Bmi People Height Body Weight Pounds Categories Ideal

Many people know they are overweight or "obese" (extremely overweight), but they don't know how much weight they need to lose to reach their "ideal body weight," or the number of pounds they should weigh. Most doctors believe that there is no "pinpoint" (exact; precise) ideal body weight, but there is a "range" (acceptable numbers between a minimum and maximum amount) for each person, based on an individual's height and "build" (how big one's bones are and how much muscle one has).

When speaking with patients, a lot of doctors and "dieticians" (people whose job is to help people eat the right amount of healthy, nutritious foods) refer to their "Body Mass Index," or BMI. The BMI is calculated in the following simple "formula" (symbols showing which mathematical operations should be made on certain numbers):

BMI = (weight x 703) ¸ (height2)

where the weight is measured in pounds and the height is measured in inches. For example, someone who is 5'6" (five feet, six inches) tall and weighs 150 pounds has a BMI of 24.2

The BMI categories "are as follows" (are shown below):

Underweight: less than 18.5

Normal weight: 18.5-24.9

Overweight: 25-29.9

Obese: greater than 30

These categories aren't perfect. For example, imagine that two people are the same height. Person A is an athlete who has a lot of "muscle mass" (very large, strong muscles). Person B doesn't exercise. Because muscle weighs more than fat, the BMI categories might show that Person A is overweight while Person B has normal weight, when "in fact" (in reality) the opposite is true.

Nevertheless, calculating the BMI can be helpful for people who want to better understand whether they need to gain or lose weight.