Properly measuring my waist?

Measuring one's waist seems like it should be a a really simple matter...as in take a tape measure, wrap it around my waist and look at the number. Like, duh. The trouble I'm having is working out which bit I should be measuring.

The guides say measure where your belly button is, and the pictures (for the most part) show a tape measure going around the part of the torso where it cinches in, for want of a better way of explaining it. But having gained and lost from a high weight back to a normal weight a couple of times, well...the skin hasn't always snapped back to where it should be. This is particularly noticeable around my belly button, which I think might be lower than it's suppose to be (ok, the fat that's still there doesn't help either).

If I measure around the cinched in part it's a good few inches smaller than where my belly button is (which is lower). I'm trying to find ways to measure that don't always involved the scale and feeling a bit discouraged, because measuring around my belly button doesn't shrink much. I can lose fat but not hip bone if that makes any sense. I also could just be trying to delude myself here.

When measuring your waist, do you measure around the part of the torso that cinches in? Or is the waist strictly measured by the belly button line?

i measure at the thinnest part, for me it's right above my hips. and i know they won't move like my belly button.

i think as long as you measure in the same spot every time so you get consistant results.

I measure at the widest part - I have measured at the smallest part and depending on what style clothes you wear, it can make a difference. The numbers do get smaller, but I have found that it takes a long time, especially if you have already lost a lot of weight. I've been doing more weight training and I think that has helped to slim down the waist more.

Thanks Gkcfm95 and Ncnole. Yeah, I think I'll just measure at the same point each time, regardless. It is a bit confusing because a) there's the clothes that say such and such a waist, but because I'm an apple shape I often have trouble with the hip to waist ratio of pants (as in...what hips?! ). And b) sometimes people post waist measurements, and I start to try and compare...at such and such a weight, this person has a xx waist in comparison to my xx waist. Which probably isn't a good idea anyway. Funnily enough, I've spoken to a couple of pear shaped friends who wish they had less hip (and while I think they are little crazy ) I think the grass is always greener...

I agree - belly buttons can move. I measure around the smallest part because that is my actual waist (I'm hourglass shaped).