Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Please enter your height and weight in the form below, and then click the Calculate button to find your Body Mass Index.

Enter your height:
Enter your weight:	lbs.
Click button for BMI:
Your BMI is:

under 18.5 is unhealthy	18.5 to 24.9 is normal
25 to 29.9 is overweight	30 and above is obese

BMI Category	What's Your Health Risk?	Adjusted Health Risk*
19-24	Minimal	Low
25-26	Low	Moderate
27-29	Moderate	High
30-34	High	Very High
35-39	Very high	Extremely High
40+	Extremely High	Extremely High

* This takes into account other medical conditions associated with obesity.

When most people think of weight guidelines, they probably think of the old charts that listed certain weights for certain heights and certain body frames (small, medium and large). But those charts aren't as accurate as Body Mass Index at determining whether a person is truly overweight, says Diane Barton, M.D. The old life insurance charts were based on Caucasians, she says. Minorities weren't represented on the charts.

BMI isn't gender or race specific but is more closely related to your health.

"Body Mass Index is a scientific measure that correlates with health problems associated with obesity," says Dr. Barton.

Although BMI has been used by researchers for years, the new guidelines are the first set down by the government to help identify and treat obesity. Until the guidelines were released in mid-June, doctors and researchers had used a BMI of 27 to 29.9 to indicate that a patient was overweight.

The new charts add BMIs of 25 and 26 to the overweight category. That brings the United States in line with the other countries of the world. The World Health Organization includes the lower numbers in its definition of overweight.

Source: Shape Up America!