The BMI, short for body mass index, is a ratio of your height and weight. Its most common use is to classify the weight of individuals based on their height. The BMI is only a preliminary screening tool, and you shouldn't use it to make an actual diagnosis. Once you calculate your BMI, You'll typically compare it to a set of standard values in order to assess your weight. The World Health Organization, or WHO, provides BMI values for this purpose.
Step 1
Weigh yourself in pounds. Divide your weight by 2.2 to obtain your weight in kilograms.
Assume you weigh 145 lbs. for this example. You therefore weigh 145 / 2.2 = 65.9 kg.
Step 2
Measure your height in inches. Multiply your height by 0.0254 to obtain your height in meters.
Assume your height is 67 inches this example. You're therefore 67 x 0.0254 = 1.7m tall.
Step 3
Calculate your BMI with the following formula: (weight) / (height x height). Provide your weight in kilograms and your height in meters to obtain your BMI in metric units.
Assume your weight is 65.9kg and your height is 1.7m for this example. Your BMI in metric units is therefore (65.9) / (1.7 x 1.7) = 22.8 kg/m^2.
Step 4
Determine your weight classification from your BMI. The WHO classifies people with a BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m^2 as underweight. Your BMI is in the normal range if it's between 18.5 and 25 kg/m^2. A BMI in the range of 25 to 30 kg/m^2 indicates pre-obesity and a BMI above 30 kg/m^2 indicates obesity.
Assume your BMI is 22.8 kg/m^2 for this example. Your BMI therefore falls within the pre-obesity range.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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