Body Mass Index - an easy weight loss tool

I think it is fairly safe to say that most people have a pretty good idea whether their weight is about right for their height without resorting to any fancy programs, diets or exercise.

It is just as well to confirm your suspicions one way or the other, and a very simple tool to use is the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is a very sound indicator of healthy body weight.

BMI calculations will confirm which, of 4 categories, your body falls into, these being underweight, normal, overweight or obese.The result may only go to verify that some action needs to taken without too much delay.

Its very, very easy to work out your own BMI.

The calculation is:

Body Mass Index (BMI) = weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared.

to calculate weight in kilos divide number of lbs by 2.2.
to calculate height in metres divide height in inches by 39.3.

A worked example could be like this for a person height 5ft 8 inches weight 168lb;

to convert weight to kilos divide 168 by 2.2 = 76.3 kilos.

to convert 5ft 8in (68 inches) to metres, divide 68 by 39.3 = 1.73 metres.

this figure needs to be squared, that is 1.73 multiplied by itself (1.73 x 1.73) = 2.99.

the calculation is therefore
76.3
---- = 25.5
2.99

When you calculate your BMI you will fall into one of the 4 categories that we mentioned above:

Below 20 Underweight
20-25 Normal
25-30 Overweight
Over 30 Obese

You will realise from the worked example that the BMI is slightly overweight and some exercise or dietary need is required.

If you fall outside the normal parameters you will need to give serious consideration for either a weight gain or weight loss program possibly under medical supervision.Please remember that BMI is only one of many indicators of healthy body weight that you should use.