02.10.2024.
The most widely used method to check if you’re a healthy weight is body mass index (BMI).
BMI is a measure of whether you’re a healthy weight for your height.
For most adults, if your BMI is:
- below 18.5 – you’re in the underweight range
- 18.5 to 24.9 – you’re in the healthy weight range
- 25 to 29.9 – you’re in the overweight range
- 30 to 39.9 – you’re in the obese range
- 40 or above – you’re in the severely obese range
If you have an Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family background you’ll need to use a lower BMI score to measure overweight and obesity:
- 23 to 27.4 – you’re in the overweight range
- 27.5 or above – you’re in the obese range
BMI score has some limitations because it measures whether a person is carrying too much weight but not too much fat. For example, people who are very muscular, like professional sportspeople, can have a high BMI without much fat.
But for most people, BMI is a useful indication of whether they’re a healthy weight.
Check an adult’s or child’s BMI to find out if they’re a healthy weight. It’s important to use the right calculator for adults (aged 18 and over) or children and teenagers (aged between 2 and 17).
https://www.nhs.uk/health-assessment-tools/calculate-your-body-mass-index
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