Your body weight can tell a lot about your health and your risk of developing chronic illness. If you are overweight or obese you are at a greater risk for developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dying from a stroke or heart attack. Your healthy body weight depends on your gender and height. One way to determine if your body weight is healthy for you size, is to determine your body mass index.
Body Mass Index
The body mass index, or BMI, is a calculation that is based on your height and your weight. This calculation places your weight in one of five categories. The best BMI category is the healthy range from 18.5 to 24.9. If you fall into this range, it means that your body weight is ideal based on your height and your gender. If your number is higher or lower, then this means that you are overweight or underweight for your size.
How BMI Is Calculated
You can calculate your body mass index in three simple steps. The first step is to take your body weight and divide it by your height in inches. The second step is to take that number and divide it by your height in inches a second time. This number is your BMI. The third step is to take your BMI number and compare it to the five categories to see how your weight is classified.
What BMI Numbers Mean
The five BMI categories are underweight, healthy, overweight, obese and morbidly obese. Underweight is any score below 18.5, underweight means that your weight is lower than it should be for your health. A score above 25.0 to 29.9 puts you in the overweight category. A score of 30.0 to 39.9 is considered obese and above 40 is morbidly obese. Obese and overweight mean that your weight is greater than it should be for your health and you are at a much higher risk for chronic illness and disease.
Considerations
The healthy BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9 is the ideal range for you to be in. For you to have a healthy body weight, you need to eat a healthy balanced diet of natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, vegetable oils and seeds. These foods can help you keep your calories in check. In addition, you must engage in physical activity because the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories through activity than you consume through food. If you can keep your weight healthy, your BMI will improve and you will be healthier in the long term.
Member Comments