Waist & Weight to Height
| Instructions |
Your body mass index (BMI) and waist to height ratio (WtHR) indicate if you are under or over your ideal weight.
Enter your height and waist measurements in feet and inches and your weight in pounds (lbs) in the form above. Then click on the button "result".
|
| Your BMI result: |
| underweight |
0 - 18.5 BMI |
| good |
18.5 - 24.9 BMI |
| best |
25 - 29.9 BMI |
| obese I |
30 - 34.9 BMI |
| obese II |
35 - 39.9 BMI |
| extremely obese |
over 40 BMI |
| Your WtHR result: |
| risk females |
>= 49.2% WtH |
| healthy |
>= 50% WtH |
| BMI of 25 |
>= 51% WtH |
| risk males |
>= 53.6% WtH |
| substantial risk female |
>= 54.1% WtH |
| substantial risk male |
>= 58.2% WtH |
Data lifted from this site.
Body-Mass Index (BMI)
The body-mass index (BMI) is calculated by dividing your weight (in kg) by the square of your height (in meters). A BMI greater than 25 may indicate that you are overweight, while a BMI greater than 30 generally indicates obesity.
A BMI of 27.8 for men and 27.3 for women is the cutoff point for obesity used in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). The National Academy of Sciences' diet and health report suggests the following normal BMI ranges:
|
Age
|
Normal Range
|
|
45 to 54 years
|
22 to 27
|
|
55 to 65 years
|
23 to 28
|
|
Over 65 years
|
24 to 29
|
Waist-to-Height Ratio (WtHR)
The waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) is calculated by dividing your waist size by your height. The WtHR may give a more accurate assesment of health for serious athletes, especially body builders, who have a higher percentage of muscle and a lower percentage of body fat, or for women who have a "pear" rather than an "apple" shape. A WtHR under 50.0% is generally considered healthy.
Current guidelines, as given by the World Health Organization, or the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, only give values for waist circumference. Those at substantially increased risk have the same risk as someone with a BMI of 30. Assuming the average male is 5' 9", and the average female is 5' 4", here are the waist cutoff values, and the corresponding WtHR
|
Increased Risk
|
Substantially
Increased Risk |
|
Waist (WtHR) |
Waist (WtHR) |
Men |
37.0" (53.6%) |
40.2" (58.3%) |
Women |
31.5" (49.2%) |
34.6" (54.1%) |
| Subjects |
WtHR |
| Barbie Doll |
25.0% |
| Ken Doll |
36.0% |
| Female College Swimmers |
42.4% |
| Male College Swimmers |
42.8% |
| Willoughby Ideal |
45.8% |
| WHO Increased Risk Females |
49.2% |
| General Healthy Cutoff |
50.0% |
| NHANES Risk Equivalent to BMI of 25 |
51.0% |
| WHO Increased Risk Males |
53.6% |
| WHO Substant Risk Females |
54.1% |
| NHANES Risk Equivalent to BMI of 30 |
57.0% |
| Willoughby Obese |
57.7% |
| WHO Substantial Risk Males |
58.2% |
Conclusions about the NHANES data were lifted from Am J Clin Nutr 2002 76 743. An interesting perspective on waist-to-height ratio is provided in Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 May; 27(5): 610-6. Also see Prev Med. 2005 Feb; 40(2): 216-20. Hsieh SD, Muto T., The superiority of waist-to-height ratio as an anthropometric index to evaluate clustering of coronary risk factors among non-obese men and women.
As your weight changes, you can expect to lose about 1" from your waistline for each 6-8 lbs of weight loss.
