BMI: this is the easy calculation to know if your weight is normal or if you are overweight

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BMI this is the easy calculation to know if your

The body mass index also called “BMI” is a calculation which allows you to know if a person has a normal build, is overweight, obese or even morbidly obese.

Invented in the 1840s, body mass index Or BMI lets you know if your weight is ideal, in other words, if it is adapted to your size. In English, BMI corresponds to BMI or “Body Mass Index”. This indicator is used by doctors to assess nutritional status. It thus allows recognize malnutrition, thinness, overweight or a obesity. THE BMI calculationvalidated by the WHO, is based on a formula mathematical simple : BMI = weight in kg / height²

Concretely, to calculate it:

  • Note the weight in kilos: for example 65 kilos
  • Multiply the size in meters by the size in meters (to obtain the squared size): for example for a person measuring 1.70m: 1.70*1.70 = 2.89
  • Divide weight by height squared : 65/2.89 = 22.4 (normal BMI)

THE BMI calculation does not take into account age And does not differ depending on gender. There formula is the same for women and men. The result too. At the house of the childit is necessary to refer to the corpulence curves present in health records. The height and weight growth of girls and boys differs very early, we distinguish girl’s BMI and boy’s BMI curves from birth.

BMI standards: normal, overweight, obesity

  • if the BMI is less than 18.5 kg/m²: the person is underweight, understand “lean”
  • if the BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9: the weight is normal
  • if the BMI is between 25 and 29.9: the person is in overweight
  • if the BMI is greater than 30: the person is in a situation obesity
  • between 30 and 34.9, obesity is considered “moderate”
  • between 35 and 39.9, obesity is “severe”
  • above 40, theobesity is “massive”
Normal BMI pattern and variations. © Catherine CLAVERY – stock.adobe.

What is the average BMI in France?

According to the 2020 ObÉpi-Roche national epidemiological survey relayed by the League against obesity in 2021:

  • the “average French” man is nearly 1.77 meters tall and weighs more than 81 kg
  • the “average French” woman is 1.64 meters tall and weighs just over 67 kg
  • the average BMI in France increased from 25.4 in 2012 25.5 in 2020.

What are the limits of BMI calculation?

  • It is not not suitable for pregnant women and elderly people.
  • L’Child’s BMI is not based on the same method.
  • A dehydration causes the BMI to decrease while edema increases it.
  • LBMI does not specify where the fat mass is located, which is harmful to our health. So a very muscular person can display a high BMI, even though they do not have excess fat.

Several doctors believe that the waist size is more relevant and predictive of a health problem because it reflects a excess abdominal fat (around the organs) which disrupts metabolism. The excess of fatty mass located around the stomach is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, independent of BMI. There waist measurement and the calculation of BMI would thus be complementary.


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