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 a person has. BMI is typically utilized as a screening tool to decide if your weight might be putting you at risk for illness such as heart cancer, diabetes, and disease.
BMI is used to broadly define various weight groups in grownups 20 years old or older. The very same groups apply to both females and guys.
- 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 numerous methods to discover your BMI.
Charts and online calculators
Tables and charts, such as the one below, are one easy method to figure out your BMI. There are likewise numerous online BMI calculators, such as this one on our website.
To use the table below, discover your height on the left side of the chart, then cross 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 classification you fit into-- healthy weight, overweight, or overweight:.
Some examples
This table reveals us that a woman who is 5 ft. 4 in. If she weighs between 145 and 169 pounds, high is thought about overweight (BMI is 25 to 29). If she weighs 174 pounds or more, she is thought about obese (BMI is 30 or more).
A male who is 5 ft. 10 in. high is thought about 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 figure out BMI utilizes metric system measurements: weight in kilograms (kg) divided by height in meters, squared (m2).
When using inches and pounds, the formula requires to be modified slightly. 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 range.
Exist any problems using the BMI?
If a person might have a weight problem, nurses and physicians typically use BMI to help find out. BMI offers an excellent estimate of overall body fat for most people, but it doesn't work well for everyone. For example, bodybuilders or other very muscular individuals can have a high BMI because of their muscle mass, even though they're not necessarily overweight. The BMI can likewise undervalue body fat in individuals who have actually lost muscle mass, such as some older people.
For a lot of adults, the BMI is a great way to get an idea of healthy weight ranges. But it's not constantly the final word in choosing if a person is overweight or overweight. There are other things to consider when evaluating just how much someone must weigh. An individual with a high BMI should be assessed by a health care company, who may use other aspects such as skinfold thickness (a procedure of body fat), waist size, examinations of diet and family illness, and other elements to learn if a person's weight may position a health danger.
BMI in children and teenagers
BMI can be computed the same way for children and teenagers as it is for adults, however the numbers don't have the exact same meaning. This is since the normal amount of body fat changes with age in teenagers and children, and is different between kids and ladies. So for kids, BMI levels that define being normal weight or overweight are based on the child's age and gender.
To account for this, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed age- and gender-specific development charts. These charts are used 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
- Regular weight: 5th percentile to less than the 85th percentile
- Overweight: 85th percentile to less than the 95th percentile
- Obese: 95th percentile or higher
Even in a young person, being overweight or overweight can trigger health issue. And it might directly increase the danger for certain health issue later on in life, consisting of some type of cancer. It likewise increases the chances of being overweight or overweight as an adult, along with the risk of illness that can come with this.