Table of contents
- It's that easy to calculate your BMI!
- Understand the weight classes: Where do you stand?
- Other important aspects besides BMI
Do you know that too? You stand on the scales and ask yourself: Am I too fat or still in the normal range? Stop pondering! The body mass index, or BMI for short, clarifies and clears up all doubts. Let's take a closer look at what this value says about us.
With a body mass index calculator you can quickly calculate your BMI, the so-called body mass index, which describes the relationship between height and body weight and is closely related to the amount of body fat you have. In addition to height and weight, your age and gender also play a role.
It's that easy to calculate your BMI!
Don't worry, you don't need high-tech devices or a math degree to determine your BMI. Two simple pieces of information are enough: your weight in kilograms and your height in meters. Here is the magic formula that will give you clarity:
BMI = body weight (kg) : (height (m))^2
A small example? Sure, of course! Weight: 70 kg, height: 1.75 m
Calculation:70 : (1,75 x 1,75) = 70 : 3,06 = 22,88
Voilà, your BMI is an impressive 22.88.
Calculate BMI: Use our free BMI calculator
Use our free BMI calculator to get a feel for your well-being. Simple, quick and informative – find out what your BMI says and what that means for you and your health.
Understand the weight classes: Where do you stand?
Underweight, normal weight and overweight: This BMI is normal
Is my weight normal?
Normal weight seems easy to understand at first glance, but BMI provides a more accurate classification. TheWorld Health Organization (WHO)defines a BMI between18,5and24,9asnormal. You're in the green!
Don't be fooled:Even if a BMI is inNormal rangeoften indicates a healthy weight, it alone is not always meaningful. According to BMI, many people are of normal weight but are not physically active enough. A healthy BMI is not necessarily an indicator of a healthy lifestyle.
Am I too fat?
If your value is above this, the range beginsoverweightand leads step by step to obesity.Overweightbecomes from a value of25assumed,Obesity grade 1from a BMI of30andObesity grade 2ab35. With a BMI over40one speaks ofObesity grade 3.
Am I too thin?
Too much body weight can lead to serious problems such as heart attack or stroke. But not onlyOverweightendangers health. AlsoUnderweight, i.e. a BMI below 18.5, is not harmless: underweight people are often not supplied with sufficient nutrients and have no reserves that can serve as a buffer in the event of illness.
Reading tips:
Different calculation for children's BMI
For children, the calculation of the body mass index (BMI) differs from that for adults because the body fat percentage still changes continuously. To take this into account, studies have developed correction factors, so-called percentile curves, which are incorporated into the BMI calculation.
However, the BMI calculator is not suitable for babies. Instead, their weight ratio and physical development are assessed during the U-examinations. Further information can be found at “Pediatricians online„.
Other important aspects besides BMI
The body mass index only provides an initial rough indication of whether a person is underweight, normal weight or overweight. However, weight and size are not the only relevant factors.
For example, men often have a higher percentage of muscle than women. Therefore, there are often tables that additionally differentiate the BMI values by gender in order to enable a more precise classification.
Justified criticism of the BMI
In general, a person with significant muscle mass can have an increased BMI without actually being overweight. Because muscles are heavier than fat. BMI does not specifically calculate the percentage of fat, muscle mass, or bone in the body.
Therefore, a person with a lot of muscle mass may be classified as overweight or even obese based on BMI, even though they have a healthy body fat percentage. For athletes or people who regularly do strength training, this can lead to misjudgments.
This criticism makes it clear that BMI as a sole indicator of health and body fat percentage has its limits. Therefore, it is important to use additional methods to assess body composition and health.
Waist-to-Height-Ratio
Many experts now consider this to be more meaningfulWaist-to-Height-Ratioconsidered, i.e. the waist circumference in centimeters divided by the height in centimeters. Here, a value below 0.5 is considered desirable for health reasons.
Example:
The waist circumference in cm is 70
Height in cm is 165
→ 70 : 165 = 0,42
Important note at the end:Your body is as individual as your character. You have to find out for yourself which diet and which form of training suits you best. Don't let others put pressure on you. In principle, however, the following applies: an active lifestyle with a balanced diet and lots of exercise is still the best way to stay fit in the long term and achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
