Your body mass index, or BMI, is a way of measuring your body weight relative to your size. Developing and maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for your health, because being overweight puts you at risk of developing a number of health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and osteoarthritis. By graphing your BMI, you can track your progress as you work to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Step 1
Measure your BMI. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you can measure your BMI by taking your weight in pounds and multiplying it by 703. Divide this product by your height in inches squared. For example, if you weight 150 lbs. and are 65 inches tall, your BMI would be 24.96.
Step 2
Draw a horizontal and vertical axis on your graph paper. Label the vertical axis "BMI" and the horizontal axis "days." This graph will be modeled on the weight-loss graph template from the Medical University of South Carolina, but it will track BMI, not weight.
Step 3
Put your starting BMI in the center of your vertical axis. This will make it easier for you to graph your weight over time. For example, if your BMI is 24.96, make the center of your vertical axis be 25.
Step 4
Finish labeling your vertical axis. For the vertical axis, you will want to be able to spread out your vertical axis to encompass two or three BMI units both above and below your current BMI. If you have a starting BMI of 25, your vertical axis should be between 23 and 27 or 22 and 28. Use the grid lines on the graph paper to space these values out evenly on your vertical axis. For example, every 10 lines on your graph paper could represent one BMI unit. Use whatever spacing works well for you.
Step 5
Divide your horizontal axis in terms of days. The number of days you track on each graph is up to you as long as you space them evenly. For example, every three lines on the graph paper could represent one day.
Step 6
Measure your BMI each day and make the appropriate mark on your graph.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Measuring tape
- Graph paper
- Pencil
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