The body mass index can help you determine the healthiest weight for you. It is important to keep your BMI with an ideal range because having a normal amount of body fat may reduce your risk for chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. If you are concerned about your weight or BMI, talk to your doctor.
Ideal BMI for Adults
An ideal BMI range is between 18.5 and 24.9. A lower BMI means you're underweight, and a BMI between 25 and 29.9 means you're overweight. A BMI at 30 or more is in the obese category. These categories assume that most people have the healthiest percentage of body fat with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9, but it may not be an accurate indicator for everyone. For example, if you are a strength-training athlete with a high amount of lean muscle mass, your BMI could put you in the overweight category even though you have a low percentage of body fat. MayoClinic.com says that some women who are in the normal BMI range may actually have a higher amount of body fat than is healthy.
Ideal BMI for Children
The ideal BMI range for children and teenagers from ages 2 to 20 years depends on percentiles that you can find on BMI-for-age growth charts for boys or girls. A BMI under the fifth percentile is underweight, fifth to 85th percentile is a healthy weight, 85th to 95th percentile is overweight and higher is obese. Overweight and obese children are more likely to suffer from social stigma and low self-esteem, and to become obese adults. Be careful when you use growth charts to assess the BMI for a child or adolescent, because a healthy BMI also depends on your child's stage of growth in addition to absolute BMI.
Achieving an Ideal BMI
If your current BMI is above the ideal range, check with your doctor about whether you should lose weight. To lose weight, you need to lower your calorie intake or increase your physical activity, or combine both methods. When you eat 500 fewer calories or burn 500 more calories per day, you can expect to lose about 1 lb. of body fat per week. Similarly, if you need to gain weight to achieve your ideal BMI, you can eat get extra calories in your diet from eating calorie-dense healthy foods.
Considerations
The ideal BMI range is a general guideline for a healthy weight for your height, but it is only one part to the picture of your overall health. BMI does not indicate your fitness level. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that while assessing whether your BMI is in the ideal range for you, your doctor should also consider such factors as your family history, your blood pressure and your cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
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