If you are above the healthy weight range, see your doctor to work out a program to help you reach a healthy weight. If you fall below the healthy weight range, or are losing weight unintentionally, see your doctor to make sure you don’t have any health problems. If you fall within the healthy weight range, that’s great! You should still watch what you eat and get regular exercise.
How is your healthy weight calculated?
Your healthy weight is based on your Body Mass Index (BMI). Doctors often use BMI to determine if a person is underweight, at a healthy weight or is overweight. This weight is shown in a general range from minimum to maximum pounds.
This calculator is intended to be used as a general guide for adults and does not apply if you are pregnant, very muscular or fit and in all circumstances. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your weight.
Table on which BMI-based weight ranges are derived:
Body Mass Index Table. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
Accessed May 1, 2007. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.htm.
Weight Control Information Network. Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity. Information Service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Accessed May 1, 2007. http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm.
Kuczmarski R.J., Flegal K. M., Am. J. of Clinical Nutrition. 2000; 72: 1074-81. Criteria for definition of overweight in transition: background and recommendations for the United States. Accessed May 1, 2007. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/72/5/1074.pdf.
Aim for a Healthy Weight: Information for Patients and the Public. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Obesity Education Initiative. Accessed May 1, 2007. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm.
