How You Can Increase Your Body Mass Index

There is a statistic thrown around by the media, coming from the "Journal of the American Medical Association," that approximately 68 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. This statistic is based on body mass index, or BMI, and although the numbers might suggest most people should be lowering theirs, if you are in the opposite position, there are ways to increase your BMI.

What is BMI?

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute states that BMI is a measure of body fat for both men and women based on height and weight. To determine your BMI, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, then multiply by 703. You also can use the calculator at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's website (see Resources).

BMI Ranges

If your BMI falls under 18.5, you are considered underweight. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered optimal, while between 25 and 29.9 is deemed overweight and over 30 is obese. A BMI of about 22 to 23 has been associated with the lowest risk of health problems related to weight.

Increasing Your BMI

The obvious method for increasing your BMI is consuming more calories. MyPyramid states that there are about 3,500 calories in a pound, so increasing your caloric intake by 500 per day would mean gaining a pound in a week. But if you decide to increase your BMI by eating more, you also should start a weightlifting routine to help build muscle mass. Muscle weights more by volume than fat, and exercising for larger muscles will help you stay in shape while increasing your BMI.

Things To Look For

When increasing your BMI, do so at a slow to moderate pace to minimize accumulation of excess body fat. Use a body-fat caliper or scale to track your body fat along the way.

Risks

Higher BMIs carry higher risks of health problems, including increased risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure. For this reason, it's important to increase muscle mass when increasing your BMI, since the risks are higher in those who are out of shape.