BMI (Body Mass Index) is a useful tool used for evaluation of overweight and obesity. This index is also an excellent tool for estimating changes in the body weight over a period of time. The idea of BMI came from the weight-for-height tables, which was used by health care providers for decades. Just like the weight tables based on height, body mass index has its limitations because it does not measure body fat or muscle by direct measurement. BMI is calculated by dividing weight expressed in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplied by 703.

Because BMI is not a good measure of body fat, two people with same body mass index might not have the same body fat. As an example an athlete with a large bulk of muscle and low percentage of body fat may have the same BMI compared to someone who has much more body fat content. Nevertheless, even with the disadvantage mentioned above, a BMI of 30 or higher usually indicates excess body fat content.

The body mass index chart provided with this article serves as a useful guideline to check your BMI. It's rather easy to use this table to assess your BMI to see where you stand in the population. First of all, look for your weight at the lower part of the graph. Once you find your weight straight up along that line from that point till you come to he line that matches your height. A body mass index of 25 to 29.9 suggests the person is overweight. Someone having a body mass index of 30 or higher is considered obese. If you see your BMI to be above normal range, please review this issue with your health care provider.

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