How To Calculate Your Body Mass

In today’s fast-paced world, hectic schedules have resulted in people missing their meals and surviving on a diet of junk food. Combine this with a severe lack of exercise and you have the reason why obesity is so much prevalent these days. So, it is very necessary for you to keep yourself updated with your Body Mass Index (BMI) and take immediate steps when you feel that it is going out of the normal range. Body Mass Index (BMI) can be described as a measure of your body fat, calculated on the basis of your height and weight. It is basically calculated to determine whether you are underweight, healthy, overweight or obese.

Calculating Your Body Mass Index

Basic Formulae

BMI = Weight in Pounds X 703

(Height in Inches)²

BMI = Weight in Kilograms

(Height in Meters)²

Calculations

For calculating your Body Mass, you first need to take a few measurements. For that, you will require your bathroom scale, a yardstick, pencil, paper and calculator.
Weigh yourself on your bathroom scale and write it down, in kilograms as well as pounds.
Measure your height using the yardstick and write it down, in inches as well as meters.
Use the pencil, paper and calculator to perform the BMI calculation, as detailed in the lines below.
Take your weight in pounds and divide it by the square of your height in inches (height in inches X height in inches).
Now, multiply the figure - arrived at in the previous step, with the number 703. The resultant figure will be your Body Mass Index (BMI).
For weight in kilograms, you will only need to divide it by the square of your height in meters (height in meters X height in meters). The resultant figure will be your BMI.

After Calculating Your BMI

After you have calculated your BMI, judge it against the following parameters:

A BMI of less than 18 means you are underweight.
A BMI of less than 18.5 means you are thin for your height.
A BMI between 18.6 and 24.9 means you have a healthy weight.
A BMI between 25 and 29.9 means you are overweight for your height.
A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity. In such a case, it is advisable to consult a doctor right away and follow a strict diet plan.

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