Do you often hear the term BMI when you read, hear or discuss diet and health topics? Indeed often, right?
BMI stands for body mass index. According to Jessica Crandall, RD, a national spokesperson at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics from the Saily Burn website, knowing BMI is a good way to assess whether our weight is healthy. Body mass index is a standard matrix used to determine whether a person is in the healthy or unhealthy weight group.
Calculate Body Mass Index by dividing body weight (kg) by height (m):
Example: you weigh 57 kg with a height of 160 cm or 1.60 m. First, make 1.60 m the square; that is 2.56. Next, you calculate the division of your weight by the square of your height; 57/2.56 = 22.3. So these results are your BMI numbers. Then compare your BMI to these weight categories:
- BMI numbers below 18.5 = underweight
- 18.5 – 22.9 = normal weight
- 23 – 29.9 = excess body weight
- 30 and above = obesity
But keep in mind. BMI is an easy calculation method and provides basic information regarding the overall weight problem. The results of BMI calculations can be used to warn someone about their weight and protect against the potential for obesity. However, quoting Live Science, there are better and more accurate calculation methods than BMI. It cannot explain in detail the problem of a person's weight because the formula only calculates height and weight without considering other aspects. So don't just get hung up on BMI and the results of weight scales because everyone's body is different, so BMI isn't perfect to be used as a universal calculation standard.