Enter your height and weight to get your Body Mass Index (BMI), a quick check of weight compared with height. For adults age 20 and older.
| Category | BMI range |
|---|---|
| Underweight | Below 18.5 |
| Normal weight | 18.5 to 24.9 |
| Overweight | 25.0 to 29.9 |
| Obese | 30.0 or higher |
BMI is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. It measures weight relative to height but doesn't distinguish between muscle and fat. A 200-pound athlete and a 200-pound sedentary person have the same BMI but very different health profiles. The CDC and American Medical Association recommend using BMI alongside waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose for a complete picture.
Older adults naturally lose muscle mass and may have a "normal" BMI while carrying excess fat. Athletes often land in "overweight" due to muscle density. Women typically carry more body fat than men at the same BMI. Research consistently shows waist circumference (above 35 inches for women, 40 inches for men) is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease risk than BMI alone.
The calculator above shows your personal healthy weight range (BMI 18.5–24.9). For a 5'10" person, that's 129–173 lbs. For 5'4", it's 108–145 lbs. These are general population targets. Your doctor may use different benchmarks based on your individual health history, ethnicity, and risk factors.