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Healthy Weight and BMI Calculator Chart for Adult Men and Women

Definitions of normal, overweight, and obese were established based on BMIs of millions of people correlated with rates of illness and death. Use your height to find a weight that's in a healthy range.By Melinda CarstensenMedically Reviewed by Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCESReviewed: March 3, 2020Medically ReviewedYour BMI can help determine your risk for health conditions.iStockBody mass index, or BMI for short, is a measure of body weight based on your height, and can tell you if you're at a healthy weight or if your health may benefit from losing or gaining a few or more pounds.

How to Read a BMI Chart and How to Calculate Your BMI

If you're an adult, locate your height in inches (remember, there are 12 inches in each foot) and your weight in pounds on the BMI chart below. Where those numbers intersect is your BMI, which will be either in the normal (healthy), overweight, or obese range. If your weight and height are not in this sample chart, use the mathematical equation below to find out where you fall. Or use the CDC's free BMI calculator if arithmetic isn't your thing. RELATED: The Connection Between BMI Numbers and Obesity Levels

What the Figures Mean

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), healthcare professionals don't use BMI to diagnose people with conditions. Yet this number can be used to determine your risk for health troubles such as obesity, stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, notes the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.The BMI range linked with the lowest rate of illness and death is 18.5 to 24.9. But keep in mind that this BMI number isn't the be-all and end-all of your health profile, because it cannot distinguish excess fat, muscle, and bone mass. Also, it does not describe the distribution of body fat in any one person, according to the CDC. If you're looking for a child's BMI, use BMI percentile, which estimates a child or young person's weight compared with his or her peers of the same age, height, and sex. RELATED: BMI Alternatives for Measuring Body Weight NEWSLETTERS

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