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Sunday, June 23, 2013

How to Calculate Your BMI With a Standard BMI Calculator

How to Calculate Your BMI With a Standard BMI Calculator

The Body Mass Index (BMI) measures body fat using a person's height and weight. BMI numbers indicate a patient's risk for heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Many dieters find the number useful as a gauge of progress. Although useful in assessing a patient's health, a BMI measurement often overestimates body fat in athletes and underestimates body fat in seniors. For this reason, BMI should never be used alone to evaluate a patient's risks of disease or overall health.

Instructions

Measurements

    1

    Choose a measuring system and stay consistent. Pair inches with pounds and centimeters with kilograms.

    2
    Stand up straight when measuring your height.
    Stand up straight when measuring your height.

    Stand barefoot against a wall. Mark your height with a pencil on the wall. Use a tape measure and make note of your height in inches or centimeters.

    3
    Don't fudge the numbers!
    Don't fudge the numbers!

    Stand on your scale. Some people prefer to weigh themselves naked, in the morning and after using the restroom for a more accurate weigh-in. Record your weight in pounds or kilograms.

    4

    Choose an online BMI calculator (see References). Plug in your height and weight. The program calculates your BMI in mere seconds.

Manual BMI Calculation

    5

    Multiply your weight in pounds by 703 if using imperial (U.S.) measurements. Divide the result by your height in inches squared. The resulting number is your BMI.

    6

    Convert your height in centimeters to height in meters by dividing the centimeters measured by 100 if you are using metric measurements. Divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. This number is your BMI.

    7

    Use your BMI number to help determine if you are overweight. BMI ranges of 18.5 to 24.9 indicate normal weight. Individuals with a body mass index of 25 to 29 are considered overweight. A BMI over 29 indicates obesity.

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