Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is a reasonable but not perfect indicator of body fat. It can be calculated using pounds and inches or kilograms and metres usin the calculator above.Once you have calculated your BMI, you can use the following table to determine whether you are overweight or obese.
What your BMI tells you
| BMI | Body Condition |
| Less than 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 - 24.9 | Normal |
| 25.0 - 29.0 | Overweight |
| Greater than 29.9 | Obese |
Note: The BMI can be used for both men and women but has the following limitations:
- It can overestimate body fat in athletes and people with a muscular build
- It can underestimate body fat in older people and others who have lost muscle mass
- The cut-offs ae not applicable to all ethnic groups. For example, in people of Asian ancestry, excess fat may be present at lower BMI values
Waist circumference
Waist circumference is another valuable way of assessing whether you need to loose weight. It is a useful gauge of how risky your excess body fat may be. If you are overweight according to your BMI calculation and you also have a waist circumference greater than 102cm for men or 88cm for women, it is even more important for you to loose some weight. Increased weight circumference can be a marker for for increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, even in people of normal weight.BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE & ASSOCIATED DISEASE RISKS
| Waist Circumference | |||
| body condition | BMI (kg) | < 102 cm men < 88 cm women |
> 102 cm men > 88 cm women |
| underweight | < 18.5 | - | - |
| normal | 18.5 - 24.9 | - | - |
| overweight | 25.0 - 29.9 | increased | high |
| obese | 30.0 - 34.9 35.0 - 39.9 |
high very high |
very high very high |
| extremely obese | > 39.9 | extremely high | extremely high |
Healthy Weight Ranges
If you don't want to do your own calculations, use this approximate ideal weigh-for-height table as a guide, but remember that it is only approximate! Yo-yo dieters usually have higher weights, geater physical distress, more binge-eating and lower levels of physical activity. If this sounds like you, we strongly recommend you seek psychological support as you embark on a lifestyle change.| Centimetres | Feet & inches | Kilograms | Stones & Pounds |
| 142 | 4'8" | 40-50 | 6st 4lb - 7st 12lb |
| 145 | 4'9" | 42-52 | 6st 8lb - 8st 3lb |
| 147 | 4'10" | 44-55 | 6st 13lb - 8st 9lb |
| 150 | 4'11" | 45-56 | 7st 1lb - 8st 12lb |
| 152 | 5'0" | 46-58 | 7st 4lb - 9st 12lb |
| 155 | 5'1" | 48-60 | 7st 8lb - 9st 7lb |
| 157 | 5'2" | 50-62 | 7st 12lb - 9st 11lb |
| 160 | 5'3" | 51-64 | 8st 0lb - 10st 1lb |
| 163 | 5'4" | 53-66 | 8st 5lb - 10st 6lb |
| 165 | 5'5" | 55-68 | 8st 9lb - 10st 10lb |
| 168 | 5'6" | 56-71 | 8st 11lb - 11st 3lb |
| 170 | 5'7" | 58-72 | 9st 2lb - 11st 5lb |
| 173 | 5'8" | 60-75 | 9st 6lb - 11st 12lb |
| 175 | 5'9" | 62-77 | 9st 11lb - 12st 12lb |
| 178 | 5'10" | 63-79 | 9st 13lb - 12st 7lb |
| 180 | 5'11" | 65-81 | 10st 4lb - 12st 11lb |
| 183 | 6'0" | 68-85 | 10st 10lb - 13st 6lb |
| 185 | 6'1" | 69-86 | 10st 13lb - 13st 8lb |
| 188 | 6'2" | 71-88 | 11st 3lb - 13st 13lb |
| 190 | 6'3" | 72-90 | 11st 7lb - 14st 4lb |
