Waist Hip Ratio under 0.8

What does the Waist Hip Ratio number show?

In simple terms the nearer this ratio you have recorded is to 1, the more likely you are to be insulin resistant and at risk of developing Type-2-Diabetes.

If you have a high waist-hip ratio you may notice you have more of an ‘apple’ body shape. This body shape means you are carrying excess abdominal fat.

Why does this matter?

Health risks rise significantly with increased abdominal fat as many of our vital organs like your liver and pancreas are located here, if these organs are restricted by excess fat they are put under extra pressure.

What can you do to lower your Waist Hip Ratio?

Thankfully you can assist your waist-hip ratio by taking action in several ways.

1. Diet is the cornerstone to lowering your insulin levels. Foods that are processed and refined especially carbohydrates such as sugar, cakes, biscuits, white rice, pasta and white potatoes will all raise insulin levels in various amounts so you may be taxing your body unnecessarily.
2. Eating good quality proteins, vegetables and healthy high-fibre carbs will help.
3. Exercise is also important as a part of this process, getting regular cardio and some resistance with weight really can work wonders without being painful or a chore.

What to do next about your Waist Hip Ratio or anything else..

If you are unsure of how to increase or decrease your weight, change your eating habits or need help optimising the foods you eat and are not sure what programme to select please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition-related queries big or small.

If you want to book your programme TODAY we would love to help you.

You can book a 121 Dietitian Programme today by clicking on the link below

If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Do visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal.

If you are interested in how I overcame my Thyroid Autoimmune Condition do check out the About section below

Before you go please check out our 121 Dietitian Shop created specifically for optimising your health.

Gillian x