Your body mass index or your BMI is a way to determine if you should lose weight. The BMI compares the fat to muscle in your body and tells you if you need to gain or lose weight.

If you use your favorite search engine, you can quickly find a BMI calculator. The calculator requires that you know your height and weight and gives you an approximation of your BMI.

If your doctor wants a more accurate gauge of your BMI, he may order a test where you are weighed out of the water and in the water. The ratio of the two weights can be used to calculate your BMI.

Persons with a BMI higher than 25 are considered to be overweight. Once the BMI passes 30 the person is considered to be obese. If the BMI is below 18.5 you may be underweight.

If your BMI indicates that you are overweight or obese, you may want to take some steps to lose some weight. One healthy way to lose weight is based on your Basel Metabolism Rate or BMR. The BMR is a measure of the number of calories required to maintain your current weight when you are at rest. If you eat a balanced diet that is slightly lower than your BMR, you can safely lose weight over time.

To speed you weight loss, increase your activity level. If you are sedentary, try adding just a few extra steps every day. Soon you may be walking around the block. Each extra step you take burns more calories. You might also work on core strength or toning of muscles. This helps to ensure that you build muscle mass while you are losing fat.

As you lose weight, your BMR will also drop. Thus, you may eventually recalculate the BMR and adjust your calorie intake so that you continue to lose weight. Keep the calorie intake below the BMR in order to continue your weight loss.

Planning a diet according to BMR can be a healthy way to eat. Your body can slowly adjust to your new eating plan and you are not in the starvation mode. Many fad diets prepare your body for rapid weight gain if you stop eating according to the plan. This diet helps you to adjust to a healthy eating plan that you can maintain for many years.

As your Body Mass Index moves to the more healthy range, you may reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Check out how you can tell your body mass index. Finding out your BMI will allow you to know just how much fat you need to lose in a diet. Go online and find out more today.