Body Mass Index (BMI) Is A Measure Of Body Fat
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on a person’s weight and height. It is a simple calculation that provides a general indication of whether a person has a healthy body weight. Obviously, any formula this simplified fails to acknowledge a lot of contributing factors and is therefor only a rough guide that does not apply to everyone. Your healthcare provider is a great person to consult if you have questions or concerns regarding BMI, body composition or anything related to health.
How do you calculate BMI?
To calculate BMI, you can use the following formula:
BMI= Weight in kg / Height in metres to the power of 2
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to calculate BMI:
1. Measure Weight:
– Measure your weight in kilograms (kg).
2. Measure Height:
– Measure your height in meters (m).
3. Apply the Formula:
– Plug the values into the formula:
Here’s a practical example:
– Weight: 70 kg
– Height: 1.75 m
So, in this example, the BMI is approximately 22.86.
What does it mean?
After calculating your BMI, you can interpret it using general categories:
– Underweight: BMI less than 18.5
– Normal weight: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
– Overweight: BMI between 25 and 29.9
– Obese: BMI 30 or greater
What can affect BMI:
Your BMI does not take into account many things such as your gender, water retention, bone structure or muscle mass. This means that a lean but very strong athlete may end up classified as overweight despite having a very low body fat percentage. For reasons like this it is important to take into account the many other factors that affect weight and acknowledge that body composition is much more important to your health than a BMI score category is. BMI is a general guideline created based on averages and all bodies are different so there may be great variation in body composition between two people with the same BMI.
It’s important to note that while BMI is a useful screening tool, it doesn’t directly assess body fat percentage or distribution. Therefore, it may not be a perfect measure for certain populations, such as athletes with high muscle mass. For a comprehensive evaluation of health, it’s advisable to consult with a healthcare professional.
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Thank you so much for this explanation of BMI, and especially the very useful and relevant comments regarding the flaws of this method, since it doesn’t – as you so rightly point out – take all factors into consideration. Like fat to muscle ratio. Funny example is The Rock who has a BMI of close to 32, which technically puts him in the category “obese”. I think we can all agree that is not the case!
But since this method is used in most of the world and does work with most of us average people, it’s good to know what lies behind the calculation. So thanks again for that!
All the best,
Michael
I’m glad you enjoyed the article Michael! Thanks for the comment and very interesting example of The Rock!