Weight Loss : Finding out if I am overweight

“How should I go about finding out if I am overweight?”  That is the question that many people ask themselves when they learn about the many health risks associated with obesity.  According to news media coverage, there are more than 60 million overweight people in America alone.

Just wishing to lose a few pounds before swimsuit season is one thing.  Being at risk for serious life threatening illnesses as a result of being seriously overweight is an entirely different matter.  One of the bet ways to find out if you are overweight is to calculate your body mass index.

Today many fitness professionals are using the body mass index, often referred to as BMI, in helping clients determining whether or not they are overweight.  The effort to determining your body mass index is fairly simple.

When you know how tall you are in meters and how much you weigh in kilograms you have all of the information you need to figure out your BMI.  The only skill you need to calculate body mass index is the ability to perform two very simple mathematical calculations.

To begin, the first calculation you will need to do is to get the square your height.  Simply multiply the number that represents your height in meters by itself to get the squared value.  The second calculation is to divide your weight by the squared value of your height.  The resulting number is your body mass index. 

When the number that represents your body mass index is based on both your weight and your height, it is considered to be a reliable and objective indication regarding weight status for both men and women.  Body mass index is beneficial because it takes the emotion out of the question of finding out if I am overweight.

For example, if your body mass index is between 18.5 and 24.9, then you will be happy to learn that you are considered to be within the normal range.  If your body mass index is less than 18.5, you definitely do not have to worry about whether or not you are overweight.  In this case, your concern shifts to potential health consequences associated with being underweight.

Those people who have a body mass index between 25 and 29.9 are considered to be overweight.  Those whose body mass index falls between 30 and 30.9 meet the body mass index criteria for obesity.  People with a body mass index of 40 or higher are considered to be extremely obese.

One major benefit associated with the body mass index classification system is that it does not lump everyone who is above the normal range into the same general category.  Those who have a body mass index that indicates obesity are at risk for a number of significant health problems.  Those who are overweight are at less immediate risk, but should take steps to avoid crossing the line into obesity.

To conclude, while body mass index is a better measurement that weight alone for determining if a person is over weight or not, it is not perfect.  Factors such as body fat percentage and bone structure are not taken into consideration when calculating body mass index.  However, learning your body mass index is an excellent way to quantitatively guide your quest for finding out if I am overweight.