Your waist says more than your scale
7 questions, 2 minutes. We calculate your waist-to-height ratio, the simplest indicator of abdominal fat, and look at the habits that influence it.
Educational tool. It is not a medical device and does not measure visceral fat directly: it uses waist size as an indirect indicator. If in doubt, talk to your doctor.
Your result is ready
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The result is indicative and is not a diagnosis: visceral fat can only be measured precisely with imaging tests. For a personalised plan, talk to your doctor.
Where to start
To track your progress
Bioimpedance scales give an estimate: use them to follow the trend over time, not for a diagnosis.
Understanding visceral fat
Why waist size matters more than weight
The fat that builds up around the abdominal organs, called visceral fat, is the type most closely linked to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Two people with the same weight can have very different amounts of it.
The half rule
An easy way to remember it: your waist should be less than half your height. If you are 170 cm tall, the goal is to stay under 85 cm. It is the criterion used by the British NICE guidelines.
How to measure your waist
- Standing, feet together, belly relaxed.
- Tape horizontal, halfway between the lowest rib and the hip bone.
- Read the measurement after breathing out, without pulling tight.
- Repeat twice and take the average.
What really helps
Exercise (even just walking), strength training, enough sleep, less sugar and less alcohol. Visceral fat is often the first to go down when you change your habits, even before it shows on the scale.
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