BMI simply stands for Body Mass Indicator, but what does it mean?
First off you might want to calculate yours and see what it is then we can get a little better understanding of exactly what it means. Try this link for a simple calculator.
The BMI simply calculates how much you should weight for your height. It works both on males and females. It does not measure body fat, or fitness levels. It is used often because it is so simple and gives us a great place to start. Here are the BMI guidelines:
- Underweight = <18.5
- Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
- Overweight = 25-29.9
- Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
These are just “guidelines” however. Don’t get too hung up on them. They don’t provide the final answer as to whether you are overweight or not. For example I have a BMI of 25.3 which puts me in the overweight category. True, I would like to lose a few more pounds, but the fact is that I have a good core muscle group and that increases my BMI because muscle weighs more than fat. I could weigh exactly the same but look totally different if I had more fat and less muscle.
Here is another great example: Lebron James, the NBA superstar, is reported to have a BMI of around 27.5, which is squarely in the overweight category and approaching the obese category. I don’t think anyone would seriously suggest that Mr. James is either overweight or obese. So much for useful guidelines.
So use the BMI for what it is worth, simply a way to guide you to your ideal weight. Don’t put too much emphasis on it though.
