The body mass index, or BMI, is a value that compares your height to your weight. You can use it to classify your weight according to the standards published by the World Health Organization, or WHO. You should use the WHO BMI classification system only as an assessment tool, and not as a diagnosis. Calculate your BMI in metric units so that you can compare it to the WHO BMI values, which are also in metric units.
Step 1
Weigh yourself in pounds with a bathroom scale. Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms. Assume you weigh 183 lb. for this example. You therefore weigh 183 / 2.2 = 83.2kg.
Step 2
Measure your height in inches with a tape measure. Multiply your height in inches by 0.0254 to get your height in meters. Assume you’re 69 inches tall for this example. You’re therefore 69 x 0.0254 = 1.75m tall.
Step 3
Calculate your BMI with the formula BMI = weight / (height x height). Your weight is 83.2kg and your height is 1.75m in this example, so your BMI is 83.2 / (1.75 x 1.75) = 27.2 kg/m^2.
Step 4
Compare your BMI with the WHO BMI values to classify your weight. Your BMI is 27.2 kg/m^2, which places your BMI in the pre-obesity range of 25 to 29.99 kg/m^2.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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