Hi Sushi,
Welcome to FitDay.
As far as your question about measurements, there isn't really a right and wrong way or place to take the measurement. The trick is to take the measurement in the same place every time. If you measure your hips at the hip bone, them make sure that is where you always measure it. If you take the measurement at the widest part (usually around your butt

), then that's where you will continue to measure.
That being said, medical folks are recommending that the measurement at the belly button, rather than at the narrowest part of the waist, is the best determination of "belly fat" and visceral fat collecting around the internal organs. But for tracking weight loss I don't think it really matters.
Let us know how you are doing!