The body mass index, also known as BMI for short, is a protocol used by fitness professionals and doctors to determine health risks. Having a high BMI can cause all of the problems that are associated with being overweight such as osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and cancer. To find out your BMI, there are plenty of online sources available. But if you want to do figure it out the old fashioned way, you can also make this determination on paper.
Step 1
Determine your accurate weight in pounds. Step on the scale in the morning on an empty stomach and after using the bathroom. Write down your weight. Use 210 pounds as an example.
Step 2
Stand in your bare feet with your back to a wall to determine your height. Place a small mark at the top of your head with a pencil. Measure this distance with a tape measure and square it. For example, if you are 6 feet, 2 inches, your height will be 74 inches. Square it and you get 5476 inches.
Step 3
Use the equation to get your BMI. The equation is 703 (weight/height squared). Use the above numbers as an example. The equation would then be 703 (210/5476) and your BMI would be 27.
Step 4
Compare your BMI to a chart to see where you rate. A BMI under 18.5 is considered underweight,18.5 to 24.9 is normal weight, 25 to 29.9 is overweight and a BMI above 30 is considered obese. If you use the example of 27 from Step 3, you would be considered overweight.
Tips and Warnings
- Be aware that BMI is a parameter that can be misrepresented. If you are short and have a high amount of muscle mass, you can read as overweight, but actually be in good shape.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Tape measure
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