We’ve talked a little bit before about BMI and what it is. BMI stands for body mass index and it is used as one tool to help you evaluate your weight. Using your BMI alone isn’t enough (the image below helps explain why) to determine whether you’re overweight, underweight, obese, or just right, but it is a good thing to know.If you’ve ever wondered how to calculate your BMI, go no further! Today I thought I’d explain how to do it manually, but also point you to a site that does the calculation for you.

There are two important measurements involved to do the calculation, weight and height. Therefore you’ll need to know your weight in pounds, and your height in inches. Once you have those two numbers, follow the steps below.

Manually Calculate Your BMI

1. Multiply your weight in pounds by 703 (example: 136lb x 703 = 95,608)
2. Multiply your height in inches by your height in inches (example: 5′4″ = 64inches so I’ll multiply 64×64 which equals 4,096)
3. Divide the number in step one by the number in step two (example: 95,608/4096 = 23.3)

Now I know that my BMI is 23.3

So what does that number mean? Lets take a look at the BMI categories to determine this:

• Underweight = BMI of less than 18.5
• Normal weight = BMI of 18.5-24.9
• Overweight = BMI of 25-29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
• Morbidly Obese = BMI of 40 or greater

So for a person that’s 5′4″ and weighs 136 pounds, they fall under the “normal weight” category. Aside from BMI, you’ll also want to get a measure of your waist which also helps to determine your overall health. We talked about that here, so feel free to reference it to determine if your waist size combined with your BMI means that you’re at a healthy weight.

Calculate your BMI with an Online Calculator

If you’d like to use an online calculator to determine your BMI instead of manually doing the math, you can find a BMI calculator here.

I came across a website that the government put together called www.health.gov.  At first glance, it doesn’t look like there’s much there, but after exploring a bit, they actually have some useful information.  One of the most helpful pages I came across was called “Aim…Build…Choose… for Good Health.” Aim for fitness, build a healthy base, and choose sensibly. 

The first one is aim for fitness, and it’s broken down into two different components. Aim for a healthy weight, and be physically active each day.  I think aiming for a healthy weight is probably one of the most important aspects when you decide that you want to lose weight.  For example, if you’re aiming to look like one of the girls on America’s Next Top Model, it’s not very healthy or realistic! Aiming for a “healthy” weight will be much easier to attain than aiming to be a size 0.

So, how do you evaluate your weight? There are two main things you’ll want to take into consideration. First is your BMI which stands for body mass index. There are several websites that will calculate your BMI for you. All it asks for is your weight in pounds, and your height in feet and inches. You can find the calculator here.

Off I went to calculate my BMI. With a height of 5’4”, and a weight of 138 pounds, I found that my BMI is 23.7. But now what does that mean? A BMI from 18.5 up to 25 indicates a healthy weight. A BMI from 25 to 30 refers to being overweight, and if your BMI is over 30, it refers to those who are considered obese. Just a year ago my body mass index was 31.8, which just shows what a differences a year can make!

The next component involves measuring around your waist, just above your hip bones. Yes, you need to get out a measuring tape! I know, it’s scary. If your waist is greater than 35 inches if you’re a woman, or 40 inches if you’re a man, you’re at greater health risks. I wish I had the measurement of my waist just a year ago, but I don’t. I was too afraid of the measuring tape to even bother getting a measurement. Of course after I lost weight, it’s a different story! The measuring tape is now my friend Now my waist measures 30 inches right above my hip bones, and with that number, I know that chances are, I’m pretty healthy.

Aiming to be healthy is a much better goal than aiming to be skinny, and will be much easier to attain, especially when you know what a healthy weight is. I know that it’s all easier said than done, but when you know what is considered a healthy weight, you can aim for it, and you’ll probably have a better chance of getting there.