Body Mass Index (BMI)
Overweight? Obese? Morbidly obese?
One way to tell what category you are in is to know your BMI.
BMI is calculated by dividing a person?s weight in kilograms by height in meters squared.
A BMI of 18 to 24 means that you are of normal weight. If your BMI is between 25 and 29 you would are considered overweight. Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 to 39. And at a BMI of 40 or more defines morbid obesity.
| BMI |
Category |
| 18 - 24 |
Normal Weight |
| 25 - 29 |
Overweight |
| 30 - 39 |
Obese |
| 40+ |
Morbidly Obese |
Why is it important to maintain a normal BMI? Because the higher your BMI, the greater your risk of diabetes mellitus, heart attack, stoke and a shortened life span.
Calculating BMI is simple, quick, and inexpensive?but it does have limitations.
One problem with using BMI as a measurement tool is that very muscular people may fall into the ?overweight? category when they are actually healthy and fit.
Another problem with using BMI is that people who have lost muscle mass, such as the elderly, may have a health BMI (18.5 to 24.9) when they actually have reduced nutritional reserves. BMI does not directly measure percent of body fat.
Electrical bioimpedance is a method of measuring body composition to determine a patients actual percentage of body fat versus lean tissue.
(Use the chart to the right, above to find your BMI) |
 |
| BMI Chart (click to enlarge) |
|
|
|