How many inches is it safe to lose from my waist?

How many inches is safe to - or even possible to - lose from my waist? My current body proportions are 35.5 inches hips, 30.5 inches waist, weight is 155lbs and I'm 5' 9". I'll also admit that I have love handles... they're not too bad, but they're definitely there. Any advice? Best ways to loose it? Cardio & Diet? best way to lose it?** (bad spelling, sorry)

Public Comments

1. Since you provide your waist, hip measurement, weight and height, we can use waist-hip ratio and BMI as guidelines. Let's look at BMI. Taking 703 x 155/(69*69), your BMI is 22.88, which shows that your weight to your height is pretty proportional. Now look at the Waist-Hip Ratio. your WHR is 30.5/35.5, which is 0.86. This is too high above the beauty/healthy standard. The recommended WHR for ladies is 0.7. In order to obtain this, considering your hip measurement to be constant, you need to slim down your waistline to 25 in order to fall in the healthy range. Based on the analysis, we can tell that you are not overweight, but certain part of your body is probably accumulating too much fat, especially your waist. You should reduce your fat intake, go for food that are rich in fiber. Eat more vegetables, less meat. Replace tit-bits and junk food with fruits. Generally, this is usually a healthier diet that everybody should follow. You may want to take a look at the following exercises which helps you to firm up your abdominal area and trim your waistline. You need to be patient, effect can only be seen after 1 months even if you do half hour everyday. 1. Bicycle Maneuver Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your fingers on the side of your head just behind your ears. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion. Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Breath evenly throughout the exercise. 2. Basic Crunch Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Curl up slowly so both your shoulders lift off the floor a few inches. Hold for a count of 2 and return to the start position. Tip: Don't clasp your fingers behind your head. Don’t tuck your chin to your chest, keep your head up. 3. Half Curl Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your palms on your thighs and curl up until your fingertips reach your knees as you breathe out. Return to the start position. Tip: Don’t tuck your chin to your chest, keep your head up. 4. Vertical Leg Crunch Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Extend your legs straight up in the air, crossed at the ankles with a slight bend in the knee. Contract your abdominal muscles by lifting your torso toward your knees. Make sure to keep your chin off your chest with each contraction. Exhale as you contract upward; inhale as you return to the starting 5. Reverse Crunch Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears. Crossing your feet at the ankles, lift your feet off the ground to the point where your knees create a 90-degree angle. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Your hips will slightly rotate and your legs will reach towards the ceiling with each contraction. Exhale as you contract; inhale as you return to the starting position 6. Alternating ‘Supermans’ Lie face down on a mat with your arms stretched above your head (like superman) Raise your right arm and left leg about 5-6 inches off the ground (or as far as you comfortably can). Hold for 3 seconds and relax. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg. 7. Plank Exercise Lie face down on a mat with your elbows right next to your chest, palms facing down. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and elbows with palms flat, back flat angling up from toes to shoulders. Hold abdominals tight, and keep your spine neutral. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, and then lower; repeat. 8. Crossover crunches Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross your right leg over your left leg so your right ankle is resting on your left knee. Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears. Begin a crunch, but twist your torso and touch your left elbow to your right knee. Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions before switching over to the other side. 9. Oblique Crunches Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Slowly drop your legs to the left and let your knees rest near the floor. Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Curl up slowly so both your shoulders lift off the floor a few inches. Hold for a count of 2 and return to the start position. Repeat for the desired number of reps and switch to the other side.