How To Calculate BMI (Body Mass Index)?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is actually a measurement tool that indicates that whether you are underweight, overweight or at some normal weight. This conclusion involves comparison between your weight and your height. BMI for a person can be calculated easily by using some simple mathematical formulas.

Some simple steps in order to calculate BMI (in pounds)
1. To calculate your Body Mass Index, you will need a few materials like a yardstick, paper, bathroom scale, calculator and pencil.

2. Weigh yourself with the help of bathroom scale.

3. Now, make a measurement of your height (inches) also, with the help a yardstick.

4. With the help of paper, calculator and pencil perform the calculation (mentioned below), in order to calculate your Body Mass Index.

5. Square your height measurement (in inches), i.e. multiply your no. of height (in inches) with same no. of height (in inches). Let it be “x”

6. Now, divide your measured weight (pounds) with the “x”.

7. And then finally, multiply your answer with the figure 703. The answer you got will be your Body Mass Index.

Now judge your Body Mass Index result with the help of the mentioned scale-

1. If your Body Mass Index is less then 18; it means that you are under weight.
2. If your Body Mass Index is less then 18.5; it means that you are thin according to your height.
3. If your Body Mass Index lies between 18.6 and 24.9; it means that you have a normal weight.
4. If your Body Mass Index lies between 25 and 29.9; it means that you are overweight according to your height.
5. If your Body Mass Index is greater then 30; then it means that you are suffering from obesity.

Some tips regarding un-usual Body Mass Index value-
1. To sustain a healthy life, it’s very important to regulate your weight. So, if your Body Mass Index value is lying above the normal, then you should immediately start doing something about your increased weight.

2. Consult a physiotherapist in order to get prescription of some exercises.

3. Yoga and meditation are also helpful in dealing with increased weights.

Some warnings regarding the Body Mass Index value calculations-
1. Body Mass Index value is a very efficient measurement tool, but possesses some limitations also. BMI protocol doesn’t have any provisions for some important factors like mass of the muscles, type of particular body etc.

2. According to the recent research studies, it has been found that the hip to waist ratio is better indicator for weight conclusions as compared to the scale of BMI. Hip to waist ratio should not be more then 0.8 (for women) and 0.9 (for the men).

3. BMI is just a theoretical approach of making conclusions regarding the fitness of a person, it should not be compared with the tests like “Bio-electrical impedance analysis” (BIA). These tests are much more accurate as compared to the BMI scale, because they analyze total amount of the weight of a person that is present in the form of pure fat. Moreover, BMI test is not accurate and correct always.

Written by Lucas Beaumont

Generalist. Wikipedia contributor. Elementary school teacher from Saskatchewan, Canada.

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