If your weight is great, congratulations. But if not, you need to lose 
pounds. Why should you lose weight? We’ll say it again. Because overweight people are at higher risk for chronic disease and premature death.
What is BMI?
Body mass index, or BMI, is a new term to most people. However, it is the measurement of choice for many physicians and researchers studying obesity. BMI uses a mathematical formula that takes into account both a person’s height and weight. BMI equals a person’s weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. (BMI=kg/m2).
Click here to learn your BMI based on a calculator provided by Uncle Sam’s Centers for Disease Control.
| Risk of Associated Disease According to BMI and Waist Size | |||
| BMI | Waist less than or equal to
40 in. (men) or 35 in. (women) |
Waist greater than
40 in. (men) or 35 in. (women) |
|
| 18.5 or less | Underweight | – | N/A |
| 18.5 – 24.9 | Normal | – | N/A |
| 25.0 – 29.9 | Overweight | Increased | High |
| 30.0 – 34.9 | Obese | High | Very High |
| 35.0 – 39.9 | Obese | Very High | Very High |
| 40 or greater | Extremely Obese | Extremely High | Extremely High |
BMI evaluates your risk of dying prematurely
In a long-term study of 900,000 people it was found that adults who are obese – about 40 pounds over a healthy weight (BMI not more than 24.9) may be cutting three years off their lives, mostly from heart disease and stroke.
Those who are extremely overweight, about 100 pounds over a health weight, shortened their lives by as many as 10 years.
Above a healthy weight, every 5-point increase in BMI increases the risk of early death by about 30%. Of course the opposite is true, so it makes sense to reduce one’s BMI.
A good BMI is not the be-all and end-all of good health
While a normal BMI is great, you can have a normal BMI and still be unhealthy — especially if you don’t exercise.
In a recent study, inactive men had a higher risk of future heart disease than active men. This was regardless of normal BMI’s and bathroom scales. In the same study, inactive women fared worse than men when it came to heart disease risk, and that’s because activity affects body proportion. Body proportion is more important than BMI. When you exercise it is less likely that your body fat will get stored in the most dangerous place you can store it: around your abdomen.
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