BMI Index
Determine Your Ideal Weight

The BMI index, or body mass index, is used to determine a number that is calculated from your weight and height. This number indicates where you are in a range of body weight given your height – from under-weight, to healthy, to overweight or obese.



Overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. These terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems.

For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using your weight and height to calculate a number called the “body mass index” (BMI). BMI is used because, for most of us, it correlates with the amount of body fat our bodies contain. For example, an adult who has a BMI:

• under 18.5 is considered underweight
• between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered at a healthy weight
• between 25 and 30 is considered overweight
• more than 30 is considered obese

Other methods of estimating body fat and body fat distribution include measurements of skinfold thickness and waist circumference, calculation of waist-to-hip circumference ratios, and techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, for most people wanting to determine their healthy weight for the purpose of setting weight loss goals, using the BMI index is more than sufficient.

There are two common methods for determining your BMI - using a BMI chart or a BMI calculator.


A simple BMI chart is a lookup table showing BMI values for given height and weight values. This is an approximation of your BMI where you may have to interpolate between the specified values in the chart.

You can easily get a more accurate calculation of your BMI using a BMI calculator where you enter your exact height and weight values. The calculator then returns your specific BMI value.

To simply get a quick idea of where you currently fall in the established BMI weight ranges, you can plot your height and weight on this BMI graph. This is an easy way to determine whether or not you are considered overweight.

You can then use either the BMI calculator or the BMI chart to determine what your ideal weight is based on the healthy BMI range. Use this healthy weight as your goal, then select a good weight loss plan, stick to it and aim for your goal weight!

If you are interested to understand how the BMI values are calculated with any of these methods, this discussion on the BMI formula may be of interest to you.

The BMI index is also used for children and teenagers although in a different way. For teens and children, you calculate the BMI value the same way that you do for adults but you plot the value on established age- and gender-specific BMI-for-age weight charts to determine their weight status category. This is done to account for the continuous growth that kids are going through.

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