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Losing Weight, Videos

What Is The BMI?

What Is The BMI?

  • January 16, 2013 10:32 pm
  • 6 comments

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The BMI (“Body Mass Index”) is a widely used, but sometimes misunderstood measurement of what a healthy body weight is. Here is an explanation, a BMI calculator and how to use the result correctly.

BMI Explained

Especially in bodybuilding circles I have often encountered the notion that “BMI is useless”, but that is an incorrect generalization. For over- and underweight persons it provides a fair estimate of their body weight being healthy or not:

Calculating It

To try it out yourself, simply key your stats into this BMI calculator:

[calc id=1489]

BMI Shortcomings Revisited

As hinted in the video, for very tall, very short or very musular people the BMI formula doesn’t work very well. It is designed to be broad and apply to the most common circumstances, much like S, M or L cloth sizes are designed to cover (literally) the majority of people. If you are a muscular person, your are better advised to use a body fat caliper and if you are very tall or short,  measuring your waist circumference may give you a better assessment.

But, as said, if the BMI puts you in the “obese” category and you can’t see your feet when you stand up, it honestly is pointing you in the right direction. The same goes for the underweight end of things: if the BMI tells you your body weight is too low and your hip bones stick out, you likely weigh less than is healthy.

Picture courtesy of Dani Lurie.

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Latest Comments

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6 Comments

  1. Dr. J says:
    January 17, 2013 at 7:11 pm

    My column on 10 reasons why people incorrectly feel the BMI is wrong and one time when they are correct is my most read and argued column 🙂

    http://calorielab.com/news/2010/03/05/the-top-10-reasons-why-people-incorrectly-think-the-bmi-is-wrong-and-one-time-when-they-are-correct/

    Reply
    • evilcyber says:
      January 18, 2013 at 8:49 pm

      You put it much better than I did! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Dr. J says:
    January 19, 2013 at 8:29 pm

    I don’t know about that, but thank you. EC, you really have a wonderful website! There is so much excellent information here! I wondered about oil-pulling the other day, and surprise, now I’m off to read about it here 🙂

    Reply
  3. Noah says:
    August 1, 2013 at 1:38 am

    Ahem, BMI is /NOT/ a measurement of what a healthy body weight is!!

    Period, full stop.

    It /IS/ a statistical tool based on height and weight averages from the 1850’s!

    It was designed as a statistical tool only and never ment to be a measure of what is and is not healthy and created at a time where nearly everyone ont he planet was severaly underfed and malnurished. Using the BMI to decide what is and is not a healthy weight is not only foolish but dangerously stupid.

    Reply
    • Moon says:
      August 1, 2013 at 3:42 am

      You should probably re-read this post.

      Reply
      • evilcyber says:
        August 1, 2013 at 3:05 pm

        Yes, I can’t add more than what I already wrote under “Shortcomings Revisited”.

        Reply

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