Your BMI, or body mass index, is a value that can indicate whether you are within your recommended weight range. It’s important to understand that the BMI is merely a screening tool, as an actual diagnosis of obesity requires an evaluation by a health care professional. You’ll typically need to find your BMI in metric units, since BMI references generally list BMI values in metric units. The World Health Organization establishes official weight classifications of BMI values.
Step 1
Use a tape measure to measure your height in inches.
Step 2
Use a bathroom scale to measure your weight in pounds.
Step 3
Calculate BMI with the equation w / (h x h), where "w" is weight and "h" is height. So for example a man who is 65 in. tall and weighs 147 lb. would calculate his BMI as 147 / (65 x 65) = 0.0348 lb./in.^2.
Step 4
Convert your BMI from English units to metric units by multiplying by 703. In the example, the BMI was 0.0348 lb./in.^2 so the BMI is 0.0348 x 703 = 24.5 kg/m^2.
Step 5
Interpret your BMI by comparing it with a BMI weight classification table. The WHO BMI table shows that the BMI of 24.5 in the example is just under the pre-obesity range of 25 kg/m^2 to 30 kg/m^2. The normal BMI range is from 18.5 kg/m^2 to 24.9 kg/m^2, and WHO classifies BMI values greater than 30 kg/m^2 as obese.
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Bathroom scale
- Calculator
Member Comments