It isn’t a new revelation that your weight directly affects your health. But more often than you would like to admit, you tend to overlook your weight, until a major disease knocks your door. It is only then that you start taking your body weight seriously. The truth is that body weight is one of the most important factors that impact your health and wellbeing.
So, in that case, what is an ideal body weight and how do you achieve it?
It is simple. There is a popular indicator used by doctors and nutritionist across the world, which helps in determining your ideal weight. It is called the BMI.
Keep reading to know more about BMI and how it is calculated.
What does BMI mean?
BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is the scale which estimates your body fat with respect to our weight and height. With your weight and height, the BMI calculator tells you whether you are underweight, overweight or normal, keeping in mind the standard chart of BMI.
A healthy BMI indicates that you are at a lower risk of having any life-threatening diseases, while a BMI outside the ideal healthy range, is a sign that you need to bring some significant changes in your diet and your overall way of living. Note that for children and adolescents below 21 years, age and gender needs to be filled along with your weight and height in the BMI calculator, as at this age, both girls and boys, grow at a different rate.
BMI Calculator for Adults
Calculating your BMI is no rocket science. There are two different formulas which you can use:
Metric BMI Formula
This is the most commonly used BMI calculator. In this, you need to divide your weight in kg by your height in meters squared.
Imperial BMI Formula
In this BMI calculator, you need to find your height in inches and your weight in pounds. Once you have made a note of these two factors, divide them and multiply the result with 703. The result you get is your BMI.
Track your BMI
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute(NHLBI) created a standard BMI chart, which is universally followed today.
Read the chart to know which category you fall into.
BMI Weight Remark
- Less than 18.5 Underweight
- 18.5-24.9 Healthy Weight
- 25.0-29.9 Overweight
- 30 and above Obese
While a low BMI score on the BMI calculator puts you at a risk of weak immune system and makes you prone to bone thinning at an alarming rate, a high BMI makes you vulnerable to serious heart ailments, type 2 diabetes, and various obesity-related diseases.
Why is it important to maintain a healthy BMI?
There are many reasons why you should aim at maintaining a healthy BMI. Here are some important reasons, which should be enough to make you want to achieve your ideal BMI. A healthy BMI will reduce risks of various heart and cancer diseases. It ensures that you have great stamina and will prevent you from being a victim of fatigue and weariness. A good BMI will reduce your probability of suffering from muscle pains and joint problems. It will improve your blood pressure and boost your circulatory system. Lastly, it will gift you a decent sleep pattern.
Can you solely rely on BMI Calculators for good health?
Though since ages BMI has helped people estimate their body fat and plan their diet intake accordingly, in recent times, many questions have been raised about its reliability. This is because BMI does not put light on a lot of factors, which directly or indirectly might affect your body weight.
Here are some of the factors the BMI calculator neglects:
The Adult BMI Calculators for both men and women are same. If given a thought, both have different metabolism and fat distribution structure, so they should have different BMI scales. The BMI calculator does not mention the visceral body fat, which is the deep fat accumulated around your internal organs. Studies reveal that excess of visceral fat, which surrounds the liver, pancreas and the intestines, can also cause life-threatening diseases.
One of the main factors which the BMI fails to cover is age. Age needs to be considered when it comes to body weight, as it affects the water retention capacity of a body. So, we would say that having a good BMI may not necessarily make you resistant to diseases, but it is undeniably the first step to achieving good health.
A planned effort and few alterations in your daily intake of nutrition, life choices and stress level, will help you attain your ideal BMI. Sit with your nutritionist on your next visit and don’t forget to discuss BMI.
