Obesity is becoming a global concern. The influx of ultra-processed foods and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle are adding to the obesity problem. If you are concerned about your weight and want to know if you are overweight, our body mass index (BMI) calculator is here to help. 

Before searching for a BMI calculator for males or females, know that body mass index doesn’t take the person's sex into account. Once you get a number from the body mass index calculator, correlate it with these ranges to know where you stand.

Below 18.5: You are underweight and are likely required to increase your weight

18.5-24.9: If you fall in this category, you have a healthy weight

25.0-29.9: You are probably overweight if you fall under this category

30.0 +: A BMI above 30 indicates obesity

BMI is not calculated the same way for adults and children. Since children are growing in height and weight, following the BMI calculator will be inaccurate in this case. Instead, BMI is calculated for children and teens as a percentile of people of the same age and sex. Here are the main categories according to this calculation:

• Lesser than the 5th percentile: Underweight category

• Between the 5th and 85th percentile: Healthy weight category

• Between the 85th and 95th percentile: Overweight category

• Equal to or above the 95th percentile: Obese category

Typing BMI calculators for males and females online and using any calculator won’t shed much light on your health. With even the most trusted body mass index (BMI) calculators, it is important to remember that it is not the final say on your health. Here are 6 things/factors a BMI calculator doesn’t take into account:

1. Location Of Body Fat: Typing BMI calculators for males and females online and
   using any calculator won t shed much light on your health. With even the most trusted body mass index (BMI) calculators, it is important to remember that it is not the final say on your health. Here are 6 things/factors a BMI calculator doesn't take into account:
   
   Subcutaneous fat: This is the fat located just under your skin. It is the unsavoury-looking fat you can grab and pinch. It is typically soft to the touch. Although it is not aesthetically pleasing, subcutaneous fat is not very life-threatening.
   
   Visceral fat: This is the fat situated around your vital organs. While you need a certain amount of visceral fat to survive, high deposits are concerning. A beer belly is a classic example of visceral fat. It is hard and surrounds your organs. If you have high visceral fat, you run the risk of developing chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart conditions.
   
   
2. Your Age: Even though a BMI calculator does not take age into account, it plays a big
   role in your health. As you get older, your body fat percentage tends to increase.
   Body fat percentage is the amount of fat in your body in comparison to your total
   body mass. Once you hit 30, your age plays a much bigger role than your BMI.
   
   
3. Your Sex: Even if sex is not considered in a BMI calculator, it plays a role in your
   health and BMI. Women generally tend to have more body fat than men, typically
   around 10 percent more. This goes for even the fittest women.
   
   
4. Your Ethnicity: There is a relationship between ethnicity and BMI. For many races,
   the standard BMI calculations may not work. This is mainly due to the differences in
   body proportions, bone density, and overall body fat percentage. For instance, Asians
   are considered overweight or obese even at lower BMI numbers.
   
   
5. Your Overall Muscle Mass: BMI calculator for males or females doesn’t take your
   muscle mass into account. It is simply your weight divided by the square of your
   height. Your weight comprises water, bones, organs, muscles, and body fat. So if you
   have high muscle mass, your BMI might be higher than normal. The true measure of
   health in this case will be done using a body fat percentage test.
   
   
6. Special Cases Such As Pregnancy: For pregnant women, BMI is not a reliable health
   metric. Instead of using a BMI calculator, contact your doctor to learn more about
   the right weight range for you.

With so many caveats, when is BMI the right metric for health? If your BMI number is high and other tests performed by the doctor also correlate with its findings, then it becomes an effective tool. It indicates that at this particular weight range, you run the risk of certain health issues such as diabetes or heart disease. If your other health markers are normal and the BMI number is high or low, then it isn’t sufficient to evaluate your health.

Concerned about your health and weight? Follow these general guidelines to get to a healthy BMI range if you are overweight or obese:

• Eat whole foods and remove or limit processed foods from your diet.
• Include more movement in your daily schedule.
• Add strength training to facilitate muscle growth. Do it at least twice a week for long-term, consistent results.
• Increase your protein intake to facilitate muscle growth.

A BMI calculator can be a valuable tool for knowing more about your health. There is no such thing as a BMI calculator for males and females, but sex does play a role in how much fat you store. In the end, body fat percentage is a more important metric than BMI, as the latter doesn’t take muscle mass, pregnancy, type of fat, and ethnicity into account. So to conclude, a BMI calculator is great when combined with other health markers, but doesn’t mean much on its own.

Source:

https://www.webmd.com/diet/body-bmi-calculator

https://www.webmd.com/obesity/healthy-weight