You’ve undoubtedly at least once wondered the answers to the following questions: What weight should I be at? Or How much should I weigh considering my age and height?
The solution, though, isn’t always as straightforward as merely glancing at a chart. Because a variety of characteristics, including height, sex, frame size, fat and muscle composition, and others, affect each person’s optimal healthy weight, there is no single weight that is good for everyone. So, if your goal weight and BMI occasionally diverge, don’t become alarmed.
WHAT IS BODY MASS INDES?
Looking at a height-weight chart to figure out your ideal weight is not sufficient; you also need to take your body’s proportions of fat, muscle, and bone into account.
The crucial parameter is the amount of fat. The body mass index is a reliable measure of how much fat you are carrying (BMI). BMI, however, is a poor indicator since it only considers height and weight, ignoring body composition. A person may be in excellent shape, have very little body fat, and be muscular, but because muscle weighs more than fat, their BMI would classify them as obese. If you simply assessed a person’s BMI, many athletes, such as rugby players or boxers, would be regarded as fat.
WHAT SHOULD MY BMI BE?
Your body mass index (BMI) is determined by multiplying your weight in kilograms or pounds by the square of your height in meters or inches.
You are considered to be in the “normal” weight range for your height if your BMI falls between 18.5 and 24.9. You are regarded as underweight if your result is less than 18.5. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you are deemed overweight. And you’re labeled obese if your number is 30 to 35 or above.
Kilograms and meters
Formula: weight (kg) / [height (m)]2
BMI is calculated using the metric system, which divides weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. Since most people measure their height in centimeters, multiply their height in centimeters by 100 to get their height in meters.
Example: Weight = 68 kg, Height = 165 cm (1.65 m)
Calculation: 68 ÷ (1.65 x 1.65) = 24.98
Pounds and inches
Formula: weight (lb) / [height (in)]2 x 703
Weight in pounds (lbs) divided by height in inches (in) squared is multiplied by a conversion factor of 703 to determine body mass index (BMI).
Example: Weight = 150 lbs, Height = 5’5” (65″)
Calculation: 150 ÷ (65 x 65) x 703 = 24.96
