2026-08-07 10 min

Overweight Calculator

Check overweight and obesity status from BMI with WHO classes, healthy weight range, excess weight, target loss to BMI 24.9 and 22, safe-loss timeline, Ponderal Index, and waist-to-height ratio.

Calculator

Body Data

Age ages 2 - 120
Sex
Male Female
Units

Height & Weight (US)

Height feet inches
Weight pounds
Waist (optional) inches
Results update automatically
Results update live as you type
Status:BMI 27.3 · OverweightExcess 7.5 kg~15 wk at 0.5 kg/wk

Overweight Summary

BMI27.3 kg/m²
Weight ClassOverweight
Healthy Range58.5–78.7 kg
Excess Weight7.5 kg (16.5 lb)
Target Loss (24.9 / 22)7.5 kg / 16.6 kg
Ponderal Index15.3 kg/m³

WHO Weight-Class Table

ClassBMIWeight at your height
Underweight0.0–18.50.0–58.5 kg
Healthy weight18.5–24.958.5–78.7 kg
Overweight (you)25.0–29.979.0–94.5 kg
Obesity class I30.0–34.994.8–110.3 kg
Obesity class II35.0–39.9110.6–126.1 kg
Obesity class III40.0+126.5+ kg

Loss Plan at 0.5 kg/week

Excess to BMI 24.9:7.5 kg (16.5 lb)
Weeks required:15 weeks (~3.4 months)
Mid-range (BMI 22) loss:16.6 kg (36.7 lb)
Waist-to-height:0.48 (Healthy distribution)

Results

Caution

Body Mass Index

27.3kg/m²

WHO class: Overweight (BMI prime 1.09)

Weight Class

Overweight

Under <18.5 · Healthy 18.5–24.9 · Overweight 25–29.9 · I 30–34.9 · II 35–39.9 · III 40+

Healthy Range

58.5–78.7 kgkg

128.9–173.5 lb at 177.8 cm

Excess Weight

7.5 kgkg

9.5% above healthy top (7.5 kg (16.5 lb))

Target Loss to 24.9

7.5 kgkg

Reach BMI 24.9 at 78.7 kg (173.5 lb)

Target Loss to 22

16.6 kgkg

Mid-range goal BMI 22 at 69.5 kg (153.3 lb)

Timeline at 0.5 kg/wk

15 wk

About 3.4 months at a ~550 kcal/day deficit

Waist-to-Height

0.48

Healthy distribution — keep under 0.50 (86.0 cm / 177.8 cm)

BMI is a screening tool, not a body-fat diagnosis: muscle, age-related muscle loss, pregnancy, and fluid shifts distort it, and Asian-descent adults face elevated risk at lower BMI (often 23+ overweight, 27.5+ obese action points). A waist-to-height ratio under 0.50 adds the missing risk signal — central fat matters at any BMI.

Visualizations

Your BMI vs Class Cutoffs

27.3You
18.518.5
24.924.9
3030
3535
4040

Healthy Weight vs Excess

Healthy top91%
Excess9%

BMI Gauge (15–45)

27.3
1545

Progress Toward BMI 24.9

Healthy share91.3%

Current vs Healthy Top

Current86.2kg

Formula

Body mass index rescales weight for height so adults of different statures share one ladder. Multiplying squared height by the WHO bounds 18.5 and 24.9 converts the BMI ladder back into a personal kilogram range; the gap between current weight and the top of that range is the excess, and dividing it by a safe weekly rate gives the timeline. Waist-to-height ratio adds a shape signal that BMI cannot see.

BMI = weight(kg) ÷ height(m)²; Healthy kg = 18.5–24.9 × h²

Alternative Form

US: BMI = 703 × lb ÷ in²; Mid kg = 22 × h²; WHtR = waist ÷ height; Ponderal = kg ÷ m³

Variables

SymbolNameUnitDescription
WBody weightkgCurrent weight in kilograms (lb ÷ 2.20462)
hHeightmHeight in meters (cm ÷ 100, or inches × 0.0254)
BMIBody mass indexkg/m²W ÷ h²; screened against 18.5 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40
H_lo–H_hiHealthy rangekg18.5×h² to 24.9×h² for your height
H_midMid-range targetkg22×h², the middle of the healthy band
EExcess weightkgmax(0, W − H_hi); the kilograms above BMI 24.9
TTimelineweeksE ÷ 0.5 at the guideline 0.5 kg/week pace
WHtRWaist-to-height ratioratioWaist ÷ height, same units; keep under 0.50
PIPonderal Indexkg/m³W ÷ h³; fairer for very short or tall bodies

Explanation

Squaring height approximates how body volume grows with stature, so dividing by it levels the field. The 24.9 bound is the last healthy rung; everything above it is priced as excess and scheduled at a half-kilogram weekly pace (≈550 kcal/day deficit). Waist completes the picture because two people can share a BMI while carrying very different abdominal risk.

Derivation

BMI = W ÷ h² (or 703×lb ÷ in²). Healthy min = 18.5×h²; healthy max = 24.9×h²; mid = 22×h². Excess E = max(0, W − healthy max); deficit = max(0, healthy min − W). BMI prime = BMI ÷ 25. Ponderal = W ÷ h³. WHtR = waist ÷ height. Weeks at 0.5 kg/wk = E ÷ 0.5; months ≈ weeks ÷ 4.33; % over = E ÷ healthy max × 100.

Step-by-Step Calculation

Follow each step to understand how the result is calculated from your inputs.

Step 1

Convert height and weight to metric units for the BMI formula.

Height m = cm ÷ 100; Weight kg = lb ÷ 2.20462
Height:5 ft 10 in (177.8 cm)
Weight:190.0 lb (86.2 kg)
Age:30
Sex:male
Intermediate: 177.8 ÷ 100 = 1.778 m
Result: Working size: 177.8 cm and 86.2 kg
Step 2

Compute BMI as weight divided by squared height.

BMI = weight(kg) ÷ height(m)²
Weight:86.2 kg
Height²:3.1613 m²
Intermediate: 86.2 ÷ 3.1613
Result: BMI = 27.3 kg/m² (prime 1.09)
Step 3

Classify the BMI with WHO adult cutoffs including obesity subclasses.

Under <18.5 · Healthy 18.5–24.9 · Overweight 25–29.9 · I 30–34.9 · II 35–39.9 · III 40+
BMI:27.3
Class:Overweight
Intermediate: 27.3 falls in Overweight
Result: Weight class = Overweight
Step 4

Build the healthy range and midpoint from the same squared height.

Healthy kg = 18.5–24.9 × h²; Mid kg = 22 × h²
Height²:3.1613 m²
Range:58.5 kg (128.9 lb) – 78.7 kg (173.5 lb)
Intermediate: 18.5 × 3.161 = 58.5; 24.9 × 3.161 = 78.7
Result: Healthy range = 58.5 kg (128.9 lb) – 78.7 kg (173.5 lb)
Step 5

Derive excess over BMI 24.9 and both loss targets (top and midpoint).

Excess = weight − 24.9×h²; To-22 = weight − 22×h²; % over = excess ÷ healthy top
Weight:86.2 kg (190.0 lb)
Healthy top:78.7 kg (173.5 lb)
Mid (22):69.5 kg (153.3 lb)
Intermediate: 86.2 − 78.7 = 7.5 excess
Result: Lose 7.5 kg (16.5 lb) to 24.9 (9.5% over) or 16.6 kg (36.7 lb) to BMI 22
Step 6

Project a safe-loss timeline at 0.5 kg/week and add waist context when given.

Weeks = excess ÷ 0.5; WHtR = waist ÷ height (keep < 0.5)
Excess:7.5 kg
Waist:86.0 cm (33.9 in)
Intermediate: 7.5 ÷ 0.5 = 14.9 weeks
Result: 15 weeks (~3.4 mo); WHtR 0.48 (Healthy distribution)
Final Answer
27.3

Worked Examples

See how the calculator works with different scenarios.

Scenario

Adult male, 5 ft 10 in (177.8 cm), 190 lb (86.2 kg), waist 34 in.

Inputs

Height:70 in (177.8 cm)
Weight:190 lb (86.2 kg)
Waist:34 in (86.4 cm)

Calculation

h² = 1.778² = 3.161 BMI = 86.2 ÷ 3.161 = 27.3 (Overweight) Healthy top = 24.9 × 3.161 = 78.7 kg (173.5 lb) Excess = 86.2 − 78.7 = 7.5 kg (16.5 lb) WHtR = 86.4 ÷ 177.8 = 0.49

Result

BMI 27.3 — Overweight; 7.5 kg to lose to BMI 24.9; ~15 weeks at 0.5 kg/week

Interpretation

A textbook overweight case just inside the amber band. The 5–10% first goal (4.3–8.6 kg) already covers the full excess, and the WHtR under 0.50 suggests fat is not yet strongly centralized.

Understanding Your Result

Your Result: Body Mass Index: 27.3 kg/m²

Typical range: Healthy 18.5–24.9; overweight 25–29.9; obesity I 30–34.9, II 35–39.9, III 40+. WHtR under 0.50 is the waist goal; BMI prime under 1.00 means inside the healthy ceiling. A 5–10% loss is the standard first clinical target.

What This Means

Each number answers one question: BMI places you on the WHO ladder, the class names the rung, the healthy range translates the ladder into your kilograms, excess prices the gap, the two loss targets offer the door (24.9) and the middle of the room (22), the timeline schedules the walk at guideline pace, and WHtR checks whether fat sits centrally where risk concentrates.

Why It Matters

Overweight is usually silent until labs, joints, sleep, or blood pressure speak up. Quantifying the excess early turns a vague worry into a finite project — often just 5–10% of body weight — with a calendar, a waist check, and a re-test date.

Professional Interpretation

Treat BMI as the screener and waist as the confirmer. Stage goals (5–10% first), pair the deficit with resistance training and protein to defend lean mass, and escalate to clinician, dietitian, medication, or surgical pathways as class II/III, comorbidities, or repeated attempts indicate.

Recommendations

  • •Aim first for 5–10% loss, then re-stage from the new weight
  • •Hold a ~500–600 kcal daily gap for roughly 0.5 kg/week
  • •Lift 2–3 times weekly with protein near 1.6–2.2 g/kg goal weight
  • •Walk 7,000–9,000 steps daily and cap sugary drinks and alcohol
  • •Sleep 7–9 hours — short sleep raises hunger and stalls loss
  • •Re-measure BMI and waist monthly, not daily

Educational Content

Introduction

The Overweight Calculator converts height and weight into a WHO weight class, a personal healthy range, the kilograms above it, a guideline-paced timeline, and — when you add a waist — a central-adiposity signal that BMI alone misses.

Concept Explanation

BMI divides weight by squared height so different statures share one scale. The healthy band 18.5–24.9 becomes kilograms by multiplying those bounds by your squared height. Excess is whatever sits above the top bound; scheduling it at 0.5 kg/week reflects the 500–600 kcal deficit behind most guidelines.

Applications

▸Screening overweight versus obesity classes I, II, and III
▸Deriving a personal healthy range for any height
▸Pricing the kilograms to BMI 24.9 and to mid-range BMI 22
▸Scheduling loss at a safe 0.5 kg/week pace
▸Adding waist-to-height ratio for abdominal-risk context
▸Flagging athletic or pregnancy cases where BMI misleads

Benefits

  • •Turns one BMI number into an actionable kilogram target
  • •Separates the door (24.9) from the stretch goal (22)
  • •Makes timelines honest — weeks, not wishes
  • •Catches central risk with a single waist tape
  • •Keeps muscle-driven false positives visible

Limitations

  • •BMI cannot distinguish fat from muscle or fluid
  • •Cutoffs fit populations better than any single person
  • •Waist tapes vary with placement, breathing, and meals
  • •Timelines assume a steady deficit; plateaus and adherence vary

Best Practices

  • •Measure waist midway between rib and hip after exhaling
  • •Weigh under consistent conditions and average the week
  • •Pair every cut with strength work and adequate protein
  • •Review medications, sleep, and stress that push weight up
  • •Bring class II/III or comorbid cases to a clinician early

Common Misconceptions

Myth: An overweight BMI always means too much fat.
Truth: Muscular athletes, some pregnant people, and fluid-retaining patients can score overweight while carrying healthy fat. Waist, body fat, and clinical context decide.
Myth: You must reach BMI 22 for any benefit.
Truth: Most cardiometabolic benefit arrives in the first 5–10% lost. Reaching 24.9 is already a large win; 22 is a stretch goal, not a requirement.
Myth: Crash diets fix overweight faster and safely.
Truth: Very-low-calorie sprints shed muscle, gallstones, and rebound risk. Guideline pace (0.5–1 kg/week) preserves lean mass and keeps the loss off.
Myth: Exercise alone offsets any diet.
Truth: Activity protects health and maintenance, but food volume dominates loss. The pair beats either alone — diet sets the deficit, training defends muscle and metabolism.

Practical Tips

  • •Start with a 5–10% target — it already restores most early health gains
  • •Build plates around protein, fiber, and vegetables before starches
  • •Drink zero-calorie by default; liquid calories bypass fullness
  • •Lift twice weekly so lost weight is fat, not muscle
  • •Bank 7,000+ steps daily — walking is the quiet deficit
  • •Weigh weekly under identical conditions and average the trend
  • •Re-run the calculator monthly and shrink portions as you lighten

Common Mistakes

Chasing BMI 22 on the first attempt
Stage it: reach 24.9 first (often 5–10%), consolidate for 4–8 weeks, then decide with your clinician whether mid-range is worth pursuing.
Ignoring the waist tape
Add a monthly waist at the same spot after exhaling. A falling WHtR toward 0.50 confirms the right fat is leaving even when scale weeks stall.
Cutting protein and lifting during a diet
Hold 1.6–2.2 g protein per kg goal weight and keep 2–3 strength sessions so the deficit burns fat while muscle and metabolism survive.
Pricing the plan at 1.5 kg/week indefinitely
Use 0.5 kg/week for the schedule. Faster early weeks are mostly water; planning on them guarantees missed deadlines and abandoned diets.
Treating an athletic BMI as a diet order
Check WHtR, body fat, photos, and performance first. A 0.44 WHtR lifter at BMI 29.8 needs maintenance and muscle, not a cut.

Assumptions

This calculator makes the following assumptions to provide estimates:

Adult WHO Cutoffs: Classes use adult thresholds (18.5 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40); children need BMI-for-age percentiles.
Standard Risk Population: Cutoffs reflect general-population risk; Asian-descent adults face elevated risk at lower BMI.
Accurate Tape and Scale: Height, weight, and waist are assumed measured correctly under consistent conditions.
Steady 0.5 kg Pace: Timelines divide excess by 0.5 kg/week, implying roughly a 550 kcal daily deficit.
Non-Negative Inputs: Empty or negative entries are treated as zero and yield no BMI until valid data arrives.

Limitations

Be aware of these limitations when using this calculator:

Screening, Not Diagnosis: BMI flags likely excess fat; it cannot diagnose adiposity, fitness, or health alone.
Muscle and Life-Stage Blind Spots: Athletes, pregnancy, edema, and sarcopenic older adults need body-fat or clinical assessment.
Waist Variability: Tape placement, breathing, meals, and clothing shift WHtR by meaningful hundredths.
Timeline Idealization: Real loss is non-linear with plateaus, adherence gaps, and metabolic adaptation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about this calculator.

What is considered overweight?
Overweight is a BMI of 25.0–29.9 kg/m² in adults. A BMI of 18.5–24.9 is the WHO healthy range, 30+ is obesity (classes I, II, III at 30, 35, and 40), and under 18.5 is underweight. This calculator reports your exact class and how far you sit from the healthy range.
What is the difference between overweight and obese?
They are adjacent rungs on the same BMI ladder. Overweight (25–29.9) means above the healthy range; obesity (30+) means further above it and carries higher average risk. Obesity is subdivided into class I (30–34.9), class II (35–39.9), and class III (40+) because risk and treatment options change with severity.
How is BMI calculated for this overweight check?
BMI = weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. In US units: BMI = 703 × pounds ÷ inches². Example: 190 lb at 5 ft 10 in is 703 × 190 ÷ 70² ≈ 27.3, which is overweight.
What is my healthy weight range?
Multiply your squared height by 18.5 and 24.9. At 1.78 m, that is 18.5 × 3.168 ≈ 58.6 kg to 24.9 × 3.168 ≈ 78.9 kg (about 129–174 lb). The results panel shows your personal range in both units.
How much weight do I need to lose to stop being overweight?
Your current weight minus the top of the healthy range (BMI 24.9). If you weigh 86 kg with a healthy top of 78.9 kg, the excess is about 7.1 kg (≈15.7 lb). Losing that amount returns you to BMI 24.9; losing down toward BMI 22 reaches the middle of the range.
Is BMI accurate for everyone?
No. BMI is a screening tool, not a body-fat measurement. It overestimates fat in muscular athletes, underestimates it in older adults with low muscle, and ignores fat distribution. Pair it with waist circumference or waist-to-height ratio, and use clinical judgment during pregnancy, in children, and in very muscular people.
What causes overweight?
A sustained small calorie surplus over months and years is the proximate cause, shaped by food environment, portion sizes, sugary drinks, sleep loss, stress, inactivity, some medications and medical conditions (for example hypothyroidism or PCOS), and genetics that affect appetite and metabolism.
Is overweight genetic?
Genetics explain roughly 25–40% of susceptibility to higher weight, but they are not destiny. Sleep, activity, food environment, and eating habits strongly influence whether a predisposition is expressed. Family history raises vigilance, not inevitability.
Can medications cause weight gain?
Yes. Some antidepressants, antipsychotics, corticosteroids, beta-blockers, insulin and sulfonylureas, and anti-seizure drugs list weight gain as a side effect. Never stop a prescription over weight concerns — ask your clinician about alternatives, dosing, or mitigation.
What health problems are linked to overweight?
Higher rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary disease, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, fatty liver, gallstones, several cancers, and reduced mobility and mood. Risk rises continuously with BMI and is amplified by abdominal fat, which waist measurements capture.
How do I know if I am overweight without a calculator?
BMI 25–29.9 is the formal line, but quick signals include waist over 40 in (102 cm) for men or 35 in (88 cm) for women, a waist-to-height ratio above 0.5, tighter clothing at the waist, and rising blood pressure, glucose, or triglycerides at checkups.
Overweight vs body fat percentage — which matters more?
Body fat percentage describes composition (fat vs lean) while BMI describes size for height. An athlete can be overweight by BMI with low body fat, and a normal-BMI person can carry excess fat (normal-weight obesity). Use both when possible: BMI for screening, body fat or waist for confirmation.
Can you be overweight and fit?
Fitness lowers risk at any BMI, and some overweight adults have normal blood pressure, glucose, and lipids. But long-term studies show excess fat still raises the odds of diabetes, joint damage, and cardiovascular events versus fit healthy-weight peers, so fitness is protection, not immunity.
What is normal-weight obesity?
A normal BMI (18.5–24.9) with high body fat (often cited as over ~25% for men or ~30% for women) plus metabolic markers like insulin resistance. It is missed by BMI alone, which is why waist and body-fat checks matter even when BMI looks fine.
How fast should I lose excess weight?
Guidelines typically support 0.5–1 kg (1–2 lb) per week through a 500–1,000 kcal daily deficit. This calculator projects your timeline at 0.5 kg/week: divide your excess kilograms by 0.5 to get weeks. A 7 kg excess is about 14 weeks; a 16 kg excess is about 32 weeks.
What is the 5–10% weight-loss benefit?
Losing just 5–10% of body weight (10–20 lb for a 200 lb person) measurably improves blood pressure, triglycerides, blood sugar, sleep apnea, joint pain, and diabetes risk. You do not need to reach BMI 22 to gain most of the early health benefit.
What is the best diet for overweight?
The one you can sustain: Mediterranean, DASH, higher-protein calorie-controlled, or plant-forward plans all work when they create a moderate deficit from whole foods, adequate protein and fiber, and limited sugary drinks and ultra-processed snacks. Extreme restriction usually backfires.
What is the best exercise for overweight?
A mix of brisk walking or cycling (150+ minutes/week moderate cardio) plus 2–3 full-body strength sessions to preserve muscle. Start low-impact to protect joints, add 5–10% volume weekly, and count daily steps — 7,000–9,000 is a practical anchor.
What is waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and why is it shown?
WHtR = waist ÷ height in the same units. Keep it under 0.5 (waist less than half your height). At the same BMI, a higher WHtR signals more abdominal fat and higher cardiometabolic risk, which is why this calculator adds it whenever you enter a waist.
What is the Ponderal Index and when does it help?
Ponderal Index = weight(kg) ÷ height(m)³. Because it cubes height instead of squaring it, it scales more fairly for very short or very tall people where BMI distorts. Typical adult values are roughly 11–15 kg/m³; use it as context, not as a diagnosis.
Do BMI cutoffs differ for Asian populations?
Yes. WHO and several Asian-Pacific guidelines flag increased risk at lower BMI — commonly overweight at 23–24.9 and obesity at 25+ (some countries use 27.5+ for obesity action points). If you are of South or East Asian descent, treat a BMI of 23–25 with the seriousness others give to 25–27, and lean on waist guidance.
How does overweight affect children and teens?
Children use BMI-for-age percentiles, not adult cutoffs: 85th–95th percentile is overweight, 95th+ is obesity. Excess weight in youth raises asthma, joint, liver, and diabetes risk and often persists into adulthood. Family habits, sleep, activity, and screen time matter more than restrictive dieting.
Overweight and pregnancy — what are the risks?
Higher odds of gestational diabetes, hypertension and preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, large birth weight, and postpartum retention. Preconception weight optimization is ideal; during pregnancy follow your clinician’s gestational-gain target rather than a weight-loss diet.
Does overweight raise surgery risk?
Yes. Excess weight raises anesthesia, wound-infection, clot, and recovery risks and can complicate dosing and airway management. Surgeons often ask for modest preoperative loss (commonly 5–10%) before elective joint or abdominal procedures.
How does overweight affect life expectancy?
Moderate overweight is linked to modestly higher mortality, mostly via cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer; severe obesity (BMI 40+) can shorten life expectancy by roughly a decade, similar in scale to lifelong smoking. Sustained 5–10% loss moves risk back toward baseline.
Overweight and mental health — what is the connection?
The link runs both ways: stress, poor sleep, and depression can drive eating and inactivity, while stigma, body dissatisfaction, and inflammation can worsen mood. Compassionate, habit-based care plus social support outperforms shame-based dieting on both weight and mood.
What weight-loss medications exist?
Prescription options include GLP-1-based agents (for example semaglutide, liraglutide, tirzepatide where approved), naltrexone-bupropion, phentermine-topiramate, and orlistat — generally for BMI 30+, or 27+ with a weight-related condition, alongside lifestyle change and medical supervision. This calculator cannot prescribe; discuss eligibility with your clinician.
When is bariatric surgery considered?
Typically at BMI 40+, or 35+ with a serious weight-related condition, after supervised non-surgical attempts — thresholds vary by guideline and country. Procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass produce large sustained loss but require lifelong nutrition follow-up.
How do I break a weight-loss plateau?
Plateaus are expected as a lighter body burns fewer calories. Recheck portions and liquid calories, add 1–2 strength sessions or 1,000–2,000 daily steps, hold protein near 1.6–2.2 g/kg goal weight, protect 7–9 hours of sleep, and wait 2–3 weeks before cutting further.
How do I keep lost weight off?
Successful maintainers weigh weekly, keep 60+ active minutes most days, eat a consistent protein- and fiber-rich pattern, limit sugary drinks and alcohol, plan for slips, and keep follow-up support. Expect 1–2 kg regain episodes and correct them early rather than restarting from zero.
How often should I recheck my BMI and waist?
Monthly during active loss (same scale, same conditions), then every 3–6 months for maintenance. Waist quarterly is enough — measure midway between rib and hip bone after exhaling. Daily weighing is noise; trends over 2–4 weeks are signal.
Should a muscular athlete worry about an overweight BMI?
Not automatically. A 6 ft, 220 lb lifter at BMI 29.8 with a 32 in waist (WHtR 0.44) is a classic false positive — muscle, not excess fat, drives the number. Confirm with waist, photos, strength performance, and ideally body-fat measurement before cutting.

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Related Guides

Deepen your understanding with these educational resources.

Glossary

Technical terms used in mortgage calculations explained in plain language.

BMI
Body mass index: weight(kg) ÷ height(m)². Screening scale for weight status.
Overweight
Adult BMI 25.0–29.9 — above the healthy range, below obesity.
Obesity classes
Class I 30–34.9, class II 35–39.9, class III 40+ — rising severity bands.
Healthy range
Weights at BMI 18.5–24.9 for your height: 18.5×h² to 24.9×h².
Excess weight
Kilograms above the healthy top (BMI 24.9) for your height.
BMI prime
BMI ÷ 25. Exactly 1.00 sits on the healthy ceiling; above is overweight.
Ponderal Index
Weight ÷ height³ (kg/m³). Height-fair alternative useful at extremes of stature.
WHtR
Waist-to-height ratio. Keep under 0.50 — waist less than half your height.
Central adiposity
Fat concentrated around the abdomen, more strongly tied to metabolic risk.
Safe-loss pace
Guideline rate near 0.5–1 kg/week via a 500–1,000 kcal daily deficit.

Authoritative References

Trusted sources and standards referenced by this calculator.

Applicable Standards

WHO BMI classification (18.5 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40)NICE NG53 obesity identification and management

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Page Information

Last Updated:

2026-08-07

Version:

2.0.0

License:

Free to use for educational and professional purposes.