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Understanding Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body Mass Index (BMI)is a measure of how much body fat you are carrying. It is calculated by dividing your weight in Kilograms by your height in Metres squared, but don't worry, we have simple online calculators to do all the maths for you. Your BMI is what your doctor will use to check if you are the right weight, overweight, or obese for your height.

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What Your Body Mass Index (BMI Means) :
Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI) In Feet & Pounds :
Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI) In Centimetres & Kilograms :

What Your Body Mass Index (BMI) Means

Body Mass Index (BMI) is the measurement normally used by your doctor to see if your are of normal weight, overweight, or obese. It is a calculation which takes into account both your weight and your height.

To calculate your BMI divide your weight in Kilograms by your height in Metres squared, which is a bit of a fiddle to do, but you can easily calculate your BMI from the links below. You can interpret your results as follows -

BMI	Weight
Below 18.4	Underweight
18.5 - 24.9	Ideal weight
25.0 - 29.9	Over weight
30.0 - 39.9	Obese
Over 40.0	Morbidly obese

Body Mass Index (BMI) can be misleading when applied to people with a high muscle mass, such as athletes. It also ignores your body composition, and gives reassurance to people with too little muscle mass and too much fat, which can result from dieting. Such people can have normal BMI but are unhealthy as they are 'fat on the inside'. The distribution of body fat is also ignored by a BMI measurement, and having more fat around your middle, rather than it being more evenly distributed is a health problem, so your waist measurement is also important. (See Understanding Your Weight).

Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Measure your height and weight and use the following calculators to work out your Body Mass Index (BMI):

Facts about BMI:

Countries with over 20% (1 in 5) of the population obese include the UK, USA, Greece, New Zealand, Mexico and many others.
Almost 40% of children in the EU are over weight or obese.

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written by Bill Thorn, April 05, 2012

Interesting post! Remember The Body Mass Index was invented by Adolphe Quetelet in the first half of the 19th century. Although the index does not measure the percentage of body fat, it is used to estimate a healthy body weight based on a person's height. It is the most widely used metric for identifying individuals with weight problems within a population due to its ease of measurement and calculation. Use the Online BMI calculator to check your today!