When is one overweight

The BMI can also underestimate body fat in people who have lost muscle mass, such as some older people. For most adults, the BMI is a good way to get an idea of healthy weight ranges. There are other things to think about when judging how much someone should weigh. This is because the normal amount of body fat changes with age in children and teens, and is different between boys and girls. The percentiles are then used to determine the different weight groups:.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. If your BMI is less than If your BMI is References 1 Garrow, J. Top of Page. To receive email updates about this topic, enter your email address.

Email Address. What's this? Recalculate BMI. Your BMI is , indicating your weight is in the category for adults of your height. For your height, a healthy weight range would be from to pounds. Talk with your healthcare provider to determine possible causes of underweight and if you need to gain weight. Maintaining a healthy weight may reduce the risk of chronic diseases associated with overweight and obesity. For information about the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity in maintaining a healthy weight, visit Preventing Weight Gain.

People who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Anyone who is overweight should try to avoid gaining additional weight. Additionally, if you are overweight with other risk factors such as high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high blood pressure , you should try to lose weight. Even modest weight loss may help lower the risk of disease. Talk with your healthcare provider to determine appropriate ways to lose weight.

For information about the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity in reaching a healthy weight, visit Healthy Weight. A widget is an application that can be used by partners to display featured content directly on their desktops, websites, or social media. Widgets can also be shared with friends. BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people. It is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.