A simple way to check if you are overweight is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.



First take your weight, in pounds, and multiply it by 703. Then take your height and multiply this figure by itself (for example 63 inches would be multiplied by 63 inches). You should then divide your original figure by this to get your BMI.

The categories for BMI are:



* Underweight - less than 18.5

* Normal weight - between 18.5 and 24.9

* Overweight - between 25 and 29.9

* Obese - a BMI of 30 or greater.

   

For example: Geoffrey is five foot ten and weighs 170 pounds. 170 multiplied by 703 equals 119,510. Height (inches) x height (inches): 70 x 70 equals 4,900. Divide 119,510 by 4,900 and you get a BMI of 24.3, which means Geoffrey is of normal weight.