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Whether you’re on a weight loss journey or not, many of us have heard of a ‘BMI’ score – or received it from our doctors during a health exam.
In health care, body mass index (commonly known as BMI) is a tool that medical professionals use to estimate a person’s body fat percentage. A different chart is used if you are under 18 years old, and if you are pregnant.
Calculating your BMI also gives you a crucial piece of information to pass your eligibility checks for weight loss treatments like Ozempic, Compounded Semaglutide, Wegovy or Mounjaro.
Not sure what your BMI is yet? Keep reading to find out how you can work it out easily at home.
In the US, doctors work out a person’s BMI as a quick initial way to assess if a person's weight is in a healthy range for their height. This also helps them discover if they are at risk of developing certain health conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, liver issues, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes. BMI is worked out based on your height and weight, and the same formula is used every time. [1]
Although it is a useful indicator, BMI is not the only method to check whether you are a healthy weight. BMI just happens to be the fastest and the simplest.
The traditional BMI calculator works out your weight in kilograms, divided by your height in meters squared. This is then rounded up or down to one decimal place to get your BMI score.
Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with metric measurements like kilos and meters, we’ll show you how to work it out using pounds and inches in this section, too.
BMI = kg/m²
For example, if you weigh 100 kg and are 1.70 m tall, you can work out your BMI like this:
For this example, let’s say you weigh 200 pounds, and you are 64 inches (5 ft 4”) tall.
So if your last answer was 2196.875, then 2196.875 / 64 = 34.3 (rounded to one decimal place). Your BMI score is therefore 34.3. [1] Or you can also use an online calculator like this one.
Now you have your BMI score, let’s figure out what it means.
As we touched on above, BMI is one of several tools a health professional might use to check if you're a healthy weight for your height. You or your healthcare professional can compare your score to the ranges from The World Health Organisation below, to check which weight category you fall under.
For most adults, if you have a BMI that is:
The original BMI test was created based on the average height and weight of a Caucasian (white, non-Hispanic, European descent) person.
If you’re from another demographic, or a mix of more than one, using a universal BMI chart may under or overestimate body fat percentage. Most healthcare providers will take this into consideration when calculating your BMI score, but it’s important to consider these differences if you’re working it out yourself.
As a general rule, if you have an Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern, non-white Hispanic, Black African or African-Caribbean family background you should use a lower BMI score to measure overweight and obesity. This is because a person’s body fat distribution and natural height can vary depending on their race-ethnicity.
These BMI weight categories are:
Note, even accounting for race or ethnicity doesn’t mean your BMI score is going to be an accurate measure of health. In the past, BMI has overestimated risk in Black individuals and underestimated it for people of Asian descent. [3] However, using the original BMI ranges could lead to a wrong or missed diagnosis, or could risk diagnosing someone with a health condition that they don’t have. [4]
Unfortunately, the BMI categories for different populations haven’t been standardized yet. This means results will vary widely. However, it’s still safer to adjust your BMI score according to your demographic background. Just keep in mind that it’s a quick, easy starting point. BMI doesn’t give the full picture of someone’s healthy body weight. [5]
As we mentioned above, BMI is merely an indicator of a person’s body composition – so it isn’t always factual. There are also certain groups of people it isn’t suitable for.
These include:
Although BMI can be useful, the American Medical Association (AMA) has pointed out that it should be used alongside other tests to check a person’s healthy body weight and whether they have obesity.
This is because BMI doesn’t account for differences in people’s race or ethnic background, muscle mass, bone density or body composition. BMI can be a helpful way to check your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, liver issues, and cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure or heart disease, but including other tests can also give you a clearer picture of how your weight might be affecting your health. [8]
Many people struggle to lose excess weight for a number of reasons. Stress, busy lifestyles, work, looking after kids, lack of exercise, diet and even sleep deprivation can all contribute to weight gain or the inability to lose it. For many of us, it can often feel like we lack the means, time or energy to follow a healthier and more balanced diet – which can all make excess weight harder to lose.
Unfortunately, carrying extra fat can lead to serious health risks like cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, decreased fertility, and even some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon). It can also cause early death or serious disability.
If you are overweight, and you’re struggling to lose it, there are effective treatments available that can help. Levity offers effective weight loss injections like Compounded Semaglutide, Ozempic and Mounjaro, with guided personalized support from experts – which has helped our customers lose up to 15% of their body weight in months. [9]
Being underweight can also pose many risks to your health. The lack of sufficient nutrients in your body can lead to lower energy levels, loss of muscle strength, affect your bone health, and decrease fertility.
Underweight people are also more likely to develop infections and illnesses, experience slower wound healing, and have a higher risk of osteoporosis (loss of bone density). It’s also directly related to an increased risk of early death.
If you currently have, or you have ever had a disease such as anorexia, bulimia or any other type of eating disorder, we strongly recommend you do not calculate your BMI at home. It may trigger, or re-trigger, unhealthy or obsessive behaviors and isn’t the most accurate measure of your health. If you need support for these conditions, you can find help here. [10]
When you’re on a weight loss journey, your waist circumference is a helpful way to measure and track the amount of fat you have, or that you’re losing, around your abdomen. If your waist circumference is above the normal range, you may be at more risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
You can measure it like this:
Since visceral fat (belly fat) is a strong indicator of your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, waist circumference is a very useful tool, since it takes your personal measurements into consideration, rather than just your height and weight. It’s also easy to measure, and inexpensive.
However, measuring can be difficult for people with a BMI of 35 or higher, and it doesn’t consider all the different body types and builds.
Like waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is another way to measure abdominal obesity. To do it yourself, you’ll need your tape measure again.
Then follow these steps.
If you’re a woman with a WHR above 0.85, or 0.90 in men, or your BMI is above 30, this may mean you have a higher fat storage in your abdomen – which can increase your risk of heart and chronic diseases. [11]
Benefits:
Downsides:
If your BMI is high, and you find it hard to lose weight, many Levity customers have been in exactly the same place you are now.
So many of us struggle to maintain healthy weight loss, for reasons that are often not in our control. Luckily, treatments like compounded semaglutide, Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy can support effective, tangible weight loss, by regulating your appetite and improving your metabolism. These medications, combined with a personalized plan from Levity, can help you lose up to 15% of your body weight.
If it feels like nothing else has worked, a comprehensive weight loss treatment plan – tailored to you and your body’s unique needs – might be the answer. Our approach combines the newest treatments with expert guidance and ongoing support. We’ll do everything we can to ensure your journey is safe and successful.
Take the first step to check if you’re eligible by completing a free consultation today.
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