How to Monitor BMI

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of your weight in relation to your height. According to the American Diabetes Association, BMI indicates whether you are overweight, underweight or normal weight. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute categorizes a normal BMI at 18.5 to 24.9. A BMI greater than 25 puts you at risk for obesity. Learning how to monitor BMI can help keep your weight at an acceptable range and can help to optimize your health.

Instructions

• 1

  Calculate your BMI by doing the math yourself. First, weigh yourself on a scale. Then, multiply your weight in pounds by 703. For example, if you weigh 120 lbs., multiply 120 by 703, which equals 84,360. Then, convert your height into inches and square it. For example, if you are 5 feet tall, you would multiply five by 12 inches, which equals 60 inches. Square the number 60 by multiplying it by 60, which equals 3,600. Then, divide 84,360 (weight in pounds multiplied by 703) by 3,600 (height in inches squared). Your BMI equals 23.43 and is within a normal weight range.

• 2

  Use an online BMI calculator to help you monitor your BMI. Bookmark a BMI calculator, and after you weigh yourself each day, enter your weight into the pound category and your height into the feet and inches category. Calculate your BMI based on your daily weight. If you notice that the BMI begins to creep up, you might want to control your weight by diet and exercise.

• 3

  Download a BMI application for your smartphone so you can monitor your BMI while you are on the go. If you want to determine your BMI while you are traveling or at a gym, simply input your weight and height into your application. This will help you see whether you need to cut back on calories or boost your exercise routine while you are away from home. Some applications will take only your height and weight in metric units. Never fear, there are applications you can download that will help you convert the numbers. To convert the numbers yourself, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms. Use meters and centimeters for your height. To convert feet to meters, simply multiply the number of feet by 0.3048. To convert inches to centimeters, multiply by 0.254. You may have to pay a small fee to download a smartphone BMI converter application.

• 4

  Monitor your BMI by using a scale that has a BMI function. Besides showing your weight in pounds, these scales can also provide additional information such as body fat percentages and BMI. Some will even provide references that tell you how many calories to consume in a particular day to help you stay at your present weight.