The body mass index (BMI) offers individuals and health professionals alike a rough measure of a person's proportion of body fat. Health professionals use the BMI to determine whether someone might be at risk for cardiovascular diseases. Using a person's height, weight and a constant in a simple formula, anyone can quickly determine his level of body fat. Because the BMI does not measure body fat directly but only provides an indirect measure, BMI may not be as accurate at gauging fat in some groups of people. Nonetheless, you can determine your BMI to get a rough estimate of your health risk.
Step 1
Weigh yourself using a bathroom scale or a scale at a gym. It is best to weigh yourself without clothes or shoes.
Step 2
Measure your height, if you do not already know it. To get an accurate measure, enlist the help of a friend. Stand with your back against a wall without shoes. Put your feet together and place your heels against the wall. Place your arms at your sides and look straight ahead. Have your friend mark the wall with a pencil at the point where the top of your head meets the wall. Step away and measure the distance from the floor to the pencil mark.
Step 3
Convert your height to inches. If you are 5 feet 10, your height would be 70 inches.
Step 4
Multiply your height by your height. If you are 70 inches, 70 x 70 is 4900.
Step 5
Divide your weight by the result you computed. If your weight is 192, you would divide 192 by 4900 to get .039.
Step 6
Multiply this result by 703. In the current example, this would be .039 x 703, resulting in a BMI of 27.55.
Step 7
Compare your result to a standard BMI chart, such as one from the CDC. A person with a 27.55 BMI is considered overweight.
Tips and Warnings
- Although BMI is an accessible way for anyone to determine body fat, it should not be the only measure. Once you calculate your BMI, use other tools, such as calculating your waist circumference, to get a better picture of your overall health risks.
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