What exactly is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

BMI is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI helps provide a dependable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that might lead to health problems.

The higher a person's BMI, the higher the percentage of fat in their body. If your Body Mass Index is less than 20, you might be considered underweight. If your BMI is between 20 and 25, you would be considered a healthy weight. A BMI over 25 is considered overweight, and a Body Mass Index 35 and over is considered obese. You might wonder how to find out where you are when it comes to your weight.

Many different web sites have charts and calculators that can determine your Body Mass Index. The premise of a BMI calculator is to put in your weight and height and to show you what your number is. The charts simply demonstrate where you stand anywhere from underweight to obese.

If you are good at math and want to do it on your own, you can calculate your BMI by dividing your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, then multiply the results by a conversion factor of 703. For instance, someone who is 5’7 (67 inches) and weighs 160 pounds, the calculation would look like this: 160 ÷ (67)2 x 703 = 25.06.

This is an excellent way to keep you in line and let you know where you are with your weight.