Anyone that is already a bit health conscious will probably know what body mass is, and will know that the abbreviation BMI stands for body mass index. Some of you may have also heard of a BMI calculator, in short you input your height and weight and it gives you a reading, this reading is known as your BMI.

Your body mass is determined by your weight and height, and until your around about 21 (when you can be sure your body is not going to grow anymore) your age and gender will also be contributing factors towards your total BMI score, while you are still in your teens.

The BMI score that you receive will help you to determine whether you are under-weight, normal or over-weight (or even obese), as your body is still growing and developing i would not let your BMI score stress you too much as one week you could be over-weight, the next it drops into normal, but it could be a warning sign to your future weight so it could well be time to re-evaluate your dietary intake. (less MC Donalds for you then)

The BMI Scores

Since every one’s body will be different there is no one-for-all set of scores that you can follow, below however is a rough guide to what score means what

• 0 – 19 – this means that you are under-weight.
• 19 – 25 – this means that you are normal-weight.
• 25 – 30 – this means that you are over-weight.
• if your score is over 30 it means that you are considered to be obese.

Remeber that these score are rough guides, to be sure of your score and BMI enter your details into a BMI calculator such as this one (http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx)

If your BMI tells you that you are considered to be over-weight or obese it may be a good time to plan in some exercise and re-evaluate your diet as these scores can lead to many health problems in the future, plus if you don’t exercise your will not only be unhealthy you will also be unfit. (how do you plan to run around with your children in 10 years time when you have neglected your body?)

The problems that can occur from being over-weight or obese include;

• Type-2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• Gallstones
• Stroke
• Premature death (usually associated with obesity)

Of course before your run around pulling your hair out and telling yourself how ugly your look, speak to a doctor or health care professional about dietary options that may be available to you.

Also if your BMI score tells you that you are under-weight you should look at ways of bulking out a little, being under-weight can also lead to health problems and eating disorders such as anorexia.

Healthy weight loss

If you want to first try some weight loss techniques without the help of other people, our healthy eating and weight loss articles are a good place to start.