When is a BMI calculator used?

Understanding your BMI

Calculating your BMIusing the Body Mass Index calculatoror by hand is only the initial step, but knowing it is the next. To give you more clarity on the various categories that your physical health conditions would fall under according to your BMI -

• In case your BMI < 18.5 -

Your physical health problem would be classified as being overweight in respect to others that are the same gender, age, and height as you.

• If your BMI is greater than 18.5 and 24.9

Your physical health condition could be classified as healthy in respect to others who are of the same gender, age, and height as you.

• You're BMI is greater than 25 but is 29.9

Your health condition could be classified as an overweight condition in relation to the individuals who are of the same gender, age, and height as you.

• If your BMI is > 30

Your physical health issue could be classified as obese in comparison to others with the same age, gender and height as you. The people whose physical condition is classified as obese or obese are usually thought to be the most vulnerable to health conditions.

What is the ideal BMIfor both men and women?

A body mass index can be an measurement of one's weight in relation to height and thus the gender does not play an essential role in determining if you're overweight, underweight or an overall healthy individual. To help you better understand how to determine this, let us look at an example - a man and a woman with 5'7 inches of height" and weigh around 81kgs both have their physical condition categorized as overweight regardless of gender.

Why is the premium in your health insurance greater if you're underweight?

Understanding your BMI

Calculating your BMI using the Body Mass Index calculator or using a manual method is only the beginning step. Understanding this is the next. For more clarity below are the various categories your physical health medical condition can be classified into according to your BMI -

• You have a BMI is less than 18.5 -

Your health condition could be classified as overweight in relation to the individuals that are similar age, gender and height.

• When your BMI is higher than 18.5 and < 24.9

Your physical health would be classified as healthy in relation to the individuals who have similar age, gender and height.

• Your BMI exceeds 25 but < 29.9

Your health condition could be classified as an overweight condition when compared to others who are of the same age, gender, and height as you.

• If your BMI exceeds 30

Your physical health status would be classified as overweight with respect to people who have the same age, gender, and height as you. Patients whose physical health is classified as either underweight or obese are generally considered to be most susceptible to health diseases.

What is the ideal BMI for men and women?

BMI Ranges

Now that you have your BMI and where you're located within the BMI in the following range:

If your HTML0 BMI is under 18.5 (or less than 18.5). you're believed to be underweight.

It is a sign that your BMI is anywhere between 18.5 between 18.5 and 24.9 - you are thought to be in a acceptable weight-to-weight range.

You're BMI ranges between 25.0 and 29.9- you are considered to be overweight.

Your BMI is higher than 30 - you are considered to be overweight.

My BMI is high, what can I do to shed weight?

An ideal starting point you can set is to lose 10% of your body weight. Although that's probably not enough to propel you to a healthy weight it's a great place to start if you're overweight with research showing it's enough to have health benefits such as reducing risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The WW program encourages its members to concentrate on realistic weight loss targets and provides the expertise and methods to help to achieve them.

Are BMI more relevant for men or women?

The same BMI measurement is applicable for both genders and the same risks of developing a health condition related to weight is applicable to both women and men.

Research has found a connection between having an increased BMI and an increased chance of contracting a range of illnesses, including heart disease as well as type 2 diabetes osteoarthritis, as well as some kinds of cancer , such as breast cancer.

Is BMI 100 100% accurate?

It's not always accurate for everybody. It's difficult to distinguish between muscle and fat which is why people who have an excessive amount of muscle mass often have a high BMI even though their body fat is within the healthy range. Plus, a healthy BMI does not always indicate good health. In fact, research shows that three out of three who have healthy BMIs are considered to be unhealthy when other test results, like blood pressure, glucose levels and cholesterol are taken into account.

One reason could be that BMI does not accurately reflect the location where body fat is stored, and it is possible to have healthy BMI but carry too much fat around the waist, a location that presents a greater health risk than the weight you carry across your thighs and hips. A 2017 study has proved that conclusion, showing that those who have excess weight around their middle but maintain a healthy weight are highest risk of dying from any cause, when compared to those with higher BMIs , who carry the burden elsewhere.

"If I had to choose between making sure my BMI or my waist-to-hip ratio are within the 'normal' range, I would go for the latter," says the University of Sydney's Associate Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, who co-led the study. "A high waist-to-hip ratio most likely means high amounts of abdominal fat, and we know this comes with quite serious health risks."

Do I need to calculate my BMI?

Yes yes, says Dr. Michelle Celander, WW program and Science Director. "BMI gives a glimpse of how weight affects the chance of suffering from medical problems across a wide range of individuals even though it might not be a precise measure of medical risk for every individual, it's still very beneficial as feedback to you.

"But, while it is a good idea to calculate and know what your BMI is, no one piece of feedback about your weight or health should be viewed in isolation, so it's really important to consider your BMI in context of other information and measurements."

What other measurements matter?

There are two steps to make sure to take:

A) Your waist-to-hip ratio
Your waist measurement is divided (in centimetres) by the measurement of your hips (in centimetres). A waist-to-hip ratio greater than 0.9 for males while 0.85 for women indicates an increased risk of health.

B) Your waist-to-height ratio
Your waist measurement is divided (in centimetres) by your height (in centimetres). For good health, research shows that keeping your waist circumference less than half of your height - or a ratio not greater than 0.5 should be considered a wise choice.