The Body Mass Index is a statistical measure of the weight of a person, scaled according to their height. Body Mass Index is defined as an individual’s body weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.

This formula is universally used to obtain a unit of measure of a person’s “fatness” or “thinness”, and for you to get a more objective opinion on your state of health in terms of weight. It is meant to be used as a simple means of classifying sedentary - physically inactive - individuals with an average body composition. Please note that BMI is used differently for children and men. Men generally have a heavier bone structure than women, therefore their BMI may read higher. We recommend you consult your physician for children under the age of 15 with regards to their BMI and weight issues. There are also various qualifications, such as: individuals who are not sedentary being exempt - namely athletes, children, the elderly, the infirm, and individuals who are naturally endomorphic or ectomorphic (people who don’t have a medium frame).

The categories also don’t take into account the varying proportions of fat, bone and water weight. BMI categories are, therefore, regarded as a satisfactory tool for measuring whether sedentary individuals are “underweight”, “overweight” or “obese”.

If you are in doubt about your BMI and weight issues, we recommend you consult your physician or doctor.