BMI is an acronym for Body mass index (BMI). It is a number that is derived by calculating you weight vs. your height to correlate the percentage of fat in the body. The higher the number of the BMI, the higher the fat percentage the person has. If the BMI is under 20 it dhows that you are underweight and anything between 20-25 is normal and you are in good shape. A BMI which is over 25 is known to be overweight and over 35 is obese. BMI is basically a tool used to measure the fat amount in a person’s body. You can calculate your BMI yourself as well. Measure your height and weight in inches and pound then multiply the weight by 703. Multiply your height times itself and then divide the first answer by your height times itself. An example: if you are 5’3″ tall or are 63 inches in height and weigh 130 pounds – the first multiplication is simple: (703 x 130 = 91,390). Now for the second multiplication: (63 x 63 = 3,969). Finally, the division: (91,390 / 3,969 = 23) and your BMI is 23. If you still find it complicated, use a tool that is widely available online. You just need to enter your numbers and you will get the results.

What do the numbers of the BMI mean?

The BMI identifies your place in the following categories

• People with a BMI under 18.5 are considered underweight
• Those who have a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 are in the normal weight range
• Those with a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 are over-weight, while
• People over the BMI 30 are known to be obese

In addition to the BMI, men who have a waist size over 40 inches and women with a waist of over 35 inches are at an increased chances of health related problems from obesity such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.

Health risks associated with high BMI and obesity

With obesity the chances of health related risks also develop. The more obese a person is, the sicklier he is going to get. Mild obesity is when a person has a BMI or 30 or lower, it is less risky than someone who has a higher BMI of 40+, this is known as morbid obesity. He or she is twice more likely to have a premature death than someone with a lesser BMI. Then there is malignant obesity when people are over BMI 50 and these people chance to suffer and die faster than others with lower BMI’s.

With an increased BMI, people are more susceptible to suffer from the following:

• Heart related disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Risk of stroke
• Risk for cancer
• Fatty liver disease
• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Disease of the gallbladder
• Breathing problems
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Arthritis
• Increased health risk for pregnant mothers
• Premature death

Being overweight has more health hazards than being underweight. There are multiple ways by which one can control weight or keep the weight in check. If that also does not help, do seek advice from a medical professional along with a consultation with a dietician to check if your food intake is at par with what you need to consume or if you are eating the wrong foods. Diseases are preventable at the initial stage hence get in shape before it’s too late.

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