The body mass index, or BMI, is a method of comparing your weight to your height. Health care workers commonly use it to identify people in a group who may not be at their recommended weight. You can compare your BMI against the standard BMI values from the World Health Organization to determine your weight classification. The BMI is only a preliminary screening tool, rather than a diagnosis. An actual diagnosis of obesity requires an examination by a qualified physician.
Step 1
Weigh yourself in pounds with a bathroom scale. Divide this weight by 2.2 to obtain your weight in kilograms.
Assume you weigh 149 lbs. in this example. Your weight is therefore 149 / 2.2 = 67.7kg.
Step 2
Measure your height in inches with a tape measure. Multiply this height by 0.0254 to obtain your height in meters.
Assume your height is 68 inches in this example. Your height is therefore 68 x 0.0254 = 1.73m.
Step 3
Calculate your BMI with the following formula: BMI = (weight) / (height x height).
Assume your weight is 67.7kg and your height is 1.73m for this example. Your BMI is therefore (67.7) / (1.73 x 1.73) = 22.6 kg/m^2.
Step 4
Classify your weight according to your BMI. The World Health Organization classifies a BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m^2 as underweight. A BMI between 18.5 and 25 kg/m^2 is normal. A BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m^2 indicates pre-obesity and a BMI above 30 kg/m^2 indicates obesity.
The BMI of 22.6 kg/m^2 for this example falls within the normal BMI range.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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