How to Figure Body Mass Index

Many articles that claim to teach you how to figure body mass index are incredibly confusing and may even be incorrect, leaving you with a ridiculously tiny or ridiculously large number that doesn't make any sense. The basic method of determining body mass index or BMI is to divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters. It really is that simple. This article will teach you how to figure body mass index by quickly converting your height and weight to the proper units.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. Convert your body weight from pounds to kilograms by dividing your weight by 2.2. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you weigh approximately 68 kilograms. This is the first number necessary to learning how to figure body mass index.

2. Convert your height into inches and then meters. If you are 5'4" tall then you are 64 inches tall. Divide 64 by 39.37 to determine your height in meters. The answer for this example would be 1.6 meters. You need this number to learn how to figure body mass index.

3. Multiply your height in meters by itself. So, that would be 1.6 x 1.6 in our example which equals 2.56. You have almost learned how to figure body mass index so hang in there.

4. Divide your weight in kilograms (step one) by the number you determined in step three. In our example of a 1.6 meter tall person who weighs 68 kilograms you would divide 68 by 2.56 which equals approximately 26.56. This number is your BMI and now you know how to figure body mass index.

Tips & Warnings

• A BMI between 19 and 25 is considered healthy while a BMI over 25 is overweight. Keep in mind though that individuals with more muscle mass will weigh more than average while still being in good health.