How to understand body mass index. Calculation of normal body weight (BMI)

The ideal weight in people's understanding is a different value. For one person, optimal body weight is ribs protruding through clothing, for another it is the exact opposite. Everyone has their own idea of ​​their dream figure. But the imaginary ideal weight may not coincide with reality. Imagining myself as a person with perfect figure, you can be very wrong.

Both excess weight and deficiency lead to serious disorders. Lack of body weight leads to dystrophy, which, in turn, affects internal organs and is negatively associated with their work. Excess body weight negatively affects the blood supply to all organs. Due to the development of atherosclerosis of the arteries, the supply of oxygen to organs and tissues decreases, and the risk of developing various diseases increases.

To determine what weight is optimal for specific person, there are many formulas. They determine the body mass index (BMI).

Ideal weight calculation options

For a long time people have been trying to find a calculation formula ideal weight. It should show the optimal weight of a person. At the same time, the measurement should be simple and fast.

The most commonly used calculation is: 100 or 110 (for women) is subtracted from height in centimeters. The resulting figure is a subjective indicator and does not take into account body type, age, or other body features.

How to Calculate Broca's Body Mass Index

Broca's BMI was derived in the 19th century. The formula was created by a doctor from France, Paul Broca, and is suitable for people with a height of 1.55 to 2 m. The index takes into account 2 body types of a person. Here we can talk about the individual characteristics of a person. Everyone's body composition is different, the formula takes this factor into account. There is also a drawback: the Broca index does not show the degree of obesity.

The formula at the beginning of the study suggests choosing 2 body types: asthenic or muscular. Then, using the formula IB = height (in centimeters) - 100 - 5, for muscular type, IB = human height (in centimeters) - 100 - 10, for the asthenic type - we get the body mass index. The calculation is quite simple and takes into account only one variable - height.

To obtain more accurate data, it is better to use a different formula.

BMI according to Quetelet

The question of how to calculate body mass index arose in the 19th century with the Belgian scientist Adolphe Quetelet. To understand what weight should be ideal for a particular person, he developed a special formula. How to calculate body mass index? Very simple.

BMI = weight/height 2 .

This formula is used by all doctors to determine the range normal weight a specific person.

Body mass index for women and men is determined similarly. The formula does not take into account either gender, nor age-related changes.

Calculation using the BMI formula

It can be seen that the resulting index for an adult will depend only on body weight. For example, you can calculate the BMI of an imaginary person. His height is 1.6 m, weight is 60 kg. It turns out 1.6*1.6 = 2.56, BMI = 60/2.56 = 23.43.

The resulting coefficient shows that the weight of this person is within the normal range. The formula can be easily applied to anyone.

BMI interpretation

The result obtained is deciphered using a special scale. It shows the odds intervals.

A reading of less than 18.49 means a lack of mass. If the resulting coefficient is less than 16, this is a critical weight deficit. The result obtained indicates possible violations in organism.

From 18.5 to 25 - the indicator is within the normal range. For most people, this is the optimal weight.

From 25 to 30 - you are overweight. For men, 25-27 is considered the norm.

From 30 to 35 - 1st degree of obesity. This indicator can occur both in athletes and in overweight people.

From 35 to 40 - 2nd degree of obesity. I am overweight. Or the person whose BMI was calculated is an athlete with very developed muscles (bodybuilder).

From 40 and more - obesity of the 3rd degree. Significantly overweight or an athlete with developed muscles.

Whatever the result, you need to remember that the formula was created for mass research. The result of the calculations is the body mass index. Anyone can calculate it (men or women will do it, it doesn’t matter). But the result does not reflect the full picture.

If you take athletes as a standard and determine their body mass index (calculate), men will be surprised, because the results obtained will show various degrees obesity. The athlete's body weight will be rather large. All of them have developed muscles, which, with smaller volumes (compared to fat), weigh much more.

BMI results

The coefficient does not show the composition of the human body, but reflects only the overall picture. How to calculate body mass index to take into account the composition of a person's body? It is necessary to use other research methods.

BMI can be the same for completely different people, different gender and age. They can have different amounts of fat and muscle, but the indicators will be the same.

Body mass index (for women it is calculated in the same way as for men) does not take into account age-related changes, body type and body composition.

Other research methods

To determine body mass index more accurately, the formula must be more detailed and reflect all possible variables, primarily gender.

At home, in addition to BMI, you can estimate the size of the skin-fat fold in the abdominal area. To do this, you need to pinch it in the navel area with two fingers. The thickness is measured with a special tool - a caliper. If it is not there, then the thickness of the fold can be assessed visually. Normally it should be approximately 2 cm. Full Study the caliper is carried out along 3-5 folds. The results are evaluated using a special formula.

Any measurement involves an error. It is present in all existing formulas, because they are created for mass use.

Psychological assessment of BMI

All experts recommend not using various indices to determine weight and appearance. If the reflection in the mirror is pleasing, but the measurements show a deviation from the norm, then this will negatively affect mental health. Possible consequences- low self-esteem, depression, lack of self-confidence.

It is worth assessing your lifestyle yourself. If in daily diet included healthy foods, A physical activity not in last place, then your own BMI is the optimal value.

One should always use objective judgment when interpreting various tests that are designed to standardize all people.

What is body mass index and how to calculate it for women by age is a very popular topic, one might say hackneyed. Slimness today is actually synonymous with beauty and certainly an integral part of health. Insufficient weight, as well as excess weight, negatively affects the functioning of all organs and systems of the body. But how do you know if your weight is within the normal range? After all, the concept of norm will be different for people of different genders, constitutions, and ages. The most accurate formula today is considered to be the one used to calculate body mass index. Still calculating your ideal weight using the formula “height minus 110”? This is correct, but not for everyone. After all, this way you do not take into account many important indicators, for example, body type and age. Body mass index helps to calculate your ideal weight much more accurately. Let's figure out what it is.

What is body mass index (BMI)?

Body mass index is an indicator characterizing the ratio of height and weight. This also takes into account age and gender, which makes it possible to obtain differentiated data for different groups of people.

This indicator is used by doctors to assess the condition of a person’s body - the presence of obesity or dystrophy and their degree. Calculating BMI is quite simple; it can be done at home. Perhaps it is the result of calculating BMI that will become your starting point on the path to normal body weight.

The first BMI formula appeared in the 19th century, its author was the Belgian Adolphe Quetelet. Subsequently, many scientists worked on refining the formula, and today the BMI value can be calculated according to Quetelet, Brock, Breitman, Oder, Noorden, etc.

Most often, it is the basic formula that is used, in which the indicator is equal to the ratio of body weight to height squared (height is indicated in meters). For example, a woman with a height of 165 cm and a weight of 50 kg should calculate her BMI as follows: BMI = 50 * (1.65 * 1.65). The final BMI value is 18.36.

After this you receive a finished figure. As a rule, a weight in the range of 19-25 is considered normal, but this is an average figure. It is not suitable for minors, elderly people or professional athletes. It turns out that just calculating the body mass index for a woman, even taking into account her age, is not enough to understand the state of her body. Decoding of indicators is done using special tables.


What does BMI depend on?

Since the only indicators used in the calculation are height and weight, the final result gives only general idea about the state of the body.

It is quite obvious that the weight of a healthy girl at 20 years old and a woman at 55 years old with the same height is rarely equal. This does not mean that any of them “falls” outside the boundaries of normality. No, just to calculate BMI by age for a woman over 45 years of age, a basic formula is used, but a different interpretation of the results is used. For every 10 years of life (starting from the age of 24), the normal limit increases by 1 unit.

That is normal BMI at the age of 19-24 years - 19-24, 25-34 years - 20-25, etc.


Besides, appearance a person depends not only on the actual weight, but also on the ratio of the amount of musculoskeletal and adipose tissue. The normal BMI of athletes is much higher than that of untrained people with weakly defined muscles.

The interpretation of BMI will also depend on your body type, which is determined by measuring your wrist circumference. This is how thin-boned, normal-boned and broad-boned types are distinguished.

Men have more muscle than women, which means their body mass index will be higher. The difference between men and women is visible at any age, so the calculation results for different sexes are interpreted using separate tables.

Why do you need to know how to calculate body mass index?

The feeling of one’s own fullness or thinness is very subjective; some consider themselves fat, being more than slim, while others do not consider the 10-20 kg of fat hanging on their sides to be extra. The BMI calculation was created to help you understand how prone you are to obesity and how much your weight fits into the average norm.


In medicine, BMI calculation is used to adjust drug doses, and in everyday life - to control body weight.

Of course, we all strive to look good and in the struggle for beauty we often go to extremes. For example, girls often drive themselves to exhaustion with strict diets or complete refusal from eating because they feel they are not slim enough.

Body mass index allows you to understand whether you are within the normal range and in which direction you should work on yourself - lose weight or, conversely, build muscle.

BMI not only helps determine the presence of weight problems, but also shows their extent. Depending on how much the BMI deviates from the norm, the types and intensity of exercise, as well as an individual diet, are selected.

Lack of weight is also fraught with serious health problems - metabolic disorders, water-salt balance, hormonal imbalances, vitamin deficiency, amenorrhea, osteoporosis. Complications due to these diseases can even lead to death, so it is very important to be careful about your weight and health.

At the same time, you should not blindly focus only on numbers - always analyze how comfortable you feel in your body, what symptoms or complaints you have. A slight deviation from the norm may be individual feature exactly your body. If you are full of energy, feel good and are satisfied with your health, you definitely shouldn’t reshape yourself for the sake of numbers and indicators.

How to calculate body mass index for women based on age?

So, the standard formula for calculating BMI is suitable for young women aged about 20-40 years.


If you don't want to bother with squaring and dividing numbers, you can use a ready-made BMI table. The advantage of such tables is different variants for men and women, separate tables for athletes, pregnant women and women over 45 years of age.

For older women, there is a simplified formula for calculating BMI: height in centimeters minus one hundred. This is how weight is calculated for women of average build.

If your type is asthenic, subtract 10% from the result obtained. For hypersthenics, on the contrary, the result should be increased by 10%. Accurate measurements of height and weight should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach after visiting the restroom.

As a rule, in the morning our weight is less than “evening” by about a kilogram and a half (due to swelling and food eaten during the day), and our height in the morning, on the contrary, is a couple of centimeters higher due to the fact that during the night we horizontal position the spine “stretches”, the intervertebral cartilages come into their own normal condition. But in the evening we are tired, the spine is compressed and, accordingly, growth is less.

Regardless of the formula for calculating weight that you use, if there are serious deviations from the recommended weight, it is necessary to urgently adjust your diet - on your own or with the help of a nutritionist.

BMI – body mass index– reflects the state of human health. This indicator depends on the body’s fat resources and can correspond to the norm, be excessive or deficient. Many people have a body mass index that is far from optimal. No wonder BMI appeared in medical records How key factor risk of morbidity and began to be taken into account in diagnosis.

What is your body mass index?

According to WHO, half of the people on the planet die today not from dangerous infections like in past eras. The main enemies of man are fast food, overeating, stress, “sedentary” work and “sofa” leisure.

A whole generation of people has grown up suffering from obesity and doomed to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteochondrosis and many others dangerous illnesses. Asymptomatic period These pathologies can drag on for years, during which the body’s strength will slowly but surely be undermined. Will warn about the destructive activity of a hidden disease increased index body weight.

In turn, a reduced BMI will signal another deviation from the norm - painful exhaustion of a person. This condition should also cause concern. An organism with insufficient fat deposits is not able to cope with its functions normally and resist diseases. Deficiency of adipose tissue may be a sign diabetes mellitus Type 1, osteoporosis, digestive disorders, breathing or mental problems.

In any case, your body mass index will allow you to come to your senses in time and begin recovery physical fitness. Of course, on the path to perfection you will need to pull yourself together, get rid of bad habits, and sacrifice destructive addictions. However, the game is worth the effort, because the most valuable thing at stake is your life.

How to calculate body mass index?

To find out this indicator, you need to determine your weight (in kilograms) and measure your height (in meters). Then the number indicating the weight should be divided by the number obtained by squaring the digital expression of height. In other words, you need to use a formula that conveys the ratio of body weight to height:

BMI = M/P 2

(M – body weight, P – height in meters)

For example, your weight is 64 kg, height is 165 cm, or 1.65 m. We substitute your data into the formula and get: BMI = 64: (1.65 x 1.65) = 26.99. Now you can contact official medicine interpretation of BMI values:

  • it does not take into account the ratio of muscle and fat mass, so BMI will not be able to adequately reflect the health status of a bodybuilder engaged in building muscle potential: if he calculates the body mass index using Quetelet’s formula, the results will show him in the company of loose fat people;
  • These calculations are not suitable for older people: for 60-70 year old pensioners, being somewhat overweight is not considered dangerous to health, so the BMI range for them can be expanded from 22 to 26.

If you are not an elderly person or a bodybuilder, then Quetelet’s formula will do a good job of assessing the balance of your parameters. The magnitude of the error in in this case It doesn’t hurt to understand whether you’re normal or not.

It should be kept in mind that the presentation medical community About normal BMI may change over time. This was already the case on the threshold of the third millennium, when the BMI recommended by doctors dropped from 27.8 to 25. But Israeli scientists have proven that a body mass index of 25-27 is optimal for men: with this index they are guaranteed the longest life expectancy.

How to calculate body mass index online?

Our online calculator will become your fast and accurate assistant in calculating your BMI. You don't have to manually multiply and divide. The automatic program of an electronic calculator will save you from this puzzle.

Its operating principle is simple and clear. You only need to take three steps:

  1. Please indicate your gender (by physiological reasons BMI for women is usually lower than for men).
  2. Note your height (in centimeters) and weight (in kilograms).
  3. Enter the full number of your years in the appropriate field.

After filling out the entire calculator form, click the “Calculate” button. Having received data from you, the program will immediately produce the correct result with recommendations from specialists.

You'll learn what to do if your index is less than optimal or begins to drift away from it. Even if you still have a normal BMI, you should not neglect the wishes outlined here. Then you will not have health problems in the future.

Keeping your body in shape is a key point in preventing heart and vascular diseases. Calculating body mass index (BMI) is one way to check healthy weight. This indicator will show how much weight corresponds to a person’s height, and whether such a proportion poses a threat to life.

The basics of the concept of BMI were developed by the Belgian scientist Adolf Quetelet, but the term itself was first introduced after the publication of an article on obesity in the Journal chronic diseases"in 1972.

This index was created to determine the amount of fat, muscle and bone tissue each individual in order to further classify his weight as underweight, normal or overweight.

BMI (from the English “body mass index”) has a direct relationship with normal functioning the whole body. Because being overweight increases your risk of developing diseases such as:

  • ischemic disease;
  • type 2 diabetes;
  • hypotension;

How to calculate your BMI?

The Quetelet index, better known as the body mass index, is a value determined by the formula: a person’s weight divided by his height in square meters.

For example, for a girl weighing 65 kg and whose height is 172 cm, the calculation will be made as follows: 65/(1.72) 2 = 21.97. According to table No. 1, it can be determined that this indicator is within the normal range.

To simplify the calculation, you can use special online calculators that independently calculate body weight according to specified parameters.

If you use pounds and inches to calculate BMI, the formula is: weight (pounds)/height (inches squared)*703.

More information on how to calculate the mass index and decipher the results obtained can be seen in this video:

Decoding data: BMI table

According to the generally accepted classification, the Quetelet index has the following ranges:

Index

Description

Life risk level

Up to 25 yearsOver 25 years old
Being underweight may indicate poor nutrition, eating disorder or other health problemHigh. It is possible that anemia may develop, bone loss may occur, and in women, problems with conception may occur. Work deteriorates immune system, the body does not fight infectionsYou should forget about restrictions on food intake, improve the quality of your diet, and also eliminate stress and physical exercise, that is, the body must receive more calories than it expends
Up to 22.9From 20 to 25.9NormAbsent, provided that the waist circumference does not exceed 80 cm for women and 94 cm for menTo maintain indicators within normal limits, it is enough to maintain the same dietary regimen and do not forget about daily warm-up (walking, cycling, exercises)
23-27,4 26-27,9 OverweightElevated, possible development of metabolic syndromeIt is necessary to balance your diet by excluding high-calorie and fatty foods, and it is also recommended to radically change your lifestyle - devote sufficient time to sports, good sleep and active pastime
27,5-30 28-31 Obesity (1st degree)Very tall. There is a risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as malignant tumors Specialist consultation is required, as well as full examination organism, including diagnostics thyroid gland, heart and blood vessels
31-35 32-35,9 Obesity (2nd degree)
35,1-40 36-40,9 Obesity (3rd degree)
≤40,1 ≤41 Obesity (4th degree)

According to studies by American scientists, 1% of men and 2.5% of women suffer from underweight. At the same time, the maximum life expectancy is observed in guys whose BMI is 25-27 kg/m2.


BMI: what to pay attention to?

It should be remembered that calculating the mass index is not the basis for making a diagnosis. For some people, particularly athletes, their BMI can be misleadingly high compared to their actual body fat levels.

For example, the ideal weight for a girl 175 cm tall is 75 kg. But, if she has a thin physique, her norm should be calculated according to the following scheme: 75 kg-10% = 68 kg. Conversely, obese people should add 10% to their current weight.

The World Health Organization does not take into account a person's age and gender when calculating BMI. For children over 2 years old, the index is calculated according to the same scheme as for adults.

Studies conducted by British scientists have proven that the BMI of girls 12-16 years old is on average 1 kg/m2 less than the BMI of boys of the same age category.

Also, when calculating the mass index, the principle of distribution of fat deposits in the body is not taken into account. That is, the indicators may be overestimated due to the accumulation of fat in the lower part of the body, which, in principle, is not life-threatening. And at the same time, a person with a normal index should be more concerned about health if excess fat is based in the abdominal area.

In matters related to obesity, in addition to BMI, it is necessary to consider:


Application of BMI in the world

In 2005, Singapore found that the percentage of fat in Asians is relatively higher than that of Europeans, as a result of which the former are more likely to suffer from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Recently, the authorities of France, Italy, Israel and some other countries made changes to the legislation, according to which models with an index below 18 are not eligible to participate in fashion shows. In this way, a healthy lifestyle is popularized and anorexia is prevented among young people.

According to the laws of the Russian Federation, if a conscript’s Quetelet index deviates from the stipulated standards (both up and down), he has the right to receive a deferment from military service for up to six months. During this period, the conscript is required to undergo examination and bring the indicators back to normal. For comparison, in Taiwan, conscripts with a low or high BMI are immediately disqualified.

Calculation of excess weight using BMI

Using BMI, it is easy to calculate excess weight; to do this, it is enough to correct the already known formula as follows:

Weight (kg) – normal BMI (see table) * height (m 2)

For example, for a man under 25 years old and weighing 115 kg normal indicator VMI will be the number 22. That is, his excess weight is equal to: 115-22*(1.75 2)=47.6 kg

This formula shows that normal weight in this case should not exceed 67 kg.

So body mass index is important indicator, designed to control the weight and health of each person. Despite some inaccuracy, BMI has been used in world practice for many decades for primary diagnosis obesity in patients of all age groups.

Many representatives of the stronger and fairer sex worry about the condition of their own figure. To determine a parameter called body mass index, the calculation formula is a medically recognized and objective method. It allows you to assess how well these two indicators correspond to each other. The figure calculated by the formula for body mass index within the normal range means that a person’s health is not threatened by problems associated with excess weight, and that his figure looks harmonious.

Formula for calculating body mass index

To calculate such an indicator as body mass index, the formula makes up a simple empirical relationship. Like other relative indicators, this criterion requires reservations when used in practice. The value can be significantly influenced by bone thickness and body type. Depending on the absence or presence of muscle mass, the same indicator value can correspond to both a fit, athletic and a dense figure.

Often, BMI adequately reflects the overall picture and can serve as a guide in deciding questions about losing weight or gaining weight. To calculate this indicator, you need to divide your own weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. If you are characterized by flabby body, overweight, but the index value (BMI) is within the normal range, focus on playing sports. If you want to lose a few kilograms, then physical education should be combined with proper nutrition. BMI calculation is needed for the following purposes:

  • Being overweight or underweight can lead to health problems later on. For example, being underweight leads to the inability to get pregnant, lack of menstruation, and osteoporosis.
  • A normal BMI can range from 18.50 to 24.99: this figure increases with age.
  • If after the calculation you find yourself with extra pounds, there is no need to panic. There is no serious threat to your health, but you can improve your condition: choose a set of exercises, start eating right.
  • If the calculation using the formula shows that you are obese, consult your doctor.

Ideal body weight

The ideal body weight formula is designed to determine the optimal weight, which is a combination of the minimum probability of death from a number of diseases, e.g. coronary disease heart, diabetes, hypertension, with maximum life expectancy. The value of this indicator, according to the formula, depends on the gender, height, and physique of a person.

The ideal weight is considered to be that which is statistically reliably combined with maximum life expectancy. But the concepts of “normal body weight” and “ideal body weight” are not identical. The latter indicator is an abstract value characteristic only of a small proportion of the population developed countries. It depends on factors, among which the determining ones are gender, height, type of human constitution, for example, normosthenic, asthenic, hypersthenic.

If we evaluate overweight based on ideal body weight, most of the population will be classified as obese varying degrees. This is a consequence of the artificially created hype around the entire slim body industry, which creates demand for miscellaneous goods for weight loss. However, when calculating overweight in terms of normal weight, obesity will be detected in a quarter of the population, which has been confirmed by numerous studies and is true. Normal weight may differ from ideal by 5-10%.

For women

Representatives of the fair sex who strive for the ideal will be interested in such an indicator as ideal body weight. It is a prerequisite for healthy, active longevity, but still remains a theoretical value. This indicator calculable. Famous doctor Margarita Koroleva proposes to base the calculation on the normal weight indicator using Brocca’s formula: to do this, subtract one hundred from the height in centimeters. If 10% is subtracted from the obtained value, the ideal body weight will be obtained.

For men

Ideal body weight guarantees a man high level performance, mental, emotional stability, good level physical development. The presence of excess weight is not always obvious, since there is hidden or latent fatness, which is present in people who seem slim at first glance. An objective indicator in the percentage of fat and bone muscle tissue is 9-15% fat for male body, 12-20% – for women. When calculating the ideal weight for men, use the following formula: BMI = height – (100 + (height -100): 20).

For children and teenagers

The ideal weight for adolescents and children is the ratio of body weight in comparison with height, which guarantees a high life expectancy. This figure may be different for boys and girls because average share muscle mass higher in males than in females. A child’s ideal weight is calculated using the formula: MI = (P x G): 240, where P is height in cm, G is circumference chest in cm, 240 – constant coefficient.

Calculation of BMI using different methods

There are several methods for calculating body mass index using the formula. This makes it possible to find out the degree of correspondence between weight and height, whether a person has enough weight, whether there is a deficiency or excess. The indicator was developed by the Belgian Adolphe Ketele in 1869. Now the ability to calculate it has gained wide popularity due to the fact that excess weight is one of the most exciting current problems modernity. If previously obesity was considered an indicator of health, now it is a disease.

Brocca's formula

French anthropologist and surgeon Paul Brocque proposed his method in the 19th century. Standard formulas do not take into account the natural change in mass over the course of life. Brokk included in the calculation data on the age category, information on body length, and the constitutional type of build to which the subject belongs. Nature intends that weight changes with age. The value that indicated extra pounds at a young age becomes the optimal indicator over time.

For people under forty, the French researcher recommends using the following formula: ideal weight = height (cm) - 110. If you are over forty, the following calculation method is suitable: height (cm) - 100. In addition to age, the formula should take into account height researched: the taller a person is, the more he will weigh. This technique recommends using the “Brocke-Brugsch growth index”:

  • if you are shorter than 1.65 m, your ideal weight will be “height (cm) – 100”;
  • if a person’s height is 1.65-1.75 m, to calculate this indicator you will need to subtract the number 105 from height (cm);
  • If you are taller than 1.75 m, subtract 110 from your height (cm).

In addition to height and age, it is necessary to take into account the physique or constitutional type of a person. There are three of them - sthenic, normosthenic, hypersthenic. Normosthenics are considered to be those who are not too short and not very tall people with a normal ratio of limb length to height, average volumes of the head and chest. For such people, the indicator obtained using Brocca's formula is the ideal weight.

Asthenics are thin people with narrow bones, tall, pale skin. Representatives of this constitutional type should subtract 10% from the result obtained by the formula. If your appearance is more reminiscent of hypersthenics: you are a broad-boned, stocky person with developed muscles, you should add 10% to the resulting figure.

Quetelet's formula

Adolphe Quetelet was a Belgian mathematician and statistician. He proposed the BMI formula in the 19th century. Using it, you can determine the degree of obesity or malnutrition, evaluate possible risk development of diseases, which is associated with the presence excess weight. BMI according to Quetelet’s formula is calculated as follows: BMI = weight (kg) : (height (m))2. The obtained result is compared with the following data:

  • for ages 19-24, the normal index is 19-24;
  • at 25-34 years old the norm is 20-25;
  • for people aged 35-44 years – 21-26;
  • the norm for 45-54 year olds is 21-27;
  • at 55-64 years old normal value index is 21-28;
  • for people 65 years of age or older, the norm ranges from 21 to 29.

Lorentz formula

The Lorenz method of calculating BMI is considered the simplest and most well-known: you only need to know your height. His formula looks like this: ideal weight = (height (cm) - 100) – (height (cm) - 150)/2. The simplicity of this determination method is not considered the only advantage. The concept of ideal weight is always relative. Every formula is derived by analyzing the results of statistical studies that compare different parameters of people. The data obtained can only serve as a rough guide.

The advantage of the Lorenz formula is that it gives an indicator that is close to the results of more complex methods calculation. However, this index does not take into account a person’s body type, of which experts distinguish three: the weight norm varies for each. Not taken into account age parameter, and depending on age, different weights are considered normal.

Maximum permissible body weight depending on age

There is no doubt that weight depends on age. It is directly related to the occurrence of such a biological process as carbohydrate metabolism. With age, the metabolism of energy, substances, physical activity, the volume of muscle tissue and metabolic rate decrease. All this, together with a decrease in hormone activity and energy consumption, contributes to weight gain. Its change with age is inevitable, natural process. This dependence is clearly demonstrated by the table below, which shows the values ​​for normosthenics.

Classification of health status depending on body mass index

Health Risk

more than 25 years

Anorexia ataroxic and nervous

BMI does not reach 17.5, weight is less than 15% of normal

Treatment of anorexia and weight gain by healthy eating

Underweight

Under 18.5

Absent

Excess body weight

Elevated

Losing body weight by healthy diet and exercises

Obesity of the first degree

Elevated

Need to reduce body weight

Obesity of the second degree

Obesity of the third degree

Very tall

Obesity of the fourth degree

40.0 or more

41.0 or more

Excessively high

Urgent weight loss required


BMI calculator

The calculator helps to quickly determine an indicator that is considered an indirect assessment of excess or underweight, and a predisposition to the development of obesity. BMI is calculated for both men and women. To determine the indicator, enter your weight (kg) and height (cm). Next, click on the “Calculate index” button and your body mass index value will appear in the “BMI” field. Compare the data obtained with the table above.