How to Calcualte Your BMI

How to Calcualte Your BMI
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BMI, which stands for Body Mass Index, is used as a measure of the weight status in adults. The BMI correlates to the amount of body fat a person carries. According to Harvard University Health Services, a healthy BMI averages between 18.5 and 24.9. The BMI value can help to identify individuals at risk from obesity-related illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure and even the occurrence of some cancers. Determining your BMI is a simple equation that requires an accurate measure of your height and weight and a few minutes to complete the calculation.

Step 1

Weigh yourself on a reliable scale. Multiply your total weight in pounds by 705. For example, a person weighing 180 lbs. uses the equation, 180 x 705 = 126,900.

Step 2

Measure your height in inches. Multiply this measurement by itself to obtain the square of your height. For our example subject, who is 6 feet tall, the equation is, 72 x 72 = 5,184.

Step 3

Divide the first value by the second value to obtain your BMI value. The final equation for our example is, 126,900 / 5,184 = 24.4 BMI value.

Things You'll Need

  • Scale
  • Tape measure

References

Article reviewed by Jenna Marie Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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