Cardiovascular Diseases
Determining Your Body Mass Index
What is body mass index?
Determining how much you should weigh is not a simple matter of looking at an insurance height-weight chart, but includes considering the amount of bone, muscle, and fat in your body's composition. The amount of fat is the critical measurement.
A good indicator of how much fat you carry is the Body Mass Index (BMI). Although it is not a perfect measure, it gives a fairly accurate assessment of how much of your body is composed of fat.
To calculate your BMI using the English formula:
BMI can be calculated using pounds and inches.
BMI = Weight in Pounds x 703
(Height in Inches) x (Height in Inches)
For example, a person who weighs 165 pounds and is 5 feet 4 inches tall has a BMI of 28.
165 lbs x 703 = 28
(64 inches) x (64 inches)
To calculate your BMI using the Metric formula:
BMI can be calculated using kilograms and meters.
BMI = Weight in Kilograms
(Height in Meters) x (Height in Meters)
For example, a person who weighs 99.79 Kilograms and is 1.905 Meters tall has a BMI of 27.5.
99.79 Kg = 27.5
(1.905 Meters) x (1.905 Meters)
A BMI between 25 and 29 is considered overweight. Anything over 30 is considered obese.