How to Calculate Body Mass Index
“Maintaining a healthy weight will prevent you from various diseases,” this golden advice you have often heard from time to time, like a damaged cassette. But, glaring at the scales probably won’t be enough. This is where the Body Mass Index (BMI), aka body mass index, comes into play.
What is body mass index?
“Body mass index is a good way to judge whether you are at a healthy weight or not,” says Jessica Crandall, RD, a certified diabetes educator and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Body mass index is a standard metric used to determine who is in the healthy and unhealthy weight group. Body mass index aka BMI compares your weight to your height, calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared.
For example, you want to find out if you are normal or obese. You weigh 80 kilograms and are 1.75 m (175 centimeters) tall.
First, multiply your height in squared: 1.75 x 1.75 = 3.06. Next, divide the weight lifting by the square of height: 80 / 3.06 = 26.1. Finally, compare your BMI number (26.1) with the weight categories listed below:
- Under 18.5 = underweight
- 18.5 – 22.9 = normal body weight
- 23 – 29.9 = excess body weight (obesity tendency)
- 30 and above = obesity
That way, your BMI, aka your body mass index, indicates that you are overweight.
BMI calculator to easily calculate body mass index
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l410-zNTz-4
To make it easier for you to calculate what your body mass index is, and whether your weight is classified as ideal, under or overweight, Hello Sehat has provided BMI Calculator which you can use by clicking on the image below:
Body mass index cannot measure ideal body weight
BMI is an easy calculation method that can provide basic information on your overall weight problem. This figure can act as a warning sign of danger and protect a person from dying from chronic obesity-related diseases.
Reporting from Live Science, BMI is not an ideal and accurate measurement method, and cannot explain the cause of a person’s weight problem. When defining healthy weight, one type of definitive measurement cannot be applied to all, said Dr. Rexford Ahima, professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and co-researcher of the 2013 journal Science published.
BMI also does not take into account the amount and distribution of body fat, which is important for measuring a person’s risk of various chronic diseases. The reason is, thin people may still have a distended stomach or diabetes. And in some cases, a tall stature, like a bodybuilder (who can look like he is overweight thanks to his muscle mass), is not necessarily a bad thing; many people who are over “normal” weight are declared healthy. In addition, a low BMI number may be the result of certain diseases or aging factors.
BMI also fails to take into account differences in ethnicity and sex (women tend to have more fat mass than men), age, level of physical activity, body composition (how much is the ratio of muscle to body fat), and waist size (above-average waist circumference). average is another indicator of obesity and the risk of associated diseases). So, for example, as a woman, even if your body mass index falls into the normal category, you can still have a high body fat percentage.
That is, BMI does not fully represent a comprehensive diagnosis of a person’s health and risk of disease. Consult your doctor further about your risks and concerns regarding health conditions related to your weight.
If you already know what your body mass index is, what can you do?
Don’t just stick to your BMI and the numbers on your weighing scale. Also pay attention to muscle mass and waist circumference to provide a more comprehensive summary of your body’s real general health. Everyone’s body is different, and therefore BMI is not perfect for universal calculations.
BMI will be useful as a reference point when used in conjunction with other monitoring devices. Take advantage of your BMI calculations and weight scales – then dig deeper with your doctor to see if you are on the right path to achieving your ideal weight.
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What use is the BMI? Arch Dis Child. 2006 Apr; 91 (4): 283–286.
BMI Not a Good Measure of Healthy Body Weight, Researchers Argue http://www.livescience.com/39097-bmi-not-accurate-health-measure.html accessed August 26, 2016
How to Calculate Your BMI (And Does It Matter?) Http://dailyburn.com/life/health/how-to-calculate-bmi/ accessed August 26, 2016
What Your BMI Doesn’t Tell You http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/bmi-drawbacks-and-other-measurements#3 accessed August 26, 2016
Why Is BMI Important? http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/bmi-important-8377.html accessed August 26, 2016
