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Body Mass Index or BMI is the measurement of body fat based on weight and height of a person. It applies to both men and women between the ages of 18 and 65. BMI is widely used, more often than not, by healthcare professionals around the world in order to determine whether their patients are underweight, healthy weight, overweight or clinically obese.

According to the World Health Organization, BMI between 18.5 and 25 is normal weight. Anyone less than 18.5 is underweight while those exceeding 25 are overweight. The obese have a BMI between 30 and 40 while the ones crossing 40 are considered very obese or morbidly obese. People who are clinically obese are more likely to suffer from diabetes, strokes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Essentially, the BMI calculation to classify a person's body weight status varies depending on the country in which the person resides. For instance, in Japan, anyone with a BMI between 18.5 and 22.9 is considered as normal weight; overweight from 23 to 24.9 and obese over 25. Before 1998, that is before the USA adopted the BMI standards set by the WHO, a person with a BMI of 26.8 would have been classified as a healthy weight person in the USA and obese in Japan. In India, a BMI over 35 is considered severely obese while the rest are classified according to the WHO standards.

Aren't you eager to find out what your BMI is? Well, Gympik.com provides you with this simple yet efficient BMI calculator for your use.