What is BMI (Body Mass Index)?
Body Mass Index is a standard measure of a person’s combined body fat, muscle and bone mass. It tells you if your weight is healthy with respect to your height.
The BMI is applicable to both male and female adults and it is calculated using just two inputs: body weight and height. The BMI value is obtained by dividing body weight by the square of body height and is expressed in units of kg/m2.
What is a good BMI?
Your BMI can either be underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Generally, you want to aim for BMI that falls under the normal range. See the BMI Chart below for the ranges. All values are in kg/m2.
Based on the chart, the perfect BMI would be in the middle of the normal range, at around 21.7.
Use our BMI Calculator below to find out where you belong. Our calculator will give you a more specific BMI label, but you can use the chart above to see where your BMI value belongs at the general level.
Remember, the BMI is just one among many ways of calculating the body fat of an adult. Moreover, BMI is not a perfect measure of how fat or unhealthy a person may be, but it is generally a very good indicator.
Note: BMI only applies to adults and would not be accurate for children.
So where did you belong?
If you hit the normal range, then very good for you! Keep it up and maintain that healthy BMI.
If you’re slightly underweight or overweight, it’s not that much of a big deal. Simple changes in your diet can quickly bring you to the normal range.
However, if you belong to the obese range, you need to immediately start taking actions to bring your body fat levels down to a healthy level.