Adults - check your BMI

How do I find out what my BMI is?

scalesOne of the easiest and quickest ways to find out your BMI is to ask your pharmacist who will be able to carry out the measurements and tell you what your number is.  It’s always good to be properly measured by a professional using medically approved equipment as the majority of people doing it themselves often under-estimate their weight and over-estimate their height.  Your pharmacist will also be able to answer your questions and advise on future courses of action.
 
obeseYou can find your nearest pharmacist by clicking here. This external link will take you to the national NHS Choices website, click on ‘Pharmacies (chemists)’ enter your postcode and click ‘Search’.  
 
If, for any reason you do not want to speak to a pharmacist or another health professional, you can use our BMI calculator on this page which does all the maths for you.  Make sure you enter numbers either in imperial or metric and then click on ‘calculate BMI’.  This will tell you your BMI measurement.

BMI Calculator (adults ONLY)

Use this BMI calculator to see what your personal BMI is. You can use either metric or imperial units.

Then follow the link to find out what this means for you.

 

 What does the BMI number mean?

Results on the BMI chart help show whether you are in the healthy weight range or whether you might need to take some action:

  • Less than 18.5 or underweight
  • 18.5 to 24.9 or healthy weight
  • 25 to 29.9 or overweight
  • 30 to 35 or obese/fat
  • More than 35 or very obese/very fat
  • Over 40 - morbidly obese




Are there any exceptions?
BMI scores only provide us with the starting point for measuring anyone’s healthy body weight.  They are not as accurate if you are an athlete or very muscular as this can push you into a higher BMI category even if you have a healthy level of body fat.  It is also not accurate for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or people who are frail.  Research has suggested that different scores should be used for people of South Asian origin to reflect their population characteristics.  The numbers shown here should not be used for children – please click on the ‘Check your child’s BMI’ link instead.

Terms and Conditions Registered Charity No. 1109600 Website by Volute