A persons body mass index, usually referred to as BMI, is a measurement of their weight in relation to their height. This number can be calculated by taking your weight in pounds multiplied by 703 divided by height (squared) in inches.
Weight (lbs) * 703 / height ² (inches)
I’m 170lbs and 5’11” tall, which is 71 inches. Here’s how I would calculate my BMI.
170 * 703 = 119,510
71 * 71 = 5041
119,510 / 5041 = 23.7 BMI
Make sense?
If not, just use this calculator 😉
Here’s what your BMI number means:
- Less than 16 – severely underweight
- 16-20 – Underweight
- 20-25 – Normal
- 25-30 – Overweight
- 30 or more – Obese
*image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/erix/169393296/