Body Mass Index

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. BMI is an effective indicator for predicting your eligibility for undergoing Bariatric surgery. According to Govt. of India, Ministry of health guidelines, any person with a BMI of 32.5 and with problems of Diabetes, Blood pressure etc. and any patient above 37.5 without co-morbidities are eligible for weight loss surgeries. The guidelines are different for Indians than westerners as Indians tend to suffer from co-morbidities at a lesser BMI.

Body Mass Index – Table

The Body Mass Index (or BMI) is a way of seeing if your weight is appropriate for your height. The actual calculation is your weight (in kilograms) divided by your height (in metres) squared but it’s also easy to read on the chart. BMI can be divided into several categories and generally the higher your BMI, the greater your risk of a large range of medical problems. BMI charts are calculated for adults only (separate charts are available for children’s weight and heights). Inaccuracies can also occur if you’re an athlete or very muscular as this can give you a higher BMI even if you have a healthy level of body fat and this BMI chart is not appropriate for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or people who are very frail.

As BMI is based on weight and height, by losing weight you will reduce your BMI and put yourself into a lower risk group. A healthy diet, including a balance of food groups, vitamins and minerals, is essential for a long and active life. Keeping it simple, body weight and shape are a balance of energy intake (dietary calorific content) against output (calorific burn from activity & exercise).