How to Measure Overweight or Obesity with a BMI Index Calculator
Overweight and obesity are related but do not mean the same thing. Overweight refers to an excess amount of body weight for your height that includes fat, bone, muscle, and water. Obesity refers to an excess of body fat. To know if you are overweight or obese, you can use the BMI indicator.
What the categories of the BMI table mean
|
Category |
Body Mass Index |
| Underweight |
<18.5 |
| Normal |
18.5 – 24.9 |
| Overweight |
25.0 – 29.9 |
| Obesity |
30.0 – 34.9 |
| Severe Obesity |
35.0 – 39.9 |
| Morbid Obesity |
≥40.0 |
How to calculate your BMI
- To calculate your BMI you need to know your height and your weight.
- BMI = weight in kilograms ÷ height in meters².
- You need to know your weight in kilograms. Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 = your weight in kilograms. For example, if you weigh 240 pounds: 240 ÷ 2.2 = 109 kilograms. Your weight in kilograms is 109.
- You need to know your height in centimeters. Multiply your height in inches x 2.54 = your height in centimeters. For example, if you are 68 inches tall, multiply 68 x 2.54 = 172.7 centimeters or 1.727 meters tall (172.7 ÷ 100 = 1.727 meters). Your height is 1.727 meters tall.
- Your BMI would be: 109 ÷ ( 1.727 x 1.727) = 36.5
This BMI indicates that you meet the criteria for obesity.
How does your BMI relate to health risks?
Overweight and obese people with a BMI of 25 or higher are at risk for developing the following health conditions:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes type 2
- Sleep apnea
- Gallstones
- Gout
People with a BMI of 30 or higher have serious health risks, especially heart disease. Losing weight improves your health in many ways.
|
BMI |
Health Risk Based on BMI |
|
<25 |
Minimal |
|
25 – <26.9 |
Low |
|
27 – <29.9 |
Moderate |
|
30 – <34.9 |
High |
|
35 – <39.9 |
Very high |
|
≥40 |
Extremely high |
Obese people may have additional problems such as:
- Be limited in how agile they are. As a result they have a higher risk of having accidents
- They may have problems getting pregnant
- They may have problems during the pregnancy and delivery
Be aware that your health risks are higher when your body fat is concentrated in your belly rather than in your hips.
Can you ever be thin if everybody in your family is heavy?
You may never be thin, but you can definitely lose weight and be fit. You may have inherited genes from your family that cause you to gain weight faster than some of your friends but that can be overcome. In fact, genes account only for 20 percent of our physical condition if our lifestyle is a healthy one. The remaining 80 percent is affected by our lifestyle.
What you have probably inherited from your family is your lifestyle, the one that is causing you to gain weight easily. Families pass on habits that may lead to weight gain. Your family played a strong role in the development of your food preferences, physical activity habits, and eating habits. But you can change your habits and pass them on to your children, too.
Final words
If you lose weight, you can reduce your risk of getting diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, and breast and colon cancer. If you already have any of these health problems, losing weight improves them. When you lose weight, you will spend less time at your doctor’s office.
Even losing –say 5 to 7 percent of the starting weight, usually 10 to 20 pounds, improves health by reducing the risks that the above diseases entail.
To your losing weight success!
Emilia Klapp, R.D.,B.S.
www.TheDiabetesClub.com
www.Discussion.TheDiabetesClub.com
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