Nutritionists today often use a more sensative indicator of body composition than weight, the body mass index (BMI) . BMI values can indicate an underweight or overweight status. Bodybuilders, or those with a very large amount of muscle weight, tend to find this method of calculating overall fitness quite useless. This applies to average people only.
To find your BMI, use the following. (Your web browser must be able to use JavaScripts in order for this to work.)
Now, use the following table to see how healthy the BMI figure is:
| Men | Women | Risk Factor |
|---|---|---|
| <20.7 | <19.1 | Underweight. The lower the BMI the greater the risk |
| 20.7 to 26.4 | 19.1 to 25.8 | Normal, very low risk |
| 26.4 to 27.8 | 25.8 to 27.3 | Marginally overweight, some risk |
| 27.8 to 31.1 | 27.3 to 32.2 | Overweight, moderate risk |
| 31.1 to 45.4 | 32.3 to 44.8 | Severe overweight, high risk |
| >45.4 | >44.8 | Morbid obesity, very high risk |
The formula used for this is:
(weight in pounds) / (height in inches squared) * 705
Return to Nutrition and Weightlifting Page