Body Mass Index is currently used by many medical professionals as the standard method of determining whether an individual is underweight, at a healthy or ideal weight, overweight or obese. The ideal weight or weight range for you depends on a number of factors including your age, bone density, sex and body composition.
Minimum BMI Calculation
According to Medical News Today, your BMI is calculated by multiplying your weight by 703 and dividing this number by the square of your height. This calculation works with imperial units -- your weight in pounds and your height in inches. The minimum healthy weight, defined by a BMI of 18.5, is calculated by multiplying 18.5 by the square of your height and dividing this total by 703. As an example, if your height is 5 feet or 60 inches, your height squared is 3600. Your minimum healthy weight is calculated by multiplying 18.5 by 3600 and dividing by 703 for a minimum healthy weight of 93.7 lbs.
Maximum BMI Calculation
A healthy BMI range is considered to be between 18.5 and 24.9. Your maximum healthy weight is calculated as above, but substituting the number 24.9 for 18.5 in the calculations. To calculate a maximum healthy weight for a 5-foot tall individual, you would multiply 24.9 by 3600, your squared height in inches, and divide this total -- 89,640 -- by 703. The maximum healthy weight for a person of 5 feet tall, according to this calculation, is 127.5 lbs.
Ideal Weight
A specific ideal weight is typically calculated as being in the middle of the ideal BMI range. So you could calculate your ideal weight by adding together your minimum and maximum healthy weights as calculated above, then dividing this total by two to find the average of the two numbers. To use the previous example -- with a minimum healthy weight of 93.7 lbs and a maximum healthy weight of 127.5 lbs -- the average of the two weights would be 110.6 lbs.
Considerations
In the United States and many other Western countries, the ideal BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9 is commonly accepted. However, MedlinePlus.com states that some countries use a BMI of 20 as the lower limit for a healthy weight. Additionally, BMI may not be the best predictor of a healthy weight for particularly muscular individuals, children or the elderly. MayoClinic.com reports that BMI calculations for young women may overestimate the ideal weight range.
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