{"id":40377,"date":"2015-06-02T07:15:57","date_gmt":"2015-06-02T11:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=40377"},"modified":"2021-11-18T10:39:52","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T15:39:52","slug":"how-to-calculate-bmi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/how-to-calculate-bmi\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Calculate BMI (And Does It Matter?)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019ve heard it countless times: Maintaining a healthy weight equals fewer medical problems. But simply monitoring the scale may not be enough. That\u2019s where body mass index (BMI), a measure of a person\u2019s body fat<\/a> based on their height and weight, comes to play. \u201cBMI is a good way to assess if a patient\u2019s weight is healthy or unhealthy,\u201d says Jessica Crandall, RD, certified diabetes educator and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.<\/p>\n

While your BMI doesn\u2019t give a comprehensive evaluation of your health, it does excel as an easy-to-calculate method that can give you a basic look at your overall weight issues<\/a>. But there\u2019s a lot of weight to this debate \u2014 here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Calculate Your BMR (And Why It Matters)<\/a><\/p>\n

BMI: The Full Story<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To accurately measure your BMI, all it takes is a simple equation<\/a>: Divide a person\u2019s weight in pounds by the square of their height in inches, and multiply it by 703. At its core, it\u2019s simple: The higher your weight, the higher your BMI number \u2014\u00a0and the higher your risk of obesity-related diseases<\/a>, says Nicolette Pace, RDN, President and Founder of NutriSource Inc., Medical Nutrition and Weight Loss Center. Doctors, researchers, even insurance providers<\/a> use the formula as a primary measure of health. And it\u2019s a simple and inexpensive screening tool that people can check from the comfort of home.<\/p>\n

[CP_CALCULATED_FIELDS id=”11″]<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Why Regaining Weight Is So Common and How to Deal<\/a><\/p>\n

A BMI number places people in categories \u2014 underweight (<18.5), normal (18.5-24.9), overweight (25.0-29.9) and obese (>30). Over the past 20 years, BMI categories have seen major changes. In 1998, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered the threshold for the \u2018overweight\u2019 category to 25 from 27.8, to match World Health Organization guidelines. When the changes were made in 1998, 29 million Americans previously considered to be \u201chealthy\u201d were immediately labeled \u201coverweight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Great Weight Debate<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While doctors often use the equation to identify potential weight problems in patients, BMI is only telling part of the story. The method falters by not taking muscle mass<\/a>, cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure or waist circumference into consideration. Experts say waist circumference, specifically, is a major element being ignored. A higher ratio of fat around your waist compared to your hips puts people at a greater risk<\/a> for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. \u201cWaist circumference, while not better than testing BMI, is another parameter that\u2019s needed to interpret health risk,\u201d says Pace.<\/p>\n

Another big problem: muscle<\/a>. \u201cBMI is less accurate for individuals with more muscle since it doesn\u2019t take into account muscle versus fat; it just considers total body weight,\u201d Crandall says. \u201cFor bodybuilders or individuals who have extremely high muscle mass, it may not be a good [method], like it is for the average athlete or fit person.\u201d That\u2019s because those with more muscle are carrying around extra weight, Crandall adds. Yet, \u201cFor most people that are \u2018fit,\u2019 they\u2019ll still fall into the correct BMI category that their body represents,\u201d Crandall says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 8 Biggest Myths About Weightlifting \u2014\u00a0Debunked<\/a><\/p>\n

There are also emotional reasons why funneling people into strict categories of \u2018overweight\u2019 or \u2018underweight\u2019 may not be a good idea. \u201cBMI labels are objectionable and help to keep the obesity stigma alive, many times interfering with treatments, fostering negative body image and unrealistic standards,\u201d says Pace. She recommends looking at waist circumference, frame size, body fat percentage, weight history and any acute or chronic changes in addition to just BMI.<\/p>\n

The Big Picture: Beyond BMI<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Most experts agree that BMI is a weighty matter \u2014\u00a0and it\u2019s far from perfect. But, while BMI only scratches the surface when it comes to highlighting the potential health risks of being under or overweight, it doesn\u2019t hurt to use it as a base overview of your health. \u201cBMI is mostly a useful indicator to relay diagnostic information,\u201d says Pace. \u201cBut I try to get my patients to look at the bigger picture and get to the underlying causes of their weight problems and health conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking beyond the scale at muscle mass, level of exercise and waist circumference can help give a more comprehensive look at how fit<\/a> or healthy you truly are. Take advantage of the BMI calculator for a quick at-home peek at your weight \u2014 and then dig deeper with a doctor to make sure you\u2019re on the right path for your body. \u201cBMI is a useful tool and point of reference when used in conjunction with other monitoring tools,\u201d says Crandall. \u201cEveryone\u2019s body is different so it\u2019s not perfect, but it does serve as a good, general way to categorize and monitor patients.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does your BMI really matter? This body mass index calculator will help you find out where you fall \u2014 but BMI\u2019s not the final word when it comes to your weight. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":40465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,18],"tags":[134,32,41,345,403],"class_list":["post-40377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-weight-loss","tag-body-image","tag-bodyweight","tag-diets","tag-tax1conditions","tag-tax2arthritis"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}