Body mass index, or BMI, is a method to assist you find out if you are at a healthy weight for your height. BMI is a number based upon your weight and height. In general, the higher the number, the more body fat an individual has. If your weight might be putting you at danger for health problems such as heart illness, diabetes, and cancer, BMI is often used as a screening tool to choose.
BMI is used to broadly specify various weight groups in adults 20 years old or older. The same groups apply to both males and females.
- Underweight: BMI is less than 18.5
- Regular weight: BMI is 18.5 to 24.9
- Overweight: BMI is 25 to 29.9
- Overweight: BMI is 30 or more
What is my BMI?
There are a number of ways to find your BMI.
Charts and online calculators
Charts and tables, such as the one listed below, are one easy method to figure out your BMI. There are also numerous online BMI calculators, such as this one on our site.
To use the table listed below, discover your height on the left side of the chart, then go across to the weight that is closest to yours. At the top of the chart you can see your BMI, and at the bottom of the chart you can see which category you suit-- healthy weight, overweight, or overweight:.
Some examples
This table shows us that a woman who is 5 ft. 4 in. If she weighs in between 145 and 169 pounds, high is considered overweight (BMI is 25 to 29). She is considered overweight (BMI is 30 or more) if she weighs 174 pounds or more.
A guy who is 5 ft. 10 in. high is considered overweight (BMI is 25 to 29) if he weighs between 174 and 202 pounds, and is obese (BMI is 30 or more) if he weighs 209 pounds or more.
Computing my BMI
You can likewise calculate your own BMI. The real formula to determine BMI utilizes metric system measurements: weight in kilograms (kg) divided by height in meters, squared (m2).
When using pounds and inches, the formula needs to be changed a little. Multiply your weight in pounds by 703. Divide that by your height in inches, squared:.
BMI = (your weight in pounds x 703) ÷ (your height in inches x your height in inches).
For instance, if you weigh 120 pounds and are 5 ft. 3 in. (63 in.) tall:.
BMI = (120 x 703) ÷ (63 x 63) or 84,360 ÷ 3969 = 21.3.
This is well within the healthy weight variety.
Exist any issues utilizing the BMI?
Doctors and nurses frequently utilize BMI to assist find out if a person might have a weight issue. BMI provides a great quote of total body fat for most people, but it doesn't work well for everyone. For example, bodybuilders or other really muscular people can have a high BMI because of their muscle mass, despite the fact that they're not necessarily overweight. The BMI can likewise undervalue body fat in individuals who have lost muscle mass, such as some older individuals.
For many adults, the BMI is an excellent way to get an idea of healthy weight ranges. However it's not constantly the final word in deciding if an individual is overweight or overweight. When judging how much someone needs to weigh, there are other things to think about. A person with a high BMI need to be examined by a healthcare company, who might use other factors such as skinfold density (a step of body fat), waist size, evaluations of diet and household health problems, and other aspects to discover if a person's weight may posture a health threat.
BMI in kids and teens
BMI can be computed the same way for children and teenagers as it is for grownups, but the numbers do not have the exact same significance. This is because the regular amount of body fat changes with age in kids and teenagers, and is various in between boys and girls. So for kids, BMI levels that define being normal weight or overweight are based upon the kid's age and gender.
To account for this, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed age- and gender-specific growth charts. These charts are utilized to translate a BMI number into a percentile based on a kid's sex and age. The percentiles are then used to determine the various weight groups:.
- Underweight: less than the 5th percentile
- Typical weight: 5th percentile to less than the 85th percentile
- Overweight: 85th percentile to less than the 95th percentile
- Obese: 95th percentile or greater
Even in a young person, being overweight or overweight can cause illness. And it might straight increase the danger for certain illness later on in life, consisting of some type of cancer. It also increases the possibilities of being overweight or overweight as an adult, as well as the risk of health issue that can include this.