Am I Overweight? Easily Calculate Your BMI Here

Calculate your BMI with the BMI Calculator for Women and Men. With guidance on ideal weight and overweight conditions. Includes the “secret of healthy excess weight”. 

BMI Calculator



At a Glance

  • Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is determined by your body weight, size, and gender.
  • To effectively lose one to four pounds a week and maintain one’s new weight, researchers recommend a daily calorie deficit of 500 calories. You should also drink enough water (at least 2.5 liters per day).
  • People who want to lose weight should avoid consuming carbohydrates as they trigger the release of insulin in your body and immediately block the fat metabolism process. After your workout, you should reduce carbohydrate portions and eat more protein instead.
  • You should work out three times a week for 30 to 60 minutes. It’s best to engage in physical activities that improves endurance, strengths the heart and circulation, and builds muscle mass.
  • The Body Adiposity Index takes into account an individual’s hip size into account aside from body length. However, it has been determined that the BAI index is not superior to the BMI, particularly when determining the risk of diabetes in study populations.

Am I overweight (obese)? Or do all my pounds still count as normal weight? And by how much have I exceeded my ideal weight? Here you can calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) quite easily. To do it, all you have to do is enter body weight, size, and sex (male/female).

Boost fat burning

First, some great news: it isn’t true that the body only begins to burn fat – and you begin to lose weight – after half an hour of working out – this includes walking. Even when exercising for shorter periods of time, the body immediately uses fats as sources of energy right from the get-go. Still, there are tricks you can use to increase the amount of fat you burn and boost the weight loss effect when burning fat. You may find our body fat calculator here.

Particularly effective: regular exercise and eating healthier over the long term.
Particularly effective: regular exercise and eating healthier over the long term.

Misconception: burning a lot of fat translates into lower weight

Unfortunately, burning lots of fat burning doesn’t automatically mean less flab and fewer pounds on the scale. The bottom line is that you’ll only lose weight if you eat fewer calories than you consume – over a longer period of time. So don’t replenish the calories you use up when training two or three times over. Doing so will quickly nullify the fat burning effect. Also, don’t forget to drink enough (at least 2.5 liters/day, preferably water).

Eating less is the only way to permanently lose weight. Fail to do so, and the dreaded yo-yo effect quickly sets in.
Eating less is the only way to permanently lose weight. Fail to do so, and the dreaded yo-yo effect quickly sets in.

With a lack of liquid, all metabolic processes slow down significantly – including the metabolism of fat! In addition, your metabolic rate increases by up to 100 calories if you drink at least two liters of water per day. The feeling of hunger is also suppressed.

Achieving your ideal weight – what’s the connection between carbohydrates and fat?

While athletes need lots of carbohydrates to maintain their performance, people who want to lose weight would do better to avoid pasta and its relatives. The reason? Every time you take in carbohydrates, the body releases insulin and you immediately block the fat metabolism process. Fat burning kicks in at full speed in particular during more intensive, longer workouts or interval training – the ideal time to make the best use of the large supply of the body fat deposits if you’re looking to lose weight.

Sure, it’s delicious – but it’s not the right food if you’re looking to lose weight.
Sure, it’s delicious – but it’s not the right food if you’re looking to lose weight.

Consequently, if you want to consistently burn high amounts of fat, it’s better to adjust your diet during the two hours before and during a workout and avoid carbohydrates (e.g. sweets, soft drinks, starchy side dishes such as potatoes or noodles) during this timeframe. Also, after you work out you should reduce carbohydrate portions and eat more protein instead (e.g. lean meat, unsweetened dairy products, and fish).

Anyone who is hungry can lose weight in the short term. But then you run the risk of the yo-yo effect since the body reduces its energy expenditure and breaks down muscle.

Losing weight is hard. It’s even more difficult to maintain your weight afterwards.
Losing weight is hard. It’s even more difficult to maintain your weight afterward.

It’s a vicious cycle that can only be overcome by exercising, since doing so requires more energy and builds muscles, which in turn diligently devour calories whenever they move – as well as when they’re at rest! To effectively lose one to four pounds a week and maintain one’s new weight, researchers recommend a daily calorie deficit of 500 calories.

An optimal strategy to reduce your BMI: eat right and move a lot

Cut out one portion during meals, burn the other by exercising. You should work out three times a week for 30 to 60 minutes. An endurance sport like jogging strengthens the heart and circulation and improves conditioning (what is your optimal pulse?). Strength sports help build muscle mass. It’s best to combine both!

Walking is popular, as it improves physical condition, helps melt away pounds and is relatively unstrenuous.
Walking is popular, as it improves physical condition, helps melt away pounds and is relatively unstrenuous. Be sure to wear perfect fitting shoes though.

A BMI alternative: the BAI (Body Adiposity Index)

The BAI was long considered to be a viable alternative to the BMI. However, it is now accepted as fact that the alternative BAI index is not superior to the body mass index (BMI). In addition, studies indicate that the risk of diabetes risk can be assessed more precisely by one’s waist circumference.

In addition to body length, the new index takes an individual’s hip size into account. The BAI continues at times to receive significant attention worldwide and is used by many healthcare workers to evaluate body fat mass, based on the assumption that it is more meaningful than the BMI.

However, it has now been accepted that the BAI, particularly in men, leads to very inaccurate estimates of the percentage of body fat. The BMI is also superior to the BAI when determining the risk of diabetes in study populations. However, both indices have shown themselves to be less accurate than measured waist circumference in assessing the risk of diabetes.

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