Body mass index (BMI) is a rough calculation of a person’s body fat in relation to his or her height and weight. It simplifies the process of finding out if you fall within the desirable weight, underweight, overweight and obese classification. With the help of a BMI chart, you can quickly point out if you need to lose or gain weight, or just maintain.
This chart looks just like your good old multiplication table, and it’s used just like one too. One part of the table is a list of different heights, expressed in feet and inches or in meters. The other part is a list of various weights, expressed in pounds or in kilograms. Some of those which you can find out there are even color-coded for easy determination if your weight is within the desirable range, under or over it.
Let’s take for example a man who weighs 140 pounds and stands at 5 feet and 8 inches. In finding his body mass index, he should look up his weight on one side and his height on the other side. Within the chart are numbers; the figure where his weight and height meet is his BMI. So for this example, the man should get 21.
In finding out if you need to maintain your current weight or lose or gain some, check in which category you fall. If you get 18.4 or lower, it means that you’re underweight. You can tell you’re within the desirable weight range if you get a result from 18.5 to 24.9. If it’s 25 to 29.9, then you’re overweight. Getting a result that’s 30 or higher means you already fall under the obese category.
Such measurement has some advantages to it. Since it’s in a graphical format, there’s no need to perform all those difficult math operations. This measurement applies to all – male and female, adult and children. It’s a practical solution in creating a fitness goal; there’s no need to guess how much pounds you should have lost or gained by the end of your program.
But there are also certain disadvantages to using it. Muscles weigh more than fats. This means that a man who’s muscular but not generally fat may end up in the overweight category. On the other hand, someone who has fat and has little muscles may still end up within the desirable range. Also, this measurement isn’t applicable for pregnant women or people who are very short in stature.
It’s no secret that a lot of people are either overweight or obese these days. Unhealthy eating habits and leading a sedentary lifestyle are just two of the reasons as to why. If you’re one of them and you wish to lose those excess pounds, it’s important to focus on being fit than being thin. By using this tool, you can determine how much weight you should lose.
Looking for a BMI chart on the internet is very easy with the help of your preferred search engine. If you want to have a handy copy all the time, look for versions which you may download and print.
Use a BMI Chart to quickly and easily determine your Body Mass Index.