Reducing waist circumference priority?

I’ve been reading through previous posts and notice that having a waist circumference < 35” seems to be very important for health. My current measurement is 39.5”.

Although I’m in the second week of the beginner program, I’m thinking of prioritising cutting weight first to get my waist under 35”. I would simultaneously continue with the template, but not be too concerned about the progress or losing a bit of muscle mass while cutting because my health comes first. What do u guys think?

My background: male, 51yrs old, 173cm tall, 79kg weight, 39.5” waist at navel, 26.4 BMI.

Yep, that’s exactly what we’d do. If you’re relatively new to training, I’d expect you to increase your strength and muscle mass while losing body fat.