BMI Calculator for Women

Obesity is a worldwide problem. It increases risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It measures if a person has a healthy body weight for his/her height. BMI standards differ for men and women.

What is a BMI Calculator for Women?

BMI Calculator for women indicates if your weight is healthy for your height and age. Women usually weigh less than men.

They naturally have more body fat than men. But men are generally taller and have more muscle mass. Muscles are heavier than body fat. 

BMI Calculator for Women: BMI = weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

Example: 70kg / 1.6m2 = 70/2.56 = 27

<18 = underweight

18-18.4 = thin

18.5-24.9 = normal healthy weight

25-29.9 = overweight

>30 = obeise

Why is a healthy BMI important for women? Obeise women experience fertility problems far more often than women with healthy BMI index. They have higher levels of leptin hormone. Leptin is produced in fatty tissue. High levels of it  can cause hormone disbalance and reduce fertility.

Underweight women also experience fertility problems more often than women with healthy BMI. Hormonal imbalance affects ovulation that leads to increased time to get pregnant.

Being overweight or obese is a cause of several types of cancer.

Numbers above do not apply for pregnant women and athletes, both have a higher BMI.

Who invented the BMI calculator? 

Lambert Quetelet, a Belgian statistician, first described the BMI calculator around 1850. It got his name and was called the Quetelet index. In 1972 American physiologist Ancel Keys renamed it BMI calculator. Keys studied the diet’s influence on health.

What do you need to know about obesity?

Obesity has epidemic progression in the modern world. Women are more likely to become overweight, since male body has higher muscle mass, and muscles burn more calories.

Causes of obesity

• Overweight and obesity happen when people consume more calories than they burn. Lack of physical activity and eating bad food can cause obesity.

Man has to consume about 2,500 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight, and woman needs around 2,000 calories a day. When we eat bad fats, high carbs, processed and fast food, we increase daily calories intake.

If we don’t exercise regularly, sit most of the day, we don’t burn enough calories.

• Environment and infrastructure – absence of parks and sidewalks may limit the ability of people to do regular exercise.

• Hormonal problems – some medical conditions cause hormonal disbalance and weight gain, such as underactive thyroid, Cushing syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome.

• Some medicines can also lead to weight gain, such as antidepressants, seizure medicines and some corticosteroids.

• Psychological factors: some people tend to eat more when they are stressed or sad. Also people who dont sleep enough (7-8 hours per night for adults) are more prone to gain weight. During sleep hormones that help to control appetite are being released.

Obesity risks

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• High cholesterol
• Breathing difficulties

Underweight risks

• Anemia
• Low immunity
• Infertility
• Osteoporosis
• Growth issues especially for children

There are also cases when people can have a healthy BMI, but still be carrying a lot of fat. It is very common when fat has accumulated around the waist.  

Usually women store fat in hips and buttocks, which gives female figures a “pear” shape. Men usually collect fat around the belly area, which gives them an “apple” shape. 

Try to maintain healthy eating habits. Buy more vegetables and fruit, try to avoid processed and fast food. Whenever possible walk, don’t use a car for short distances. If you don’t have time to go to a gym, exercise at home. Start with 15 minutes per day and increase gradually.

Make sure you get enough sleep. It helps not only with healthy weight maintenance, but also reduces stress levels and increases productivity and concentration.

If you are going for a walk, you could find this product useful in order to keep mobile, keys and other personal belongings handy: