With more than 34 percent of adults over the age of 20 overweight or obese, it's no secret that weight loss is on everyone's minds. Dieting and weight loss is a multi-million dollar industry and the source of countless fad diets, gimmicks and exercise equipment. But how do you know if you're overweight? One of the easiest ways to determine if you're overweight is by using the body mass index, or BMI. While it is not an exact science, the BMI has shown to have a high correlation with people's degree of obesity and will help you to determine if you're in the general vicinity of your optimal weight.
Overfat or Overweight?
One of the challenges with weighing yourself is determining if you're overweight or overfat. There is a difference. Professional athletes who spend hours in the weight room building their muscle mass are typically overweight--they weigh more than most other non-athletes of their same height but are still very lean. On the other hand, many sedentary adults who do not manage their weight are overfat. This is one drawback of using the BMI. It does not differentiate between individuals who are overweight versus overfat. However, for the general population, research has shown that there is a good correlation between your BMI and degree of obesity.
The BMI Formula
The BMI uses an simple formula that is non-sex specific--use the same formula for both men and women. Use the following equation to calculate your BMI using pounds and inches:
weight (lbs.) / [height (inches)] x 703
For example, if you weigh 149 pounds and are 65 inches tall, your BMI would equal 24.96.
Interpreting the Results
A BMI below 18.5 means you are underweight, from 18.5 to 24.9 is deemed normal, from 25.0 to 29.9 means you are overweight and above 30.0 means you are obese.
Keep in mind that the BMI is a general classification of body mass that is non-specific to sex, age and other factors such as your physical activity. For a more accurate assessment of obesity, there are a number of other tests like skinfold thickness, underwater weighing or other laboratory procedures.
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