The Body Mass Index is one method used to predict whether an
individual is underweight, a healthy weight, overweight, or obese.
It's a simple ratio of a persons weight in kilograms to the square
of their height in meters, or
The result of the BMI formula is as follows:
|
BMI Range
|
Condition
|
|
18.5 or less
|
Underweight
|
|
18.5 to 24.9
|
Ideal Weight
|
|
25 to 29.9
|
Overweight
|
|
30 to 39.9
|
Obese
|
|
40 or more
|
Morbid Obese
|
Keep in mind this formula isn't perfect. For instance a healthy
individual with a lot of lean body mass could be categorized as
overweight according to the BMI calculation; this however doesn't
necessarily mean the individual is high in body fat.
October 28, 2004
