BMI Calculator

The BMI -- a percentage in your weight to your height that helps determine if you're an acceptable weight.

Calculate Your Body Mass Index

A BMIcan provide you with a clear indication of whether you're carrying excess, or not enough or the proper weight.

En espanol Your body mass index (BMI) is an estimate of your body fat that is calculated based on how tall and at what weight. Doctors utilize BMI as well as other health indicators to determine the current health condition of an adult and potential health risks. The people with higher BMIs are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions such as sleep apnea or type two diabetes or heart disease. To determine your own BMI take a look at this calculator.

To determine your BMI you must select your weight, height and size from the list below. After you click on the 'Calculate' button, you'll be taken to a section regarding your results.Height 4' 5' 6' 7' 1" 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" 6" 7" 8" 9" 10" 11" Weightlbs.CALCULATE

(NOTE: BMIshould not be used for assessing an infant's weight since the proper weight for a child differs with the age.)

Typically, people with high BMIs have a higher probability of developing ailments like heart diseases, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes. But many factors like your family history, diet habits and activity level -are also influencing your overall health.

BMI calculator results are grouped into broad categories including overweight, healthy weight, obese and overweight.

While you analyze your results be aware that BMI has its limits and that BMI recommendations differ based on gender and other factors. (For example, BMI may underestimate body fat in an older individual who has lost muscle tone.)

If you have questions or are concerned about you BMI results, speak to your doctor or health care provider.

FAQs

What is BMI?

BMI also known as body mass index is a screening tool that takes into account a person's height and weight. It categorizes people into four weight groups (underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese) that can be linked to health issues. But BMI isn't the only way to determine the quality of health of a person.

What is a healthy BMI?

Healthy weight can be defined as a BMI of within 18.5 between 18.5 and 24.9. A weight in this category has a lower risk of illnesses than the obese, obese, and overweight categories.

What should be my BMI to be?

The "healthy weight" category--defined as a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9--is widely regarded to be ideal. However, keep in mind that BMI isn't the only measurement. It does, for instance, not reflect how much fat you have or how it is distributed, factors that can impact your metabolic health.

What is BMI measured?

Body mass index (BMI) is the individual's mass in kilograms, divided by squares of height in meters.

How precise is BMI?

It depends. BMI cannot tell you how much of your weight comes either muscle or fat, consequently, it's missing information vital for assessing your health risks.For instance, athletes might have a high BMI due to their muscle mass, even if the person isn't overweight. Also, the definitions for the weight categories were mostly based on white populations, therefore it may be less accurate for people from other races and ethnic groups.

What can age and race impact BMI?

BMI doesn't differentiate between fat, bone and muscle. Consequently, it could be inaccurate in older people, who tend to lose muscle mass and density as they age. (That's why those over 65 could benefit from having a slightly higher BMI, from 25 to 27.) Studies show that BMI measure of overweight underestimates the risk for Black individuals and undervalues the risk for people of Asian of Asian descent. This could result in a mistreatment and health disparities.

Are BMI recommendations the same for both men and women?

The amount of body fat varies between women and men. For women, the ideal body fat range is 20 to 21 percent. (The average American woman is averaging 22 to 25 percent of body fat.) Men's recommended percentage of fat should be between 13 and 17 percent. (The average American male has between 17 to 19 percent body fat.)

To find out your ideal bodyweight, use this formula:

• Women 100 lbs from body weight during the first 5 feet of height plus 5 pounds for every increment of an inch.
• Men The weight is 106 pounds. corpus weight to the first 5 feet + 6 pounds for each increment of an inch.

If you're sporting a small body frame, subtract 10 percent of that number. For a large frame, add 10 percent.