How to Compute Your Ideal BMI

Body mass index, or BMI, is a common measurement of body fat based on height and weight. BMI applies to adult men and women. Knowing your BMI can help gauge your risks for diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones and certain cancers, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. It takes just a few seconds to find out your ideal BMI range using an online calculator.

Instructions

• 1

  Visit the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute website. Click "Public" in the upper-left corner and then click the "Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator" link under the "Health Assessment Tools" header.

• 2

  Enter your height in feet and inches in the appropriate fields. Enter your weight in pounds. Click "Compute BMI." Immediately you will see a number pop up in the box.

• 3

  Compare your BMI with the ranges given to the right of the calculator. For example, if you are 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weigh 118 lbs., your BMI is 21.6. This means you are within the normal, or ideal, range of 18.5 to 24.9. But if you weighed 137 lbs. at that same height, for example, your BMI would be 25.1--putting you at the low end of the overweight range.