BMI Calculator

The bmi calculator calculates your body mass index or BMI. You can compute BMI using both the metric units or the imperial units, or mix the two units. Unlike most BMI calculators where you can only compute BMI using either the metric units or the imperial unit, our online BMI calculator allows you to enter a weight or height in the metric units and the other in imperial unit. Simply enter your weight and height below and get your BMI now.

BMI Chart

The BMI chart shows the condition for the BMI ranges. By computing your BMI, you will see whether you are underweight, normal or overweight.

What is BMI?

Body Mass Index or BMI is a measurement to determine if a person has normal weight, underweight or overweight. BMI is calculated by a person's weight divided by height. In general, the higher the BMI, the more fat the person may have. High or low body fat may lead to diseases.

What is BMI used for?

BMI is a reliable number to measure body fat for most people. Health providers use BMI and other tools to screen for potential health problems in patients.

Diseases that may cause by high BMI

A high BMI or body fat may cause the following diseases.

1. Heart disease
2. High blood pressure
3. Type 2 diabetes
4. Sleep apnea
5. Cancer
6. Depression

Keep in mind that just because someone has a high BMI doesn't mean he will have these diseases, it's just the risks are higher than people who have a normal BMI measure.

On the other hand, many people still have these diseases even without a high BMI. It could be generic, environment or the food they consume that may have caused the disease.

How to lower your BMI?

Since BMI is calculated based on a person's height and weight, if the person is a grownup, he or she cannot grow taller. Therefore, the only way to lower BMI is to lose some weight.

Here are some tips to lose weight and lower your BMI.

Exercise

Spend some time exercising, and working out a few times every week. Any exercise or workout helps reduce weight. You can jog around the street, do yoga at home, or work out at a local gym.

Exercise is a hard habit to develop for many people. In modern society, everyone is busier than ever and it seems no one has time to exercise anymore. If you want to start exercising, the trick is to start small.

Instead of aiming for one hour each day seven days a week, start with five minutes. Once you get the momentum going, then you may lengthen your time incrementally. Even if you don't increase your exercise time, 5 minutes is still much better than no exercise at all.

Eat Mindfully

Watch what you are eating. Eat and chew slowly. This helps food digest faster in your stomach and you will feel full more quickly so that you don't overeat. Plus, food tastes better when you eat slowly because you get to taste every bit and all the flavors. Use a smaller plate or bowl, and get a smaller portion than your regular meal.

15 Food to Avoid

Not only should you eat mindfully, but you should also cut junk food from your menu. The following are the first to go if you want to lose weight and have a lower BMI.

1. French Fries
2. Fried Chicken
3. Potato Chips
4. Soda
5. Chocolate
6. Candy
7. Cookies & Cakes
8. Ice Cream
9. Pizza
10. White Bread
11. Rice
12. Sweetened Yogurt
13. Hot dog
14. Alcohol
15. Sugary Drinks

17 Food for Healthy Dieting

Eat more vegetables and fruits as replacements for fast and processed food. Following are some foods that will make you lose weight and have a lower BMI.

1. Beans
2. Apples
3. Greek Yogurt
4. Cabbage
5. Nuts
6. Green Peas
7. Carrots
8. Spinach
9. Broccoli
10. Grapefruit
11. Mangoes
12. Oranges
13. Berries
14. Passion Fruits
15. Kiwi
16. Banana
17. Avocados

Sleep Well

Not sleeping well causes weight gain or weight loss for many people. If you are looking to lose weight, you should sleep well each night.

Don't stay up late to watch TV, go to bed on time and on schedule. Never stay up overnight. If you are a party person, you need to cut down on party times.

Use our sleep calculator to see if you get enough sleep and read the strategies on how to improve your sleep.

Drink More Water

Research has shown that simply drinking more water throughout the day contributed to weight loss. Drinking one or two cups of water before each meal will make you feel less hungry and end up eating less food.

Track Your Result

By weighing yourself and tracking your weight & BMI every day will help you learn what's working and what's not.

Not only should you track your BMI, you should also track what you consume. Tracking your food, drink, and intake will keep you conscious about your dieting plan and develop better and healthier eating habits.

Is BMI Accurate?

While BMI is a useful metric to estimate the body fat of a person, it is far from perfect because it doesn't take into account muscle mass and bone density.

BMI may overestimate or underestimate a person's body fat. Health providers use BMI along with other tools and indicators to judge whether a person has health risks.

What disease does low BMI cause?

A low BMI usually means a person is underweight and being underweight may cause the following diseases.

1. Weaken Muscle Strength
2. Lowered Immunity Function
3. Malnutrition
4. Growth & Development Issues (for kids)
5. Osteoporosis
6. Infertility
7. Early Death

Read how to gain weight and use the weight gain calculator to calculate how much to eat and exercise to gain weight. People who are severely underweight should seek professional help from their doctors.

How to increase BMI?

It is just as important to increase your BMI when you have a low BMI as to lower your BMI when your BMI is high.

Low BMI is associated with health problems and diseases. Based on the BMI metric, if you are an adult and have a lower BMI, it generally means you are underweight and you need to increase the calorie intake to gain weight.

Following are some tips to increase BMI.

Increase Calorie Intake

Consume 200-300 more calories each day than your current calorie intake. Increasing calorie intake doesn't mean you should start eating more junk food, you should focus on healthy food that is high in calories and nutrition.

Eat More Frequently

Not only should you eat more, but you should also eat more frequently. Instead of 2-3 meals per day, eat 5-6 meals with smaller portions, and eat healthy snacks in between.

Healthy Food to Gain Weight

Below is a list of healthy food that you should add to your weight gain plan.

1. Milk
2. Rice
3. Cheese
4. Red Meat
5. Whole Grain Bread
6. Potatoes
7. Nuts
8. Avocados
9. Pasta
10. Mango
11. Dark Chocolate
12. Eggs
13. Smoothies & Shakes
14. Dried Fruits
15. Protein Bars
16. Full Fat Yogurt
17. Banana
18. Berries

Unhealthy Food to Avoid

Stopping eating junk food that causes unhealthy weight gain which increases health risks. Here are the worst foods that you should avoid if you want to gain weight.

1. Ice Cream
2. Fried Chicken
3. French Fries
4. Soda
5. Candy
6. Chocolate
7. Potato Chips
8. Processed Meat
9. Sugar Drinks
10. Alcohol
11. Pizza

Exercise

Not only does exercise help overweight people to lose weight, but it can also help an underweight person gain weight. When you exercise more, you will feel hungry more and you will start to eat more.

The amount of calories lost by exercising is small compared to the extra food you will eat.