Calculating your own BMI can help you gauge whether you’re at a healthy weight or whether you might need to drop a few kilos.

A person with a BMI of 25 to 30 is considered to be overweight. “If someone has a 25 to 30 BMI, it doesn’t seriously compromise her health. But that’s an easy way to say you’re in a range to reap some health benefits from losing a bit of weight,” says clinical psychologist Elena Ramirez, who specialises in weight loss.

Most doctors and researchers have used BMI to study the effects of obesity. They’ve found that a high BMI can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

The trick is to weigh your BMI against risk factors such as:
- Waist circumference greater than 89cm
- High blood pressure
- High LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
- Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol
- High triglycerides
- High blood sugar
- Family history of premature heart disease
- Physical inactivity
- Smoking

If you are overweight or obese and have more than two risk factors, your doctor can recommend a healthy weight loss plan if it’s needed. The good news? Modest weight loss – five to 15 percent of total body weight – can greatly reduce your risk of developing these conditions.

Calculate your BMI: Use our handy BMI calculator to measure yourself...click here