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February 2006
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Your body mass index (BMI)

YOUR HEIGHT
 
(Feet)   (Inches)
YOUR WEIGHT
(Pounds)
 
 
   



The reading on a bathroom scale gives you one indication of your size, but unless you take height into account, you could be at the perfect weight--for someone 9 feet tall. The body mass index (BMI) provides a more accurate assessment of your weight.

Most candidates for weight-loss surgery have a body mass index far above 30, the cutoff for clinically obese, and above even 40, the cutoff for morbidly obese.

BMI categories are as follows:

Under 25 - normal weight

25 to 29 - overweight

30 and above - obese


Or, use the formula below. We used the example of a person who's 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds:

1. Write down your weight in pounds (190).

 

2. Multiply that number by 703 (190x703=133,570).

  x

703
     
    =
   

(Total 2)

3. Multiply your height in inches by itself (70x70=4,900).

   
    x
    =
     

(Total 3)

4. Divide the answer to No. 2 by the answer to No. 3
(133,570 ÷ 4,900=27.26).

    
   

÷
    =
     

(Your BMI)
       




 
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