BMI, or body mass index, is used as an estimate of your percentage of body fat. It can determine your relative risk for disease. If your BMI is above the ideal range, you could be at risk for developing chronic and serious diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems and certain cancers. Losing weight can quickly bring down your BMI level, putting you at less risk for developing these diseases.
Determining Your BMI
If you're an adult, BMI is calculated by inserting your height and weight into a formula. You can calculate your own BMI online. If your BMI is less than 18.5, you're in the underweight category. Normal body weight falls in the 18.5 to 24.9 range, which is the ideal range. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you are considered overweight. If your BMI is 30 or greater, you are considered obese. Those in the overweight and obese categories are at increased risk for disease.
Limitations of the BMI System
BMI is only an estimate of your body fat. The system has its downfalls. For instance, an athlete with more than the average muscle mass weighs much more than someone else with his body frame and very little muscle mass. Because BMI doesn't account for how much of your weight is muscle mass, this could make your BMI appear higher. Also, the BMI calculation may underestimate body fat in older adults who have lost muscle mass. If you fall outside the "norm" in the amount of muscle mass that you have, consider getting your body fat level checked by a health professional.
Improving BMI Through Nutrition
By implementing a healthy diet into your lifestyle, you can reduce your BMI level. A healthy diet can be as much as cutting down on portion sizes and trying to include five servings of fruits and vegetables in your diet each day. Cut down on high-fat and high-sugar foods and replace them with high-fiber and low-fat foods. By creating a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories between the calories you eat versus the calories you burn, you lose 1 lb. body fat per week.
Improving BMI Through Exercise
By adding regular physical activity to your daily routine, you help create more of a caloric deficit than with nutrition alone. This helps you lose weight even faster. Up to 2 lbs. weight lost each week is healthy and can result in permanent weight loss. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends 2.5 to five hours per week of moderate-intensity activity. Some activities that you can do are walking, jogging, hiking, cycling or using cardiovascular equipment.
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