Many individuals are really avid weight-trackers. They would always want to know if the weighing scale shows a healthy nutritional status in correspondence to what their height measures show. There are many ways on how one can calculate whether he or she has the right weight for his or her height. For instance, measures such as the Ideal Body Weight or IBW, skinfold testing, waist circumference measurement and analysis, near-infrared interactance and the BMI or body mass index are used. Other methods also include DEXA, or dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and BIA or bioelectrical impedance analysis. Although the later two are accurate measures, these are more time consuming and expensive, which is why the usual parameter used is the BMI. To calculate your BMI, all you have to do is to get your weight in kilograms and height in meters. Although BMI may be a bit tricky because of the conversion factor, it proves to be much easier to deal with. Here is a simple exercise on how to calculate your BMI in case the data available are in pounds and meters.
If the weight is in pounds, convert it first into Kilograms using this conversion factor – 1 Kg = 2.2 lbs. For example, if the weight is 132 pounds/lbs, divide the value by 2.2, wherein the answer is 60. This means, 132 lbs = 60 Kg. As for the height, if the available data is convert Kilogram to Pound online in feet and inches, the conversion factor is: 1 meter = 3.3 feet or 39.6 inches. For the height, it is advisable to use the inches conversion rather than the feet. For instance, if the height is 5’2″, first convert the feet into inches. 1 foot is equal to 12 inches, which means 5 feet is equal to 60 inches. Now, add the extra 2 inches to the 60 given inches. Therefore, the conversion of 5’2″ into inches is 62 in. But after getting this, the solving isn’t done yet, the inches should then be converted into meters. Referring to the previous conversion info, it is standard that 1 meter is equal to 39.6 inches. Using this conversion principle, 62 inches is divided into 39.6 inches, which gives a value of 1.57. The answer now is expressed in meters, that is, 1.57 m. Take note that in the given formula, the weight in kilogram is divided by the height in meters squared. In this case, 1.57 m is multiplied by itself. 1.57 m x 1.57 m = 2.46 m2. After doing all the conversion, you are now ready to calculate your BMI.
Using the given data above, calculate your BMI by dividing 60 Kg by 2.46 m2; thus, 60 divided by 2.46 equals to 25.20. The BMI then is 25.20. Now after getting the BMI value, it is not the end of the task. This value would then be compared to a standard chart to know if one’s BMI is normal or not. The normal BMI range is from 18.5 to 24.9. Below 18.5, the individual is undernourished. Above 24.9, the individual is overweight. A person can be considered as obese if his or her BMI is 30.0 and above. Using the BMI, one can really track his or her nutritional status and do something about it!