What Is A BMI? (Body Mass Index)

What is your BMI? Simply stated, it is your body fat based on height and weight.

I am 5' 5" and at my highest I was 252 pounds or a BMI of 41.9. Today I am 5' 5" and I weigh 120-125 for a BMI of 20.0 - 20.8.

The reason the medical community uses BMI is because weight alone doesn't really tell us much. My sister is much taller than I am so if I weigh the same as she does at a healthy weight for her, it would be overweight for me. If you figure that 160 pounds is a healthy weight for her, that would make me overweight because I am so much shorter than she is.

To calculate your BMI multiply your weight in pounds and divide that by the square of your height in inches. Or, make it easy on yourself and use a BMI calculator:

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

What is your BMI? Where does it fall within the following:

Less than 18.5 = Underweight
18.5 - 24.9 = Healthy or normal weight
25.0 - 29.9 = Overweight
30.0 - 34.9 = Obese
35.0 - 39.9 = Seriously Obese
40.0 - 49.9 = Morbidly Obese
50.0+ = Malignantly Obese or Super Obese

Now, with the above written I must tell you that the BMI chart is not a one size fits all. Not everyone falls within the standard BMI figures. Let's take a body builder for example. They may not have an ounce of fat on their body but their BMI may show overweight or even obese! It's not fat, it's muscle and they are not overweight or obese. However, let's get real here. If you are reading this blog for you or on behalf of someone else they are not likely a body builder but simply written, they have too much body fat. That's okay, it's not a sin. It is not a sin to be overweight, it is a shame not to do anything about it and that is what this blog is all about. Recognizing where we are today and deciding what options we have to fix the problem.

It should be noted that if you are in the category of a BMI of 25 or greater, you are in the majority of the US population and many other countries. In the US today it should be noted that 1/3 of us are healthy weight, 1/3 of us are overweight and 1/3 of us are obese. But that's okay, it's not the end of the world. We have lots of options available to us and we all need to find the trick that works for us. The trick that helps us to overcome weight issues and get our lives back.