In the world of today, the pressure to be skinny is an almost constant force on some teenager's lives. Everything from fat taunts in high school to fashion and cinema push an increasingly unrealistic weight on normal, healthy people.
As a small courtesy, we provide this simple Body Mass Index, or BMI chart, that will help you work out whether your weight falls into the healthy range.
It's a simple equation.
Take your height in metres then multiply it by itself.
So if your height is 1.53 metres, then multiple 1.53 x 1.53 = 2.34 (round to two decimal places).
Then take your weight in kilograms and divide it by the previous number.
So if your weight is 50 kilos, you would divide 50 / 2.34 = 21.36
For the mathematically minded amongst us, the formula would be BMI = weight / (height x height).
Also note that if you are using inches and pounds for your measurement, don't worry! All you need to do is calculate everything the same way then multiply the answer by 703.
The number you have at the end is the BMI. Compare your number with the below chart.
The below numbers should only be considered highly accurate for those between the heights of 150cm and 174cm
Weight state BMI
Starvation < 15
Underweight < 18.5
Normal weight 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight 25 to 29.9
Obesity 30 to 40
Morbidly obese 40 >
A few important notes:
The BMI does not take into account athletes with increased muscle mass. Therefore a weight lifter or body builder would appear to be overweight using this chart.
The chart also does not take into account the proportions of, for example, gymnasts and long distance runners, who carry a very small amount of fat and have lean, light, flexible muscles. Therefore they may appear to be underweight on this chart.
It should however be noted that any athlete who is fit and in training is probably quite aware of his or her own health matters. This chart is more helpful for non athletes.
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