BMI calculator | Find out if your weight is in a healthy range?

You don’t need to be a fitness professional to know that excess body fat can lead to whole lot of health issues but who knows if you are closing in on being overweight or have reached the obesity threshold already? Find out if your weight is in a healthy range with online BMI calculator for men, women & kids from NHS (National Health Service).

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So how does BMI work ?

Body Mass Index (BMI) or Quetelet index is a measure of body weight relative to height and it has been the standard formula for measuring health risks associated with body fat. BMI formula attempts to assess amount of individual’s tissue mass (muscle, fat & bone) by dividing body weight by square of body height.

BMI Formula : Body Weight/Body Height Squared = weight (kg) / height (m) ²

What should my BMI be?
The standard weight status categories to classify a person’s weight associated with BMI ranges are:

UnderweightLess than 18.5Visit a nutritionist to help you form a better meal plan.Healthy WeightBetween 18.5 and 24.9Just maintain this BMI by following a healthy lifestyle.OverweightBetween 25 and 29.9Exercise and replace your food with healthy choices.Obese Class I (low-risk)30 or higherSee a doctor immediately & work on losing extra pounds.Obese Class II (moderate-risk)Between 35 and 39.9Take precautions ASAPObese Class III (high-risk)40 or higherGet specialist’s help for your condition.

BMI Chart:

BMI chart graphically represents Body Mass Index against height and weight and is only suitable for adult men and women. If you are under 18 or want to check your child’s BMI, please use BMI calculator for kids above. Look for your weight and height, now sketch on chart and see where lines meet to know your BMI.

BMI suggests that there is an ideal weight for someone at a certain height and age. Medical professionals consider BMI as a most practical way to have an idea of the amount of fat a person is carrying. Higher the BMI, greater is the risk of weight-related health issues including heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, osteoarthritis, diabetes; the list goes on and on. However, at any given BMI, these health risks are higher in some ethnic groups than in others, for instance, increase in weight over time is more harmful in Asians than in other ethnic groups, Hispanics and Blacks also had higher risk of health problems than Whites.

ClassificationAsian RangeWorldwide Range (WHO)UnderweightBelow 17.5Below 18.5Normal Weight17.5 to 22.918.5 to 24.9Over Weight23 to 27.925 to 29.9Obese28 & above30 & above

If efforts to lose weight with diet and exercise have been unsuccessful for people with a BMI of 40 or more, Bariatric surgery is recommended to minimize obesity related health complications.

Note: BMI calculator results do not apply if you’re suffering from an eating disorder.

BMI Limitations:

1. Quetelet, a statistician, created the formula as an easy way to assess the degree of obesity of the general population and explicitly stated that the index should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual.
2. BMI doesn’t reveal anything about your body makeup, is the reason why multiple people with same BMI look different. It fails to differentiate a muscle builder with strong bones, good muscle tone and low fat from a couch potato of the same height and weight who has a higher fat and lower muscle tone.
3. BMI cannot tell anything about distribution of excess body fat. Some people have their excess body fat around their waist whilst others carry their body fat around their hips, thighs and buttocks. Excess fat is more dangerous around the midsection than when it is widely distributed.

Measure your Waist Size:

Waist circumference is a measure used to analyze body fat. Irrespective of height or BMI, try to lose tummy fat if your waist size is greater than :

• 94 cm (37 inch) for men
• 80 cm (31.5 inch) for women

You are at high risk for health issues, if your waist size is more than:

• 102 cm (40 inch) for men
• 88 cm (34 inch) for women

Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR):

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is another simple measure used to calculate fatness of the body. Waist-to-hip ratio is calculated as waist size divided by hip size.

Weight StatusMenWomennormal weightUnder 0.90Under 0.80over-weight0.90 to 0.990.80 to 0.84obesityOver 1.00Over 0.85

There is no sure way to tell if you are healthy or not but if you want to lower your BMI, waist circumference or a waist-to-hip ratio, it is so important to have good lifestyle habits, eat clean fresh foods, excercise daily, get essential vitamins and nutrients from fruits, vegetables and avoid alcohol, smoke, sugar, gluten and processed foods to live a better quality of life.

Originally published at www.techvows.com on April 14, 2018.