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How to measure your body with a tape measure

The 14 places Leano uses, where the tape goes on each, and how to get the same reading next week. The pictures show Leano’s 3D twin with the tape for each site in jade.

Before you start

  • Use a soft, non-stretch tape measure. A tailor’s tape works; a metal tape does not.
  • Measure on bare skin or thin underwear, in front of a mirror so you can check the tape is level.
  • Keep the tape snug on the skin, never pressing in.
  • Measure at the same time of day each week, ideally in the morning before eating.
  • Stand relaxed with your weight on both feet, and read the tape at the end of a normal breath out.
Front view of the female base figure with the 14 sites numbered from the neck down to the calves.
The 14 sites in the order Leano measures them. Left and right are your own sides.
The male base figure from behind, with every tape level all the way round.
From behind: each tape stays level all the way round, hips included.

The 14 sites

  1. Neck: the tape on Leano’s twin

    1Neck

    Just below the Adam’s apple, the tape sloping slightly down toward the front.

    Look straight ahead with your shoulders relaxed.

  2. Shoulders: the tape on Leano’s twin

    2Shoulders

    Around the widest point of both shoulders, arms hanging at your sides.

    Easier with a second person holding the tape level.

  3. Chest: the tape on Leano’s twin

    3Chest

    Across the fullest part of the chest, under the armpits.

    Arms down. Breathe out normally, then read.

  4. Upper arms, left and right: the tape on Leano’s twin

    4, 5Upper arms, left and right

    Halfway between shoulder and elbow.

    Arm hanging relaxed, not flexed, the same way every time. Measure both arms; Leano keeps them apart.

  5. Forearms, left and right: the tape on Leano’s twin

    6, 7Forearms, left and right

    Around the widest part, just below the elbow.

    Arm straight, hand open and relaxed.

  6. Waist: the tape on Leano’s twin

    8Waist

    Midway between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone.

    Breathe out normally and read at the end of the breath. Keep the tape level all the way round.

    This is the waist NICE uses for the waist-to-height ratio, usually just above the belly button.

  7. Belly: the tape on Leano’s twin

    9Belly

    Level with your navel.

    Stand relaxed and do not pull your stomach in.

  8. Hips: the tape on Leano’s twin

    10Hips

    Around the widest part of your buttocks.

    Feet together, tape level.

  9. Thighs, left and right: the tape on Leano’s twin

    11, 12Thighs, left and right

    Just below the fold of the buttock, around the thickest part.

    Weight on both feet, muscles relaxed.

  10. Calves, left and right: the tape on Leano’s twin

    13, 14Calves, left and right

    Around the widest part of the calf.

    Stand with your weight on both feet.

Height, weight and body fat

HeightBack to a wall, heels together, eyes straight ahead.
WeightWeigh in the morning, after the bathroom and before eating. Daily weigh-ins feed Leano’s weight trend; one with each measuring session is enough for the four numbers.
Body fatOptional, from a smart scale or a clinic measurement. Leano also estimates it with the US Navy method once it has your neck, waist (plus hips in the female formula) and height.

Getting the same reading next week

  • A self-measured waist or hip can differ by about a centimetre from one reading to the next, a limb by about half that. Leano marks smaller changes as within tape error instead of counting them as progress.
  • Turn on two readings to measure each part twice. Leano keeps the average and tells you when the two readings are far apart.
  • Go by landmarks: the navel for the belly, the fold of the buttock for the thigh, the midpoint between shoulder and elbow for the upper arm.
  • Measure left and right separately. Most people differ a little between sides, and an average hides it.

Let the twin show you

While you measure, Leano lights up each site on its 3D twin and keeps every number on your phone. Your waist and height also give you the waist-to-height ratio.

Download on the App Store

Try the waist-to-height ratio calculator