under 18.5kg/m2 – you are considered underweight and possibly malnourished. 18.5 to 24.9kg/m2 – you are within a healthy weight range for young and middle-aged adults. 25.0 to 29.9kg/m2 – you are considered overweight.
Taking a Closer Look at BMI
Underweight: BMI below 18.5. Normal: BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight: BMI of 25 to 29.9. Obese: BMI of 30 or higher.
Studies have generally found that preferred BMIs are less than 20 (Courtiol, Picq, Godelle, Raymond, & Ferdy, 2010; Crossley, Cornelissen, & Tovee, 2012; Tovee & Cornellisen, 2001; Wang et al., 2015), and the BMI with the highest attractiveness rating has been found to be just 17 in several studies (Fan, Liu, & Dai, ...
Too Skinny: What BMI is Considered Underweight? From a clinical perspective, an individual is considered “too skinny” if they are deemed underweight. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an individual is underweight if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is below 18.5 [1].
If your BMI is between 20 and 22: Heralthy Weight
This indicates the ideal, healthy amount of body fat, which is associated with living longest, and the lowest incidence of serious illness.
Earlier research has found that the most desired BMIs are approximately 18-20, considerably below the average or typical values of young women in well-fed populations.
Your muscle mass makes up most of your weight
BMI doesn't account for body composition, which means it misses the difference between muscle mass and fat.
If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the Healthy Weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the overweight range.
BMI ranges
below 18.5 – you're in the underweight range. between 18.5 and 24.9 – you're in the healthy weight range. between 25 and 29.9 – you're in the overweight range. 30 or over – you're in the obese range.
This beauty ideal became de rigueur in the industry; the average runway model has a body mass index (BMI) of 16, which the World Health Organization classifies as severely thin.
(2011) found that, female participants judging other female faces, indicated that facial adiposity levels associated with a BMI of 19.76 kg/m2 are optimally attractive, while male raters indicated that adiposity levels associated with a BMI of 20.01 kg/m2 are optimally attractive for female faces.
Young men prefer young women of normal weight, research finds. Flying in the face of the size zero trend, normal weight young women are seen as more healthy-looking and attractive than skinnier peers. 'Normal' weight for a young woman who is the average height in the US of 1.64 metres is between 50 kg and 68 kg.
Women with a BMI of less than 18.5 are considered underweight. The average woman's height is 5 feet, 4 inches. If you weigh 107 pounds or less at this height, you are considered underweight with a BMI of 18.4. A healthy weight range for that woman would be 108 to 145 pounds.
18 or lower: underweight. 18.5 to 24.9: normal, healthy weight. 25 to 29.9: overweight. 30 or higher: obese.
A BMI of 19 or 20. A weight of 110–120 pounds (50kg–54.5kg)
To calculate an adult's BMI using the metric formula
A BMI between 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight. Anything over 30 is considered obese. Normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Ideally, your BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9. A BMI of 25 or over indicates that the person concerned is overweight, while obesity is defined as a BMI of over 30. Someone with a BMI of 20.5 is therefore within the normal weight range (see table).
In adults, a healthy weight range is a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. If your BMI is under 18.5 then you would be considered underweight.
A BMI of 18.5–24.9 indicates that a person has a healthy weight for their height. By maintaining a healthy weight, they can lower their risk of developing serious health problems. A BMI of 25–29.9 indicates that a person is slightly overweight. A doctor may advise them to lose some weight for health reasons.
Less than 18.5 = underweight. 18.5 to 24.9 = normal weight. 25 to 29.9 = overweight. 30 or higher = obese.
The phrase 'skinny fat' or metabolically obese normal weight (MONW) is used to describe someone who appears to be lean, but actually has a high body fat percentage. If they were to calculate their body mass index (BMI) or even weigh themselves, they may appear to be healthy, but this can be deceiving.
Factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, and muscle mass can influence the relationship between BMI and body fat. Also, BMI does not distinguish between excess fat, muscle, or bone mass, nor does it provide any indication of the distribution of fat among individuals.
Adult Body Mass Index
If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to <25, it falls within the healthy weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obesity range.
Health experts say a number between 18.5 to 24.9 is a healthy BMI for men and people AMAB. The same goes for women and people AFAB. Check your weight classification in the BMI chart below.