Body Mass Index Explained: How to Calculate BMI
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 1 min read
Body mass index is a method for determining a person’s amount of body fat.
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What Is Body Mass Index?
Body mass index (BMI) is a value that estimates body fat based on a person's weight and height. A high BMI can indicate that a person has high body fat, while a low BMI can indicate that a person has low body fat. Since BMI does not take into account a variety of external factors for overall health, including muscle mass, gender, age, or family history, BMI cannot determine how healthy a person is.
How to Calculate Body Mass Index
To calculate your BMI manually, there are two formulas you can use: one for English system measurements (pounds/inches) and one for metric system measurements (kilograms/meters).
Where:
- BMI = Body Mass Index
- W = Weight (in pounds)
- H = Height (in inches)
Where:
- BMI = Body Mass Index
- W = Weight (in kilograms)
- H = Height (in meters)
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