How to Calculate an Accurate BMI

Magazines, television, and movies present standards of what a healthy weight looks like. Sadly, the Hollywood image of what a body should be can be terribly skewed. It's common knowledge that being too skinny or too heavy can cause health problems. So how can you know the right weight for you? BMI stands for body mass index and is a measurement of body fat based on a person's height and weight measurements. By accurately determining your BMI, you will be able to know what your healthy weight range is.

Things You'll Need

• Weight measurement
• Height measurement
• Calculator (optional)

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Instructions

Figuring Your BMI Accurately

• 1

  Measure your weight and height. You can use pounds or kilograms for weight and inches or meters for height.

• 2

  Square the figure for your height. For instance, if you are 65 inches tall, you would complete the following equation:
  65 x 65 = 4,225

  The equivalent in meters would be 1.65 (m) x 1.65 = 2.72

• 3

  Multiply your weight in pounds by the number 703. If you weigh 140 pounds, the example would look like this:
  140 x 703 = 98,420
  The equivalent weight in kilograms is 63.5. If you're using kilograms, no multiplication is required.

• 4

  Divide the previous figure by your height squared. For the inches/pounds version, the equation would be:
  98,420 / 4,225 = 23.29

  For the metric version, divide your weight in kilograms by your height in squared meters:
  63.5 / 2.72 = 23.35

• 5

  Interpret the results. Your BMI is 23.29 or 23.35, depending on which type of height and weight measurements you used. Both figures can be rounded off to 23. A score of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered a normal weight. Less than 18.5 is underweight. A score of 25 to 29.9 is overweight and a score of 30 and above is termed "obese."