What is the formula for calculating BMI? What does BMI even mean? BMI or the body mass index is an amount of fat that is in the body. If you need to loose weight or rather build up your muscle content and loose body fat, the BMI will let you know.
Adolphe Quelet who was a statistician from Belgium developed the formula and this was initially known as the Quelet formula. BMI is also known as the body mass indicator and is the international measure for checking you obesity. There are several formulae for estimating your body mass index and all you need is your height and weight. You have to have either a metric measurement of your height and weight to check your BMI which would be in kilo grams and meters or in pounds and inches. Some of these formulae are:
1. BMI = Your weight in kgs. divided by the square of your height in meters
2. BMI = Your weight in pounds multiplied by 703 and divided by the square of your height in inches
To know whether you are in the correct BMI the table is:
Underweight – A BMI less than 18.5
Normal – BMI of 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight – BMI of 25 to 29.9
Obese – BMI of 30 and above
However, it may not be that you have a BMI showing a normal weight and yet be in the normal category. Sometimes even those who have a normal BMI can have extra fat and vice versa. This range of BMI does not apply to nursing mothers or women who are pregnant. See where you stand with our BMI calculator now!
