Achieving and maintaining a healthful weight

Using the Body Mass Index

The first step is determining your current weight status: Are you underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese?
 
One way to help verify your weight status is to measure your Body Mass Index (BMI), a standardized method used by many health professionals to evaluate weight and body fat. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. It gives you an indication of whether you are at risk of health problems that are related to being overweight or obese. If your BMI is 25 or higher, you are at risk for a number of serious health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, pregnancy-related disorders, and osteoarthritis.

To find your weight in kilograms, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.45. For example:
If your weight is 130 pounds: 130 x 0.45 = 58.5. Your weight in kilograms is 58.5.

To find your height in meters, multiply your height in inches by 0.0254. For example:
If your height is 5'6", that is 66 inches: 66 x 0.0254 = 1.6764. Your height in meters is 1.6764.
To square the number, multiply it by itself: 1.6764 x 1.6764 = 2.81

For the example above, the BMI is: 58.97 divided by 2.81 = 20.98 

BMI values are interpreted as follows: 

    • 18.4 or less = underweight 
    • 18.5 to 24.9 = normal weight 
    • 25 to 29.9 = overweight 
    • 30 and over = obese

For more information: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/

Reprinted with permission from Ceridian LifeWorks.