The Body Mass Index (BMI) gives an indication as to how appropriate your weight is given your height. Here you can have your BMI figure calculated and find out what it implies for your health.
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a way of gauging whether a person's weight is healthy. It should be able to give you an indication as to whether your weight is appropriate or whether you should be looking to lose or gain some weight.
These figures are for adults and are not applicable to children. The elderly, people with long term health conditions and pregnant women should not use their BMI as an indictor as to whether their weight is appropriate either. It can also be misleading for people who are very muscular, for example people who do a lot of weight training, or others who do a lot of exercise. If you fall into any of these categories you should contact your doctor to see if your weight is appropriate. You should also contact your doctor if you have gained or list a lot of weight without an apparent reason.
The World Health Organisation has set these bands:
The recommendation is that you should aim to have your BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. If your BMI is over 25 some weight loss will be beneficial to your health. If it's over 30 you are in need of some fairly big changes to your diet and lifestyle and should consult your doctor about how best to do this.
