BMI Chart Helps You Determine Your Body Mass

A BMI chart is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat and estimate health risks due to carrying too much weight. Even a lifetime fitness program that works with your target heart rate can require knowing your body mass to achieve your goals in fitness and weight loss.

If a person’s body mass falls into what is considered to be the ‘healthy’ range, it does not necessarily mean that you are fit and healthy. A body mass index chart does not consider lean body mass or a body’s frame. Even a muscular person with a large frame might come up with a number that indicates someone who is overweight, but other factors show that this isn’t the case.

You can figure out what your body mass would be on any number of charts available on the Internet or at your doctor’s office. You can also use a calculator to use the formula (BMI= (weight in pounds / height in inches x height in inches) x 703). You can also use an online BMI calculator.

Body mass index considers your weight and height that allows you to compare with a chart. Unfortunately, a body mass index chart number can’t give you a body fat percentage but still attempt to indicate whether you are overweight or obese.

When you find your number on the chart, you will find that if your number is less that 18.5 you are considered underweight, if your number is between 25-30 you are considered to be overweight and if your number is over 30 you are considered to be obese. While your results might be upsetting, consider that age and sex aren’t taken into account.

There are a number of ways to test your body fat. Both mens health and womens health will base some health needs based on determining what your body fat is. Before buying any exercise equipment or starting a diet, consult your doctor to make sure you take the healthiest route possible.

What does BMI tells about you: the BMI calculator’s result

You can check if you have a healthy weight in relation to your height by using online BMI calculator or by calculating your BMI yourself from this formula: 

BMI =  weight (kg) / height ²  (m)

Once you have calculated your BMI, you can use the chart below. The BMI table is true for men and women over the age of 19. It does not take your age or gender into account. It is thus the same equation used for men and women.

BMI CHART

BMI <18.5 : Underweight with low risk of obesity-related complications

BMI 18.5-24.9: Normal weight with medium risk of obesity-related complications

BMI 25-29.9: Overweight with slightly increased risk of obesity-related complications

BMI> 30 – 39.9: Severely overweight with high risk of obesity-related complications

BMI> 40: Extremely overweight with very high risk of obesity-related complications

How to relate to your BMI

Over-weighed

If you are in the overweight category on the basis of a high BMI (25 or more) and also have a waist measurement of more than 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men, then you should try to lose weight. It is only older people over 65, where a BMI between 25 and 29 is okay. This is probably related to the fact that older people need more mass to cope with the possible illnesses.

If you want to lose weight, the health authorities recommend that you get the official dietary advice and consume less food than you burn. Eat healthy and varied meals preferably with a reduction in the amount portions and high calorie drinks. Losing weight about 0.5-1 kg per week is realistic for most people.

Underweight

Being underweight can also affect your health. Extreme weight loss can have major consequences as it can prolong the course of the diseases and increase the risk of infections. If you are underweight due to malnutrition or because you are eating too little, you may be lacking in nutrition and minerals. It is especially the young women who are at high risk of anemia when the iron intake is too modest. 

For underweight women, there is also a risk for missing menstruation period, which can at worst affect the woman’s fertility. It is recommended to increase the amount of food and caloric drinks while taking into account official dietary advice and keeping your meals varied.

What is BMI – BMI definition

BMI stands for Body Mass Index, and is a formula that determines the body’s mass index, ie your body weight in relation to your height. It is used as a tool to assess our nutritional status and the risk of developing health problems. It has been used by professionals for many years as an indicator of obesity and obesity-related problems. BMI is divided into different groups, which can help to define whether you are underweight, normal or overweight.

However, like so many other units of measurement, a BMI calculator is not a perfect tool as only the height and weight are included in the equation. Thus, it does not take into account other aspects such as age, gender or physical activity. Thus, the calculation will in some cases give a wrong picture of the person’s body mass and categorization according to the BMI chart.

Can you trust your BMI? Is BMI accurate for everyone?

It is important to point out that your BMI result is not a sole definitive indication of your health status. The calculation of BMI does not differentiate between fat and muscle.

In this way, a problem occurs with BMI when one’s muscle mass is more than normal. So you may have a high BMI due to higher muscle mass than fat. In other words, very muscular individuals, tend to have a high BMI, even though the fat mass is normal.

The BMI figure also does not take into account where the fat mass is located on the body. It is better if you have fat mass more around your hip than the stomach.  

Children’s BMI

BMI was developed for adults, therefore the table does not give a true and fair view for people under 19. WHO has therefore developed four different graphs for calculating children’s BMI. They are divided by gender and age group, so that there is one for girls and one for boys in the age groups 2-5 years and 5-19 years.

Read more about the calculation of BMI in children  here.