On the other hand, the BMI can be off, particularly in athletes. For a clearer picture of your health, look into alternate metrics that might fully view your body composition.

What Is the BMI Calculator For?

According to the National Institutes of Health, the BMI utilizes your height and weight to determine your body fat percentage (NIH). Underweight, normal, overweight, and obese are all classified using this method, which considers a wide range of factors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calculating BMI is simple: divide your weight in kilograms by your height squared (CDC). However, you may use pounds and inches instead, which gives you this equation:

Using the formula [weight / (height × height)] x 703. You may also use the BMI calculator on LIVESTRONG.com.

The following is a breakdown of the BMI scale on a global scale:

Underweight: a BMI of less than 18.5

Between the ages of 18 and 24

From 25 to 29.9, you're considered obese.

Having a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

Is it Safe to Have a High BMI?

The BMI may not be the greatest measure of overall body fat for certain persons, despite its accuracy.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are many reasons why BMI may underestimate body fat in people with muscular builds, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Why? Fat has a lower density, and so weighs less than muscle. As a result, the BMI calculation might misunderstand muscle mass since it's simple to confuse it with a large quantity of fat.

According to the NIH, BMI also fails to consider waist circumference as a potential indicator of obesity-related health concerns. For example, there's a possibility that heart disease and type 2 diabetes may be more likely if your body fat distribution is more concentrated around your waist than around your hips.

Other ways of gauging a person's health

In addition to your BMI, there are other metrics to consider. Another easy-to-measure metric is your waist circumference, as previously noted, which may provide you with extra insight into the state of your health. According to the National Institutes of Health, measurements of more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for males often suggest a higher risk of disease.

Despite the additional resources required, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you measure your body composition to discover how much muscle and fat you have. Calipers can be used to measure skinfold thickness in one of three approaches. When you take these measurements, you'll be able to establish your body fat to muscle ratio.

Bioelectrical impedance, underwater weighing, and dual-energy x-ray absorption are some more sophisticated methods. However, these techniques are difficult to get and costly despite their accuracy.

Measurements of your waist and skinfolds can provide a pretty accurate picture of your health for general reasons. For example, if you're a physically active person, your BMI may misread your muscle mass as body fat, indicating that you are overweight or obese source: bodyvisualizer.net.