Waist Circumference vs. Height

[GlobularFluster]

I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around the notion that healthy waist circumference and height are totally unrelated. I'm certainly not trying to argue but clearly my understanding of the issue is incomplete.

I am having a hard time understanding how a person of my height (clearly I am not unbiased on the issue at 6'5") can have a 37" inch waist (I currently do) and have that be representative of a similar level of body fat to a person with a similar percentage of LBM at 5'10". Is there some issue other than body fat percentage at play? Is it a complex interplay of mechanisms and the upshot it just to accept the data and not worry about the details? I'm the kind of person who likes to understand every detail of the why before I go about actually following the how. It certainly annoyed the crap out of my middle school teachers.

I suppose what I want to do is bulk and cut to increase muscle mass. Does this mean I need to cut to something like 34-35" inches if I want to spend a significant amount of time in a calorie surplus? Honestly my subjective perception is that I am too thin and veiny already, but I'd rather be healthy than aesthetic if that's the choice.

Thanks

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

GF,

Why would you expect a taller individual to be carrying less abdominal fat at a given waist measurement than a shorter individual?

[GlobularFluster]

I guess the main point of confusion is with the varying waist requirements by sex and race. European men are larger than Asian men, and Asian men have a lower requirement. Now that I phrase it this way I realize it likely isn't the most scientific approach, but if the size difference is greater between me and the average European man than the average European and the average Asian man, does that not translate to waist measurement? Also, don't I have larger organs than a smaller person? I'm not sure about either now that I think about it.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

I guess the main point of confusion is with the varying waist requirements by sex and race. European men are larger than Asian men, and Asian men have a lower requirement. Now that I phrase it this way I realize it likely isn't the most scientific approach, but if the size difference is greater between me and the average European man than the average European and the average Asian man, does that not translate to waist measurement? Also, don't I have larger organs than a smaller person? I'm not sure about either now that I think about it.

Some of your organs are bigger, sure. That said, you have more area to store fat in compared to a shorter person who is...shorter. If your waist is >37", that's a risk factor for obesity-related disease.