Saturday, December 15, 2007

Are you overweight? Use an Adult BMI Calculator to find out

By Dave Davis

BMI (Body Mass Index) is used throughout the world to decide if you are overweight or obese and thus what health risks apply to you. Adult BMI Calculators are quick and easy to use to answer the question if you are overweight and what are your associated health risks.

All over the world studies have indicated that BMI provides a reasonably accurate indication of your percentage of body fat. Additional investigations have found a linear relationship between BMI and your likelihood of getting diseases like diabetes, CVD (Cardio Vascular Disease), and certain type of cancer. Because the level of health risk to BMI is not exact only broad ranges of BMI and associated health risks were created. See what BMI category are you in below.

How to Calculate BMI?

For Metric units use:

BMI = (weight in kgs) / (height in meters)2

If you use English units then

BMI = (weight in pounds) * 703 / (height in inches)2

If you want to use an online Adult BMI Calculator

MyDietForWeightLoss.com\Adult-BMI-Calculator

What BMI Category are you in?

Determine your BMI category so you know what health risks apply to you.

Your BMI Your BMI Category

0.0 - 18.5 Underweight

18.5 - 24.9 Normal

25.0 - 29.9 Overweight

30.0 - 39.9 Obese

40.0 - + Morbidly Obese

Do you have a BMI that is 25.0 or greater? If you do then you are one of the over one billion people in the world that is considered overweight. If your BMI is 30.0 or over then you are one of over 300 million people that are considered obese.

How does excess fat affect your health risk?

Being overweight or obese can cause adverse metabolic effects on your blood pressure, your cholesterol level, your triglyceride level, and insulin resistance. Being obese can cause nonfatal problems such as infertility, skin problems, chronic musculoskeletal problems, and respiratory difficulties. Being overweight carries a higher risk for CVD, Type 2 Diabetes, gallbladder disease, and some types of cancer such as ones related to hormones.

The World Health Report 2002 showed approximately 58% of diabetes and 21% of ischaemic heart disease and 8-42% of certain cancers globally were attributable to a BMI above 21. So you don't need to be in the overweight category to have a higher health risk.

The problems with BMI

BMI (Body Mass Index) has problems with some people.

* Are not accurate if the person is over 7 feet tall

* Are not accurate for some people that are very muscular

* The interpretation of BMI to health risks for those under 20 years old is different. If you are under 20 use the Child Teen BMI Calculator at MyDietForWeightLoss.com\Child-Teen-BMI-Calculator

What to do if you are overweight?

Most diet plans will help you lose weight temporarily but few keep the pounds off. So in looking for a diet plan you should look for ones that do all of the following. They should not only tell you what to eat but how your body works to store and release fat so you can tell what will work, what will not work, and what you have to do to stay out of starvation mode. The diet plan should recommend types of activities that apply to your situation. The plan should give you options instead of a strict plan so you will have a much better chance of following it. Finally the plan should cover goal setting and your mindset so that you have the best chance of reaching both your short and long term goals.

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