BMI is a very simple measurement used to determine if a person is at health risk due to being overweight or underweight. By measuring the height and weight of a person, and assessing the relationship between these measurements, you are actually trying to estimate the percentage of body fat.
Generally, 20-30% body fat is considered normal/healthy for women, and 8-24% normal/healthy for men (according to Wikipedia). When you fall below or exceed these limits, there are health risks.
However, it is much more difficult to measure the percentage of body fat in a reliable way, so many people choose to measure their BMI instead because it is so easy. (A better measurement would be to measure your waist instead!)
Here you can fill in your height and weight to see your BMI. You can be completely confident that your data will never be saved or sent anywhere.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined a number of classes of BMI to be able to more easily determine what is normal, underweight and overweight. It should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt.
To make it easier to read the table, the weight limits for your particular height are filled in here:
| Weight (for 200 cm) | BMI | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| under 64 kg | under 16 | Severely underweight |
| 64-68 kg | 16-17 | Moderately underweight |
| 68-74 kg | 17-18.5 | Slightly underweight |
| 74-100 kg | 18.5-25 | Normal weight |
| 100-120 kg | 25-30 | Overweight |
| 120-140 kg | 30-35 | Obesity degree 1 |
| 140-160 kg | 35-40 | Obesity degree 2 |
| over 160 kg | over 40 | Obesity degree 3 |
BMI should be taken with a pinch of salt because it does not differentiate between muscle and fat. This means that a muscular person could be classified as overweight or obese, even if they have a low body fat percentage. Additionally, BMI does not account for the distribution of fat in the body, which is an important factor in assessing health risks. Measuring waist circumference is a better indicator of health because it directly assesses the amount of abdominal fat, which is more closely linked to health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
Thus, measuring your waist in relation to your height is a better measure of your health than BMI. Read more about waist measurement here.
Read Kostdoktor's tips on how you can change your habits to improve your health.