BMI & Ideal Male Weight

Your Body Mass Index, or BMI, indicates your weight relative to your height. BMI values serve as indicators of a person's health and risk for certain obesity-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension and strokes. Organizations such as the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic recommend that adults look at their BMI to begin to understand their weight and health.

Classifications

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute groups adult men and women into five categories based on BMI. Adults with BMI values below 18.5 fall into the underweight category, adults with BMI values between 18.5 and 24.9 fall into the normal weight category, adults with BMI values between 25.0 and 29.9 fall into the overweight category, adults with BMI values between 30.0 and 34.9 fall into the obese category and adults with BMI values over 35 fall into the morbidly obese category.

Formula

You can calculate your BMI easily using a calculator. Divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, and multiply the answer by 703. For example, if you measure 6 feet tall and weigh 150 pounds, you have a BMI value of 20.3. This BMI falls into the normal weight category.

Ideal Weight

You can determine an ideal weight range for your height by using the BMI formula. Plug your height and the lowest normal weight BMI value into the formula to determine the lowest healthy weight for your height. Plug your height and the highest normal weight BMI value into the formula to determine the highest healthy weight for your height. Divide the BMI value by 703 and then multiply that by your height in inches squared. For example, a 6-foot tall man would have to weigh 136.4 pounds to achieve a BMI value of 18.5 and 183.6 pounds to achieve a BMI value of 24.9. Thus, a 6-foot tall man should weigh between 136.4 and 183.6 pounds in order to have a normal weight BMI.

Expert Insight

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute points out that the BMI system of predicting unhealthy weight and obesity has some limitations. BMI might overestimate body fat in athletes with high muscle mass, and it might underestimate body fat in elderly people who have lost muscle mass. According to the Mayo Clinic, BMI often underestimates obesity in women. BMI typically serves as a more accurate measure of health risks for men than for women.

Considerations

To compensate for the limitations of BMI values, you should consider certain other factors when assessing your weight and your health risks. Your body fat percentage and your waist circumference just above the navel also serve as indicators of your risk for obesity-related diseases. According to the Mayo Clinic, many people with normal weight BMI values have an unhealthy body fat percentage and a greater risk for heart and metabolic diseases. Men with a body fat percentage greater than 20 face higher risks for diseases even if they have a normal weight BMI.