What is BMI (body mass index)?

BMI in your reports

BMI usually appears on health check-up summaries rather than on blood reports.

For Indian adults, the cut-offs this site and its BMI calculator use are:

• 18.5 to 22.9 healthy
• 23 to 24.9 overweight
• 25 or more obese

These come from the WHO Asia-Pacific guidance (2000) and the Indian consensus guidelines on obesity (2009). The NHS, writing for the UK, uses:

• overweight from 23 and obesity from 27.5 for people of South Asian background
• 25 and 30 for most other adults

Clinics and labs may use any of these, so check which one your report uses.

What your BMI tells you

A high BMI is linked with a higher chance of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

People of South Asian background tend to run into these problems at a lower BMI than white Europeans, which is why lower cut-offs are used for Indians.

BMI can't:

• tell fat from muscle
• show where your fat sits

So treat it as a starting point, not a verdict on your health.

What moves your BMI

BMI moves with your weight, so the steady habits that help you lose fat help here too.

• A modest calorie deficit
• A good portion of dal, vegetables and protein at each meal
• Fewer fried snacks and sugary chai
• Walking every day

Strength exercise helps you keep muscle while the number comes down. Good sleep makes hunger easier to manage. Pair your BMI with a waist measurement for a fuller picture.