Are you in balance?
Calculate your BMI
BMI – you've probably heard of it. But what exactly is it? And how do you calculate your own BMI? Is there a 'good' and a 'bad' BMI? And how do you know what a healthy BMI is for you? No worries, this page has all the answers to your questions about BMI.
What does BMI stand for?
BMI stands for Body Mass Index. This is an index for your weight in relation to your height. The number provides an estimate of the health risk associated with your body weight. However, you can only calculate a BMI when:
- You are between 18 and 70 years old;
- You must be at least 158 cm tall and no taller than 190 cm;
- You are not pregnant.
What is your BMI?
Enter your details below and the BMI calculator will easily calculate your BMI for you.
Which program is for whom?
Regular weight loss
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For anyone who wants to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
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Eat delicious and healthy food while losing weight.
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Supportive supplements
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Learning a healthy lifestyle.
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Personal guidance from a nutrition coach.
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Healthy weight loss with lasting results.
Medical weight loss
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For a BMI of 30+ or 27+ with a medical indication.
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Losing weight with the help of weight-loss medication
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Under the supervision of a doctor.
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Delicious and healthy food, in customized portions.
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Learning a healthy lifestyle.
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Supportive supplements
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Personal guidance from a nutrition coach.
Calculating BMI: What is a healthy BMI?
BMI – you've probably heard of it. But what does it actually mean? How do you calculate your BMI and what does it say about your health? This page provides all the answers to your questions about BMI, including helpful tips and a calculator to calculate your BMI.
What is BMI?
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of your weight in relation to your height. It provides an estimate of the health risk associated with your body weight, but does not take into account muscle and fat mass. The BMI gives an estimate of the health risk of your body weight. You can calculate your BMI if you:
- You are between 18 and 70 years old.
- Between 158cm and 190cm tall.
- You are not pregnant.
Calculate BMI
BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. For example: if you are 1.62 meters tall and weigh 56 kilograms, your BMI is 21.4.
What is a healthy BMI?
Once you know your BMI, you know which category you fall into: underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese. A BMI score of 18.5 is considered too low, between 18.5 and 25 you have a 'normal' or 'healthy' weight, and above that you are mildly or severely overweight (above 40).
The interpretation of your BMI depends on your age and situation:
- Lower than 20: Malnutrition
- 20 to 22: Risk of malnutrition
- 22 to 25: Healthy weight
- 25 to 28 Overweight
- Higher than 28: Significantly overweight
For people over 65 years of age, a different interpretation of BMI applies, given the changes in body composition that occur with aging.
What affects your BMI?
There are several factors that influence your BMI:
- Age: As you get older, your BMI can change due to changes in body composition, such as a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in fat mass.
- Gender: Men generally have more muscle mass than women, which can affect their BMI.
- Build: People with a heavier build may have a higher BMI, even if they are at a healthy weight.
- Illness and medication: some illnesses and medications can affect your weight and therefore your BMI.
Adjusted BMI
The corrected BMI, as used by NewFysic, includes adjustments for age and body build, applying a shrinkage factor as one gets older, and determining build based on elbow measurement, which indicates whether someone has a small, medium, or large build.
BMI in the elderly
Caution is advised when using BMI in older people. With age, muscle and bone mass decrease while fat percentage increases, particularly around the abdomen. This can cause BMI to rise even with constant weight. Height loss can also occur, further affecting BMI, and measuring height can be made more difficult by changes in the spine.
The importance of exercise for the elderly
Maintaining muscle mass requires regular physical activity. Nutrition must provide sufficient nutrients, even though energy requirements decrease. Conversely, the need for vitamins and minerals may increase, for example due to illness or medication. On average, the BMI at age 70 is 0.7 higher for men and 1.6 higher for women, and at age 80 it is 1.4 higher for men and 2.6 higher for women.
Consequences of a BMI that is too high
A healthy BMI indicates that you have a healthy weight in relation to your height. A BMI between 18.5 and 25 is considered normal or healthy. A BMI below 18.5 indicates underweight, while a BMI above 25 indicates overweight.
A BMI above 30 is considered obesity, which can increase the risk of various health problems, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
An unhealthy BMI can have several consequences for your body, including:
- Increased risk of chronic diseases
- Reduced mobility and quality of life
- Increased strain on joints and organs
- Increased risk of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
