Jesus Christ man, you almost gave me a heart attack. I looked at that pic and heard you saying you had a 40" stomach, no freaking way! Even 32" seems big looking at your pic. Don't push it out on purpose, just stand relaxed and measure at your belt line, that's your waist. For the best accuracy, have a friend do it while your arms are hanginging straight down at your sides.
But also, don't get hung up on that measurement if you're trying to gain. Eat everything in sight, worry about cutting later.
