What Body Mass Index Calculator Can Tell You
What is Body Mass Index?
Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women between age 18 and 65 years and exclude children and pregnant women.
It is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. The resulting number is then plotted on a chart or used to calculate a category (such as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese).
How to Calculate Your Body Mass Index Manually
The BMI is a function of an adult’s weight and height and can be calculated using the formula:
BMI= WEIGHT(kg)/HEIGHT(cm)^2 =WEIGHT/HEIGHT(IN)^2*307
You can read more about the BMI here.
Why Body Mass Index Is Important
BMI is widely accepted as a good indicator of whether an individual is underweight, overweight or has a normal weight given his height.
It is also used by health professionals to assess an individual’s risk for chronic diseases.
What Is a Normal Body Mass Index Range
The BMI calculated value can be interpreted as follow:
- Underweight: Less than 18.5
- Normal weight: 18.5 to 24.9
- Overweight: 25 to 29.9
- Obese: 30 or greater
Limitations of Body Mass Index Calculator
While convenient, It’s important to note that BMI is only a rough estimate of body fat and may not be accurate for everyone. Factors such as muscle mass, age, and ethnicity can affect the accuracy of BMI.
It is also not suitable for children or pregnant women. Moreover, the BMI has some serious limitations and can lead to inaccurate measures.
In fact, the Body Mass Index Calculator doesn’t differentiate between fat and muscle and doesn’t take into consideration fat percentage and the loss of height with aging.
Thus, It tends to classify overweight individuals with smaller frames as normal and normal individuals with bigger frames as overweight.
Related: Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator
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