Body mass index, or BMI, is a method to help you determine if you are at a healthy weight for your height. BMI is a number based on your weight and height. In general, the greater the number, the more body fat an individual has. If your weight may be putting you at threat for health issues such as heart cancer, diabetes, and disease, BMI is frequently used as a screening tool to choose.
BMI is used to broadly define different weight groups in adults 20 years old or older. The very same groups apply to both women and men.
- Underweight: BMI is less than 18.5
- Typical weight: BMI is 18.5 to 24.9
- Overweight: BMI is 25 to 29.9
- Obese: BMI is 30 or more
What is my BMI?
There are numerous ways to find your BMI.
Charts and online calculators
Tables and charts, such as the one listed below, are one easy way to determine your BMI. There are likewise numerous online BMI calculators, such as this one on our site.
To use the table listed below, find 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 reveals us that a woman who is 5 ft. 4 in. If she weighs in between 145 and 169 pounds, tall is thought about overweight (BMI is 25 to 29). She is thought about obese (BMI is 30 or more) if she weighs 174 pounds or more.
A man who is 5 ft. 10 in. tall is thought about overweight (BMI is 25 to 29) if he weighs in 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 uses metric system measurements: weight in kilograms (kg) divided by height in meters, squared (m2).
When using pounds and inches, the formula needs to be modified 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 example, if you weigh 120 pounds and are 5 ft. 3 in. (63 in.) high:.
BMI = (120 x 703) ÷ (63 x 63) or 84,360 ÷ 3969 = 21.3.
This is well within the healthy weight variety.
Are there any issues using the BMI?
Doctors and nurses frequently use BMI to assist learn if a person may have a weight problem. BMI provides an excellent estimate of total body fat for most people, however it does not work well for everybody. For example, bodybuilders or other really muscular people 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 people who have lost muscle mass, such as some older individuals.
For a lot of adults, the BMI is a great 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 obese. When judging how much someone should weigh, there are other things to think about. A person with a high BMI need to be assessed by a healthcare service provider, who might utilize other aspects such as skinfold thickness (a step of body fat), waist size, assessments of diet and household health issue, and other aspects to find out if a person's weight may pose a health danger.
BMI in teens and kids
BMI can be computed the same way for children and teens as it is for adults, but the numbers don't have the very same significance. This is due to the fact that the regular amount of body fat changes with age in children and teens, and is various in between kids and ladies. So for kids, BMI levels that specify being normal weight or overweight are based on the kid's age and gender.
To represent this, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has actually established age- and gender-specific growth charts. These charts are used to equate a BMI number into a percentile based on a kid's sex and age. The percentiles are then used to determine the different 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 higher
Even in a young person, being overweight or overweight can trigger health issue. And it might straight increase the risk for certain illness later in life, including some kinds of cancer. It also increases the opportunities of being overweight or overweight as an adult, along with the threat of illness that can come with this.