What's your BMI?

Stands for Basal Mass Index. Doctors are more interested in your BMI. It has to do with your weight. And as the number goes up it becomes a risk factor, a component of the metabolic syndrome.

You don't really need all the fancy math to make a good estimate. You can even tell from the size of the shadow your body casts.
 

BMI CALCUOLATION

704.5 X Weight in Pounds ÷ Height in inches ÷ Height in inches.
Check out MDCAL for auto-calculations of BMI and much more.

Examples
A weight of 120 lbs and height of 5 ft 4 inches calculates as:
704.5 x 120 = 84,540
84,549 ÷ 64 = 1,320.0375
1.320.0375 ÷ 64 = 20.64
BMI of 20.64 (normal range)

A weight of 250 lbs and height of 5 ft 8 inches calculates as:
704.5 x 250 = 176,125
176,125 ÷ 68 = 2,5909.073
2,5909.073 ÷ 68 = 38.089
BMI of 38.09 (Morbid obesity)
 

CLASSIFICATION BY BMI

CLINICAL CLASSIFICATION

OBESITY CLASS

BMI (KG/m2)
Underweight

-

< 18.5
Normal range

-

18.5-24.9
Overweight

-

25.0 - 29.9
Obesity

I

30.0 - 34.9
Morbid obesity

II

35.0 - 39.9
Extreme obesity

III

40 and above

FACTOIDS
- 60% of US adults are overweight and obese.
- 8 to 12 million, 3% to 5% are morbidly obese.
- Mortality increases exponentially from 40 BMI and upwards.
- $50 billion is spent annually in treating problems related to excess weight and obesity.
- Another $32 B is spent on OTC diet products and weight-loss programs.
- The long-term success rate for medical management (diet, behavior modification and appetite suppresants) is only 5% for the morbidly obese.


RELATED SX ARTICLES
Metabolic Syndrome
Obesity

Lists & Tables