How can you calculate your BMI?

According to a study, 16% of the Spanish population is obese, while 30% is overweight. This is considered the first “global non-infectious epidemic” in history.

This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) made the Body Mass Index official in 1972 to calculate a person’s corpulence.

Also called the Body Mass Index (BMI), this indicator is intended for adults (18 to 65 years old) and for both sexes. It was created by Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quételet (1796-1874) and allows a quick calculation of the health risks associated with being overweight.

In this way, the weight in kilograms divided by the height in square meters, we obtain an amount that allows us to evaluate their fat, and thus prune to take measures to improve their health.

The BMI formula has this form:

BMI = weight (kg) / height (m) 2

For figures below and above these values, it will be necessary to resort to the classification of these international health criteria that allow us to know what the general degree of obesity is:

BMI <16.5: Malnutrition, famine

BMI <18.5: underweight or thin

18.5 <BMI <24.9: normal weight, healthy weight

25 <BMI <29.9: overweight or fat.

BMI> 30: obesity class 1, or moderate obesity

BMI> 35: obesity class 2 or severe obesity

BMI> 40: obesity class 3 or morbid obesity

It is important to know that if the BMI figure is outside the normal corpulence zone, it is advisable to go to a health and / or nutrition professional such as a doctor, nutritionist or a dietician for a check-up.

To give you a concrete example:

The formula for a 40-year-old man who weighs 90 kg and measures 1.85 m, will be like this: BMI = (1.2 * 90 / 1.85 * 1.85) + (0.23 * 40) – ( 10.8 * 1) – 5.4

The formula for a 40-year-old woman who weighs 65kg and measures 1.72 m will be like this: BMI = (1.2 * 65 / 1.72 * 1.72) + (0.23 * 40) – (10.8 * 0) – 5.4

Calculating your BMI has never been easier ! How can you calculate your BMI?