Calculate Your BMI | Dr. Sam

How to calculate your BMI

Urgent care centers may provide a good medical and financial alternative when you can't see your regular doctor, and the illness or injury is relatively minor.

To help you decrease your risk of illness and early death, you need to know your BMI. This number will indicate if you are "overweight" or "obese." Be prepared to be surprised by your results.

Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body Mass Index (BMI) using height and weight is often used to determine if someone is overweight or obese.

Do it online

The Internet has several sites where you can plug in your numbers and calculate it automatically. Try the Center for Disease Control's: Adult BMI Calculator

Calculate it manually

Here are the steps to calculating your BMI manually:

One: multiply your weight in pounds x 703
Two: multiply your height (in inches) x your height (in inches)
Three: divide the number in Step One by the number in Step Two to get your BMI

Don't worry if the calculation method seems absurd. It works.

Remember:
Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 or higher and obesity is 30 or higher. More importantly, your risk for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease or for premature death increases as your BMI increases.