Body mass index, or BMI, is a quick screening number based on your height and weight. It is a useful starting point, but under current federal guidance it is not a diagnosis on its own. Your care team will weigh it alongside things like muscle mass, waist size, and your overall health.
This result is outside the usual range for a typical adult. Please double check the numbers you entered.
Calculation logic based on NHLBI’s BMI calculator.
No account, no data stored: These tools don’t collect any personal information, and nothing is saved between visits. Every time you open one, you’re starting with a clean slate, so feel free to use them as often as you like.
These are the adult categories. NHLBI notes that BMI is a screening tool, not a diagnosis, and that waist circumference and body fat distribution matter alongside it. Children and teens are assessed differently, using growth chart percentiles for their age and sex, not these adult ranges.
If you are 65 or older, a slightly higher BMI is sometimes considered protective rather than risky. Your pulmonologist can tell you what range makes sense for your age and lung health.
| BMI Range | Category |
|---|---|
| Below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 to 24.9 | Healthy weight |
| 25.0 to 29.9 | Overweight |
| 30.0 and above | Obesity |
Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of HHS
According to NHLBI, where you carry weight matters as much as how much you weigh. Carrying more fat around your waist than your hips raises your risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, even at the same BMI. A waist circumference over 35 inches for women, or over 40 inches for men, is a signal worth mentioning to your care team.
To measure it yourself:
