What Is Your Body Mass Index

Is your Body Mass Index something you should be paying attention to?
This page shows you the formula and BMI scale.


B M I is a way to measure your body fat, based on a calculation of weight and height.
Use the formula below to calculate yours.
Imperial

Weight in pounds * 703 / Height in inches * Height in inches

= BMI

Metric

Wight in kilograms / Height in meters * Height in meters

= BMI
For a fully automated BMI calculator see the following page cdc.gov, this is perfect if you don't have the time to mess about with the above formulas to calculate your results. Once you have your results, check it with the below BMI scale.

BMI Scale

Severely underweight	less than 16.0
Underweight	from 16.0 to 18.5
Normal	from 18.5 to 25
Overweight	from 25 to 30
Obese Class I	from 30 to 35
Obese Class II	from 35 to 40
Obese Class III	Over 40

What to make of this information

So now you have calculated your BMI and checked it on the scale, should you pay attention to it? That depends on your build, for example I am 6 foot 2 inches and about 202 pounds my BMI is 26 which is considered overweight according to the scale, but my body fat percentage is around 9%, so I know not to pay too much attention to this scale.

Muscle is heavier than fat, anybody that has more than average muscle mass should not pay too much attention to your BMI.

For everybody else it's a useful guideline.

A score of less than 18.5 probably means you're not eating enough, this could cause you to suffer from low energy levels and a reduced immune system increasing the chance of infection and disease, it could also cause possible organ damage. You should always check with your doctor if you have any concerns.