BMI Calculator Female
Many doctors and other health care professionals rely on the Body Mass Index (BMI) to categorize he weight of an individual. The BMI is a mathematical formula that measures the relationship of the height of a person to their weight. The specific formula is
Weight in Pounds / (Height in Inches x Height in Inches) x 703
As an example, the BMI for a 150 lb. woman who stands 5 foot 6 or 66 inches tall is
150 / (66 x 66) x 703
150 / 4356 x 703
.0344 x 703 = BMI of 24.18
To prevent having to remember this formula and having to do the math, there are numerous BMI calculators on the internet for your use. Above this article, you will find a simple to use calculator, just enter your height and weight in the 1st two columns and your BMI will automatically be calculated in the 3rd column. This calculator rounds to the nearest tenth, so if you enter the numbers in the example, the calculator displays 24.2 for the 24.18 mentioned in the example above.
What does the number 24.18 mean? A person can have a high BMI and be in very good shape with low body fat such as a body builder. So before answering that question, always keep in mind to consult with your physician before taking any drastic actions. Is 24.18 a good number? Well the developers of the BMI have come up with a table quantifying the numbers into 6 descriptive categories. A BMI classification of
Underweight 18.5 or less indicates that someone is underweight. Being underweight can lead to certain health problems such as compromising ones immune system, bone loss and malnutrition. Women may not have their monthly periods if their body mass is more than a little bit below the 18.5 cutoff point.
Normal Weight 18.5 24.9 is considered normal weight. If you can stay within this range, you are most likely to be healthy. Your risk of contracting diabetes, heart disease and many other medical problems will be less than if you were not in this category.
Overweight 25 29.9 If you fall into this category, you could stand to change your eating habits and lose some weight. You increase your chances of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. The closer you are to 30, the more seriously overweight you are.
Obese Class 1 30.0-34.99 is not good. You are starting to fall into the obese category. You are considered physically unhealthy and may have trouble breathing, walking distances and doing physical activity. If you fall into this category, you will greatly improve your health by losing just 10 or 20 pounds. To reach your normal weight, you may need to lose close to 50 pounds.
Obese Class 2 35-39.99 means that you are seriously out of control. It is crucial to lose weight or you can have serious, even life-threatening medical issues. Consult a doctor if you can not deal with the problem on your own.
Morbidly Obese 40 or higher and you are playing with fire. You are putting a tremendous strain on your heart and other vital organs in your body. Unless you reduce your weight, your expected lifespan will be reduced by many years compared to someone of normal weight. Get help immediately.
A BMI Calculator Female version does not exist. There is one calculator for both men and women. While women are generally shorter than men, they also weigh less than men. The main difference with men and women is that women tend to carry excess weight in their hips and men generally have their excess weight in their belly. While a woman may be considered obese because of extra weight in the hips, she may be much healthier than a man that is the same height and weight as she, but carries his excess weight in the belly.
Before you ask yourself, whats my BMI, remember that while the BMI is far from perfect, it does provide a way to measure the healthy weight of a man or woman. It falls short as it does not differentiate between muscle mass and fat. A chiseled 6 foot man could weigh 250 pounds all muscle, and have a BMI of 33.90, which would be considered obese.
Finally, the BMI is only used for people between the ages of 18 and 65. That ignores childhood obesity and our aging population. Instead of worrying that you do not fit into the normal BMI range, concentrate on eating right and exercising and your body will find its own ideal weight.
Weight in Pounds / (Height in Inches x Height in Inches) x 703
As an example, the BMI for a 150 lb. woman who stands 5 foot 6 or 66 inches tall is
150 / (66 x 66) x 703
150 / 4356 x 703
.0344 x 703 = BMI of 24.18
To prevent having to remember this formula and having to do the math, there are numerous BMI calculators on the internet for your use. Above this article, you will find a simple to use calculator, just enter your height and weight in the 1st two columns and your BMI will automatically be calculated in the 3rd column. This calculator rounds to the nearest tenth, so if you enter the numbers in the example, the calculator displays 24.2 for the 24.18 mentioned in the example above.
What does the number 24.18 mean? A person can have a high BMI and be in very good shape with low body fat such as a body builder. So before answering that question, always keep in mind to consult with your physician before taking any drastic actions. Is 24.18 a good number? Well the developers of the BMI have come up with a table quantifying the numbers into 6 descriptive categories. A BMI classification of
Underweight 18.5 or less indicates that someone is underweight. Being underweight can lead to certain health problems such as compromising ones immune system, bone loss and malnutrition. Women may not have their monthly periods if their body mass is more than a little bit below the 18.5 cutoff point.
Normal Weight 18.5 24.9 is considered normal weight. If you can stay within this range, you are most likely to be healthy. Your risk of contracting diabetes, heart disease and many other medical problems will be less than if you were not in this category.
Overweight 25 29.9 If you fall into this category, you could stand to change your eating habits and lose some weight. You increase your chances of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. The closer you are to 30, the more seriously overweight you are.
Obese Class 1 30.0-34.99 is not good. You are starting to fall into the obese category. You are considered physically unhealthy and may have trouble breathing, walking distances and doing physical activity. If you fall into this category, you will greatly improve your health by losing just 10 or 20 pounds. To reach your normal weight, you may need to lose close to 50 pounds.
Obese Class 2 35-39.99 means that you are seriously out of control. It is crucial to lose weight or you can have serious, even life-threatening medical issues. Consult a doctor if you can not deal with the problem on your own.
Morbidly Obese 40 or higher and you are playing with fire. You are putting a tremendous strain on your heart and other vital organs in your body. Unless you reduce your weight, your expected lifespan will be reduced by many years compared to someone of normal weight. Get help immediately.
A BMI Calculator Female version does not exist. There is one calculator for both men and women. While women are generally shorter than men, they also weigh less than men. The main difference with men and women is that women tend to carry excess weight in their hips and men generally have their excess weight in their belly. While a woman may be considered obese because of extra weight in the hips, she may be much healthier than a man that is the same height and weight as she, but carries his excess weight in the belly.Before you ask yourself, whats my BMI, remember that while the BMI is far from perfect, it does provide a way to measure the healthy weight of a man or woman. It falls short as it does not differentiate between muscle mass and fat. A chiseled 6 foot man could weigh 250 pounds all muscle, and have a BMI of 33.90, which would be considered obese.
Finally, the BMI is only used for people between the ages of 18 and 65. That ignores childhood obesity and our aging population. Instead of worrying that you do not fit into the normal BMI range, concentrate on eating right and exercising and your body will find its own ideal weight.
