• Measure waist at the navel in men, and midway between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the hip bone in women.
• Measure hips at the tip of the hip bone in men and at the widest point between the hips and buttocks in women.
• Divide your waist size at its smallest by your hip size at its largest and you get a Waist-to-Hip ratio.

For most people, being an apple shape (carrying extra weight around the middle) places them in a higher health risk category than being a pear shape (carrying extra weight around the hips or thighs). But remember: this is just one assessment that is used in measuring weight-related health risk. Total obesity may still be a greater risk than where fat is stored on your body.