Watching your weight is one of the most important things you can do to keep your health intact. One way of watching weight is by using a mathematical tool known as the body mass index, or BMI, which is used to estimate the amount of fat in your body. In some cases, doctors might use the BMI to assess your fitness levels or your risk of suffering from some lifestyle ailments. Notably, the use of BMI is not definite, and doctors have to put other factors into consideration.
Calculating BMI
As mentioned earlier, BMI is a mathematical tool. Your BMI is arrived using your weight and height. You might get the results by your workings, but using an online BMI calculator can be a lot easier. Your BMI should fall between 18.5 and 24.9. A number that less than 18.5 shows you are underweight and a figure greater than 24.9 suggests that you are overweight. Also, individuals with a BMI value larger than 30 are classified as obese.
Why the BMI Number is Important
Based on BMI results, it is easy to assess an individual’s health status. Underweight results could mean that your body has issues with absorbing nutrients. It could also give the impression that you are burning more calories than the ones supplied by your diet. On the contrary, being overweight or obese shows that you are at risk of common lifestyle ailments. As a result, doctors might be forced to offer some recommendations aimed at improving your health.
BMI Shortfalls
As much as the BMI has been used over the years in evaluating health, it has some shortfalls. One shortfall is that it does not account for gender, considering that women tend to have more body fat than men. This implies that a woman with a BMI within the normal range can have more fat. On the other hand, muscular men might seem unhealthy judging from the BMI even though there are not overweight. Notwithstanding, this test might miss genetic differences that affect bone density or general activity levels.