Bmi calculator: too thick? Too thin? Or just ok?

The BMI is controversial since it no Makes a difference between muscle mass, body fat and water. However, the body mass index is a good guideline for determining whether someone is underweight, ideal or overweight. You can find out which BMI you have and what that means with our BMI flash calculator. In addition, you will find everything you need to know about the BMI for children, athletes and seniors as well as the alternatives to the BMI.

BMI calculator: calculate body mass index

Increase fat burning

The cliché that the body’s fat burning only starts after half an hour of training has long been refuted. A manageable amount of training is enough to go to fats as the body’s energy reserve. In order to increase the burning effect for body fat, the correct training pulse is particularly important.

False belief: burning a lot of fat does not mean less weight

Unfortunately, the misconception has been established that high fat burning automatically leads to lower body weight. It is crucial that more calories are consumed throughout the day over a longer period of time than are consumed by food. Who burns a lot of fat and then large amounts of food from carbohydrates & Co. ingests, quickly nullifies the slimming effect. Adequate hydration of at least 2.5 liters per day is also important. The lack of fluids slows down the metabolism, which of course also includes the fat metabolism. The metabolism of the liquid also consumes a few calories and works against the feeling of hunger.

Achieve ideal weight – how are carbohydrates and fat related?

While athletes need carbohydrates as a quick source of energy, they should be avoided when losing weight. Their intake leads to a release of insulin, which slows down the fat metabolism. In addition, it is recommended for parallel training longer Insert units, for example, to get fat burning going properly in interval training.

For the best possible effect, according to the BMI calculator, you should avoid carbohydrates two hours before training and during the training session, for example as confectionery or classic side dishes such as pasta and potatoes. After training, a high-protein diet makes sense, for example with fish or lean meat.

Starving generally only helps you lose weight at short notice. In this phase, the body reduces its energy requirements and switches to an "economy mode". The first thing that occurs is water retention and muscle breakdown. This vicious cycle can be broken by movement alone, whereby sufficient energy and proteins are required to build muscle again. In order to lose weight effectively and to prevent the body from going into energy-saving mode, many nutrition experts recommend a daily calorie deficit of a maximum of 500 kilocalories.

Of course, the usual advice is good and can help you lose weight. The right mental support is often just as important as a change in diet and exercise. Personal, individual coaching helps many to overcome personal hurdles and to find new eating habits.

Optimal strategy to reduce the BMI: Eat right and move a lot

Basically, the BMI should be reduced by a combination of well-thought-out food (corresponding to few kilocalories) and sufficient exercise. Training is recommended three times a week with a duration of 30 to 60 minutes. The combination of endurance and strength training is ideal. With the former you strengthen your heart and get your circulation going, with the latter you make an active contribution to the gradual building of muscle mass.

Alternative to the BMI: The BAI (Body Adiposity Index)

Instead of just looking at the BMI as a yardstick for healthy weight, it is also worthwhile to take the waist circumference into account using the so-called BAI. The BAI has long been regarded as a better alternative to the BMI, but the alternative index is now considered to be equivalent to physical health.

The body length and waist circumference of a person flow into the BAI. For years, this index has been used worldwide with the greatest interest in the health sector and is believed to be more meaningful than the traditional BMI.

Today it is certain that the BAI, especially for men, tends to contribute to an inaccurate estimate of the percentage of body fat. As far as diabetes risk is concerned, studies of the recent past continue to view the BMI as better than the BAI. In general, however, both indices had little meaning as to how high the risk of illness with adult diabetes is. The importance of these calculation formulas for health should therefore not be overestimated.

The BMI simply explained

The body mass index (in the German body mass index, also abbreviated as KMI) is a key figure for evaluating body mass in relation to body size in humans. It was developed in 1832 by the Belgian Adolphe Quetelet and is therefore also called the Quetelet-Kaup index. It is calculated from the body weight [kg] divided by the square of the body size [m2]. It was originally used for the statistical comparison of study populations, but has become increasingly important for assessing the body weight of individuals since the 1980s.

Overweight, underweight or ideal weight?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a BMI marks from 18.5 and less than 25 normal weight. People with a BMI of less than 18.5 are classified as underweight and people with a BMI of 30 or more are classified as overweight. But: The BMI depends on the body composition, i.e. athletic people with a lot of muscle mass can have a BMI over 25 without being "overweight". This means that you also have to take into account body fat distribution.

BMI (kg / m²)

category

≤ 16.0 strong underweight 16.0 to 17.0 moderate underweight 17.0 to 18.5 light underweight 18.5 to 25.0 normal weight 25.0 to 30.0 pre-obese 30.0 to 35.0 Grade I obesity 35.0 to 40.0 Obesity grade II ≥ 40.0 Obesity grade III

When does the BMI make no sense??

BMI for seniors

The BMI should be assessed with caution in older people (from around 65 years of age). The proportion of heavier muscle mass usually decreases in old age and at the same time the proportion of lighter body fat increases, so that the ratio of muscle mass to body fat deteriorates with a constant BMI. Therefore, older people should not try to reduce their body weight with a “crash diet”, as otherwise too much muscle mass will be lost. You should rather try to keep the weight and counteract the muscle loss through movement.

BMI in athletes

The BMI does not allow a direct statement about the body composition. Therefore, please note that athletes can often have a BMI in the overweight range due to a larger muscle mass, because muscles are heavier than fat. In this case, of course, there is no excess weight.

BMI in children

The BMI classification does not apply to children; percentiles are used here.

High BMI = high risk of death?

According to the results of a large population study, severe obesity and a large waistline in people around fifty are associated with an increased risk of mortality. Women with a BMI of 24.3 and men with a BMI of 25.3 have the lowest risk.

The study data suggest that in addition to body weight, fat distribution is also important for the mortality risk. Because even people with a BMI in the normal range, but who have a large waist circumference, have an increased mortality risk, which roughly corresponds to the risk of a person who is very overweight.
People with a large waist size should therefore try to reduce the fat around the waist with the help of a healthy diet.
At the same time, they should try to build muscle mass through physical activity or at least counteract muscle loss.

Alternatives to the BMI

Other methods for evaluating body weight and body fat distribution include measuring the waist circumference and determining the waist / hip circumference ratio.

Waist-hip circumference quotient (= waist circumference [cm] divided by hip circumference [cm])

Apple type and pear type

Not only the amount of fat, but also the fat distribution plays a role in the assessment of the health risk for cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes (age sugar) and cancer. A lot of fat tissue in the abdomen (= apple type) increases the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. If there is a stressed hip distribution, one speaks of the pear type and the risk of the above-mentioned diseases is low.

The waist-hip circumference quotient helps to classify the body fat distribution (apple or pear type).

Waist-hip circumference quotient in women

under 85 cm = Pear type. That means low risk for cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases.

over 85 cm = Apple type. This means an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases.

Waist-hip circumference quotient in men

less than 100 cm = pear type. That means low risk for cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases.

over 100 cm = apple type. This means an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases.

Waist measurement

Measuring the waist circumference allows conclusions to be drawn about the amount of fat stored in the abdomen. If the waist size is large, the amount of fat in the abdomen is usually large and the risk for
Cardiovascular or metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes are increased.

Limits for men

94 cm: increased risk
102 cm: significantly increased risk

Limits for women

80 cm: increased risk
88 cm: significantly increased risk

calculation & Formula of the BMI

In this example calculation, a person with a height of 1.74 m and a weight of 72 kg has a BMI of 23.8 and thus normal weight.

Does the BMI make sense at all??

The BMI is a relatively simple formula for determining the weight class. It is now considered outdated by many researchers because the BMI only takes mass and size into account, not the composition of the body (muscles, fat, bones). For example, well-trained athletes, seniors and children are not taken into account because they have a lot of muscle. In addition, the BMI is not an absolutely correct indicator of the health status of a human body.