How important is waist size for women who've had children?

[rootzdawta]

So I came across this Dr. Oz video about waist size.

Currently, my waist (if I don't suck in at all) is 32". I'm 5'2 or 62 inches. Divide that by 2 and you get 31. So according to Dr. Oz's formula, my waist size is not healthy.

However, I recently lost 40 lbs. and I have two children. I will admit that my belly area is a challenge but everything I've read says that you can't do spot reduction, i.e. I can't just lose weight in my belly area. I am not interested in losing more weight overall. I've been working hard to tighten and tone the area and while I'm not accepting defeat, I pretty sure that I will never have a perfectly flat belly or even a belly flatter than this. I have a diastasis and so I know that contributes to the size of my belly since the muscles never quite healed properly after childbirth. And then there's also all the sagging skin left over. I'm just wondering how applicable Dr. Oz's formula is to healthy weight women who have larger bellies due to childbearing.

[spughy]

I would not stress about it. If your BMI is healthy, your body fat is under 30%, you eat well (meaning, refined carbohydrates and packaged/junk foods are occasional visitors to your tum) and you're physically active, then I think worrying about waist size is silly. What more would you do? You could get liposuction or a tummy-tuck but it wouldn't make you any more healthy.

ETA: You're only an inch off. Suck in a tiny bit to account for the diastasis and you're good.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by rootzdawta

everything I've read says that you can't do spot reduction, i.e. I can't just lose weight in my belly area. I am not interested in losing more weight overall.

While you can't spot reduce, if you reduce the amount of total fat on your body, your body will loose fat from the areas where there is extra fat, such as your waist.

Since you don't want to loose weight, only loose fat, your best option is to lift weights. Lifting weights, even arm and leg weights, will help reduce your waist. The news that "you can't spot reduce" is actually really good news. Rather than needing to do tons of ab work, a well rounded work out using some of those big muscles groups will get you results.

I really like The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

[ambereva]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

While you can't spot reduce, if you reduce the amount of total fat on your body, your body will loose fat from the areas where there is extra fat, such as your waist.

Since you don't want to loose weight, only loose fat, your best option is to lift weights. Lifting weights, even arm and leg weights, will help reduce your waist. The news that "you can't spot reduce" is actually really good news. Rather than needing to do tons of ab work, a well rounded work out using some of those big muscles groups will get you results.

I really like The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[rootzdawta]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

While you can't spot reduce, if you reduce the amount of total fat on your body, your body will loose fat from the areas where there is extra fat, such as your waist.

Since you don't want to loose weight, only loose fat, your best option is to lift weights. Lifting weights, even arm and leg weights, will help reduce your waist. The news that "you can't spot reduce" is actually really good news. Rather than needing to do tons of ab work, a well rounded work out using some of those big muscles groups will get you results.

I really like The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Originally Posted by ambereva

Took the words right out of my mouth.

Awesome. I'm doing the Chalean Extreme program now (in the final month now and I was kind of worried because there's no big emphasis on ab work) and just bought the book (NRoLfW) and I'm loving it!

[crunchy_mama]

My non-expert thoughts are the same, keep working out- and it will work itself out in time. I haven't done but a handful of minutes of ab work since my newest one was born. However, my stomach is getting tighter and tighter. I do stabilizing core work- squats, squat thrusters, pullups, pushups, planks and things like that. I have 3 kids and a bit of diastis as well- and at 9m pp I am *almost* as small as pre-baby- I am at 26.75 and was at 26. Actually now that the belly is getting leaner I can physically see where the muscles separate looking in the mirror. It is kind of freaky. I have that extra skin as well- don't know how much that effects it.

[dancebaraka]

I am into fitness & health in general but frankly, I disregard the BMI & whatever Dr. Oz or any other guy using any kind of chart says... most charts are based on a white male standard & don't consider the full complement of real, healthy, ethnically diverse womaness.

I'm interested in this New Rules book... I must check that out!

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by dancebaraka

I disregard the BMI & whatever Dr. Oz or any other guy using any kind of chart says... most charts are based on a white male standard & don't consider the full complement of real, healthy, ethnically diverse womaness.

BMI is different, and it is just a starting point. The BMI may not indicate healthy weight for people with a lot of muscle.

The waist measurement thing isn't just a Dr. Oz thing. It is tied to heart health and people who have waist measurements that are more than half their height do have a higher rate of heart disease. It's really a VERY reasonable goal to work toward.

It is, of course, only one indication of heart health. Blood pressure, resting heart rate, cholesterol etc. are all important indicators.

Simple things like BMI and waist measurements don't tell the whole story, but they are VERY easy to check and a great place to start.

[dancebaraka]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

BMI is different, and it is just a starting point. The BMI may not indicate healthy weight for people with a lot of muscle.

The waist measurement thing isn't just a Dr. Oz thing. It is tied to heart health and people who have waist measurements that are more than half their height do have a higher rate of heart disease. It's really a VERY reasonable goal to work toward.

It is, of course, only one indication of heart health. Blood pressure, resting heart rate, cholesterol etc. are all important indicators.

Simple things like BMI and waist measurements don't tell the whole story, but they are VERY easy to check and a great place to start.

I'm really not trying to dis these things.. if they help some folks than that's great. I'm just saying that I listen to other things & put a lot more stock in those things & leave this info alone- and I bet I live a real long, active fulfilling life, God willing. I was trying to give Rootz some support & just highlight that *her healthy* might not fit in the mainstream measurements. In my opinion, BMI & measurements are *not* a great place to start. A great place to start is with how you feel & what your personal endurance & health is like. Like can you walk up a hill without strain? Or do you get sick a lot? That kinda stuff...
I hear what you are saying though & respect your opinion. I think there are many valid ways of looking at this... I just wanted to add my voice to the discussion.

[kittywitty]

I have wondered this, too. Even when I am underweight-115 on my 5'5" frame, my waist is 29-30" which a lot of people consider too big. I used to have a small waist, but always bigger hips, but after having kids, my waist just will not physically shrink smaller than that.

[crunchy_mama]

I don't like the bmi either, but think it is a good idea to keep an eye on the waist. Of course you cannot spot reduce but with eating well, not too much and getting good activity it should eventually go down to a healthy range. Whether that is exactly the same as pre-pregnancy maybe- maybe not. We all carry our weight differently but I think that half- of the height is pretty allowing for that. If the belly stays excessively big I would also look into food intoelrances as well- as that causes bigger bellies for a lot of people.

[Linda on the move]

two things:

If you have red flags for heart disease, the best person to talk to is your doctor, who can go over your all your stats (including blood work), family history, etc and decide if more tests are needed.

While you can't spot reduce, the lifestyle choices that lead to heart health are also the lifestyle choices that lead to moderate waist measurement, such as cardiovascular exercise, minimizing processed food in favor of whole foods, etc. Part of the reason that a moderate waist indicates health health is because of the lifestyle choices. The other reason is that fact in our mid section is hard on our hearts, more so than fat on our hips and thighs.

It's not just about weight. It's about how much you move and what kind of food choices you make.

[sewaneecook]

Originally Posted by dancebaraka

In my opinion, BMI & measurements are *not* a great place to start.

My BMI has always been borderline overweight, despite being a size 6! I'm more muscular than the average woman and just looking at that number doesn't tell anything about my fitness level and health.

[rootzdawta]

Originally Posted by dancebaraka

I'm really not trying to dis these things.. if they help some folks than that's great. I'm just saying that I listen to other things & put a lot more stock in those things & leave this info alone- and I bet I live a real long, active fulfilling life, God willing. I was trying to give Rootz some support & just highlight that *her healthy* might not fit in the mainstream measurements. In my opinion, BMI & measurements are *not* a great place to start. A great place to start is with how you feel & what your personal endurance & health is like. Like can you walk up a hill without strain? Or do you get sick a lot? That kinda stuff...
I hear what you are saying though & respect your opinion. I think there are many valid ways of looking at this... I just wanted to add my voice to the discussion.

I definitely feel fit and strong. I can walk up hills that were a real struggle a little over a year ago. My blood pressure is down and weight is down . . . I just still have this layer of fat over my belly. Underneath it I can feel muscle but my belly still protrudes. Looks fine in clothes, i.e. like I have a relatively flat belly but it's really not.

Originally Posted by crunchy_mama

I don't like the bmi either, but think it is a good idea to keep an eye on the waist. Of course you cannot spot reduce but with eating well, not too much and getting good activity it should eventually go down to a healthy range. Whether that is exactly the same as pre-pregnancy maybe- maybe not. We all carry our weight differently but I think that half- of the height is pretty allowing for that. If the belly stays excessively big I would also look into food intoelrances as well- as that causes bigger bellies for a lot of people.

I am wondering if I do have food intolerances. I struggle with gassiness a lot. I'm really not sure how to go about figuring out what I might be reacting to and I don't want to spend a lot of money going to quacks. And psychologically, after going strict veg cold turkey for 6 years, I am not ready to give up some of the (few) things I actually like to eat. (((Sigh)))

After I gave birth, the nurses kept pressing down the top of my belly (the fundus?). It has not gone down and still sits kind of high. I wonder what that is.

But I definitely hear you all about waist measurement not being the end all, be all but a good place to start.