The fat man on the left has a low WHR while
the fat man on the right has a high WHR

The WHR is the ratio of your waist to hip measurements. WHR means Waist to Hip Ratio. If you are bigger around your hips and butt than you are around the waist or belly, than you have a LOW WHR. But if you're bigger around your belly than you are around your hips and butt then you have a HIGH WHR.

According to all the medical experts, if you have a LOW WHR, you are better off than someone with a high WHR, even if you happen to be fat. Another words, if you're fat with a LOW WHR having a big butt, broad hips, and fat thighs, but no gut hanging over your belt, you are less likely to develope any health problems such as heart disease or diabetes, than someone with a high HIGH WHR, having a small butt, narrow hips, and a big belly hanging over the belt. For example: if you measure 50 inches around your belly, and 60 inches around your hips and butt, your WHR is 60 divided 50 which gives you a WHR of 0.84 but if your belly is 60 inches and your hips are 50 inches, then your WHR is 60 divided by 50 and that give you a WHR of 1.2 which puts you at a greater health risk. Both of these fat individuals in our example may be the same height and weight, but the person with the larger lower body can stay fat and happy while the person with the large upper body would probably be advised to loose weight before developing any health problems.

Another words, LOWER BODY FAT = LOW RISK where as UPPER BODY FAT = HIGH RISK.

Normally, most women have a low WHR, while most men who are overweight have a high WHR, but sometimes one does see some overweight men with a low WHR and a few overweight women with a high WHR.

To calculate your WHR, using a tape measure, first you measure yourself around the hips where they are at their widest, then measure yourself around the waist where it is at it's smallest. NO CHEATING NOW! There are some of you guys out there for example: who measure 40 inches around the hips but manage to get into a pair of pants with a 36 inch waist, yet you might have a big beer gut that hangs down over the belt, so in which case, you must measure yourself around your belly where it is the biggest, instead of around the "waist" where you wear your pants.

If you have a big belly, then your "waist" mesurement is NOT necessarily at the waistband of your shorts! If you're slender, or normal weight, you may measure yourself at the waist, but if you have a big belly hanging down over the waistband, then you must measure yourself around the largest part of your belly instead of the waist, then measure yourself around the hips. Another words, if your slender, or normal weight, or overweight with big hips, you measure your WHR, but if you have a big belly hanging over the belt, you actually measure your BHR, Belly to Hip Ratio! Some of you may have to lift up on the belly in order to measure your hips.

After measuring yourself around the hips and the waist, or belly, then divide your waist, or belly measurement by your hip measurement, or simply use the WHR Calculator below by inputting your measurements.

Of course, if you happen to be a big fat lazy glutton, like me, who enjoys being fat, than you probably could care less about how your WHR may be effecting your health, in which case, you can use the WHR calculator to see what your WHR is, and input measurements you would like to achieve to increase your WHR.

For exanple, I measure 52 inches around my hips. I hope to some day achieve a WHR of 3.0 or greater! I simply multiply my hip measurements by the BHR I hope to achieve. So, my goal to have a belly that measures at least 156 inches around, or about three times as big around as my hips! I measure 26 inches around my thighs, and my love handles are wider than my hips, the fat on my lower back prodrudes out further than my butt, and my belly already hangs down over my belt so I'm well on the way to acheieving my goal. I just hope that I don't gain any more weight on my hips, butt and thighs as my belly gets bigger. I also hope to have a 100 inch chest and 40 inch arms. I want to set a new record for having the world's highest WHR.

A BMI in the range of 19 to 25 is considered to be ideal. If your BMI signifies that you are Morbidly Obese (BMI of 40 or more) or Severely Obese (BMI of 35 to 39) with severe weight-related co-morbid conditions, then you might be candidate for diabetes and heart disease.

To calculate your BMI, please fill in the information below and click the "Calculate" button.

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