WAISTLINE MATTERS

What shape are you?

Are you a pear shape, where fat is stored around your hips, thighs and buttocks?

Or are you an apple shape, where fat is stored centrally around the tummy?

Why am I being nosy about this you ask? Well as a Registered Nutritionist, I’m passionate about helping individuals/populations to achieve and maintain good health. It’s great that we ‘fashion bloggers’ look fab on the outside in our new clothes and accessories, but what's going on inside our bodies.

We know that being overweight or obese is associated with significantly increased health risks, and in previous posts I have encouraged you to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI – a method used to determine whether you are a healthy weight, overweight or obese) by filling in the BMI widget at the bottom right of the side panel, but BMI is not a flawless measure because it can't distinguish between body fat and muscle, and it tells you nothing about the distribution of body fat.

WHERE YOUR FAT IS DISTRIBUTED IS IMPORTANT!

This is important because what determines the health risks of obesity, is much more to do with where the fat is distributed, than simply just the amount of fat. The two basic types of fat distribution introduced above are: Apple pattern (abdominal fat) and Pear pattern (hip, buttock and thigh fat). People who are ‘apple-shaped’ – with fat concentrated around the abdomen -  are considered to be more at risk for conditions such as heart disease and diabetes than those who are ‘pear-shaped’ and carry weight more in the buttocks, hips and thighs. 

Men tend to store fat in the abdominal area, but don’t usually have much around the hips and thighs. Women on the other hand are more often pear shaped –storing more fat on their hips and thighs than around the tummy, but this is not always the case, and as I’m sure you have witnessed, some people can have mixed patterns.

MEASURE YOUR WAIST

The simplest way to assess the amount of central/abdominal fat is to measure your waist. Get a tape measure ( you can purchase one from my Nutrition & Health Shop if you do not have one) and measure right around your waist, roughly level with the belly button  – don’t suck your tummy in otherwise you will get an inaccurate reading!

What figure did you come up with?

If it is 32 inches (80cms) or less , this is an ideal waist measurement

If it is between 32-35 inches (80-90 cms) you have an increased risk of developing health problems

If it is greater than 35 inches (90cms) you are at high risk of developing health problems

Even though many women hate having large hips and thighs, there is some research to suggest the pear shape may actually be health protective (reduces risk of heart disease and diabetes), which might be good news for me,  Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Kim Kardashian!

Photo Credit - Flickr

 So if you notice over the months or years that you are having to adjust your Hermes belt (wishful thinking on my part that I owned such a belt)  or skinny jeans to accommodate an increasing waistline, then it’s time to start cutting back on those calories and stepping up the exercise. Be sure to pop back for some weight loss tips in future posts.

Later x