#BODY MASS INDEX CALCULATOR POUNDS HOW TO#

Provencher MT, Chahla J, Sanchez G, et al. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Yourself at the same time of day, when you know you’ll be consistently hydrated, to avoid inaccurate measurements.Ĭenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Note that the technology smart scales use requires a constant level of hydration in the body. These scales measure body fat by sending a harmless electrical current through your body. Smart scale: Body fat can be estimated with certain 'smart' bathroom scales.Measurements are taken in multiple places on the body, then plugged into a formula. Skin-fold measurements: Body fat percentages can be estimated through the use of calipers-a tool that measures the thickness of the skin.A measurement of 0.9 or more for women and 1.0 or more for men indicates a higher risk. Waist-to-hip ratio: Dividing your waist circumference by your hip circumference can provide information about potential health risks.A number of experts now suggest waist circumference is a better measure for all people, but may be particularly helpful in evaluating health risks for people of color.

Risk increases for women with waist measurements greater than 35 inches, and for men with waist measurements greater than 40 inches.

Waist circumference: Fat that is carried around the middle of your body can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Taking those healthy weight gain numbers into account, if she gained 35 pounds during pregnancy she should lose about 20 to 25 pounds a short time after giving birth, leaving her postpartum weight at about 150 pounds or about 10 pounds over her healthy body weight. She’d reach 150 pounds by the end of the second trimester and about 160 to 165 pounds by the end of her pregnancy. By the end of the first trimester, she should have weighed about 144 pounds. The 5’4” woman who weighed 140 pounds at pregnancy was on the edge of being in the overweight category. You can use these numbers to calculate your BMI. That increases to 0.5 pounds per week in the second trimester (about two pounds per month) and one pound per week (about four pounds per month) by the third trimester. During the first trimester, you should be gaining about one pound per month. If you want to know how your BMI is holding during pregnancy, subtract the weight of pregnancy from your body weight before calculating BMI.

#BODY MASS INDEX CALCULATOR POUNDS HOW TO#

How to calculate your BMI during pregnancy Even women who gain the lower end of the spectrum will have a BMI that measures in the overweight range at birth. The BMI change will occur for every pregnant woman. If you are of normal weight when you conceive and you eat healthy, exercise and gain the recommended 25 to 35 pounds, you are having a healthy pregnancy. There is little formal research or even mention of pregnancy BMI, other than information for women who are overweight or obese (and underweight) prior to pregnancy. Does the obese BMI during pregnancy increase health risks?įor most women, the majority of weight gain occurs in the third trimester when the baby is growing by leaps and bounds. She did nothing wrong, ate all healthy foods and gained the right amount of weight, but the numbers say she is now obese.

If she gained all 35 pounds she would move from a normal to obese, in terms of BMI. Acceptable weight gain for this patient would be up to 35 pounds. If you look at basic numbers, a woman who is 64 inches tall weighing 140 pounds is considered to be a normal weight with a healthy BMI. Much of the science on the matter is clear – women who are overweight or obese when they become pregnant are in the highest risk category, but what about women who start out the pregnancy in the normal BMI range, but end the pregnancy in the obese range?Ĭan a woman move from normal weight to obese in a healthy pregnancy? Pregnancy complications associated with pre-pregnancy obesity may include increased risk of C-section and excessive fetal weight gain. Research studies have proven obesity is a major concern during pregnancy. If you are very young, then more weight gain is probably needed as teenagers may still be growing themselves.If you were obese before pregnancy (for the IOM, that is a BMI of over 29.9) about 11 to 20 pounds or between 5 and 9 kg extra weight during pregnancy.If you were overweight before pregnancy (for the IOM, that is a BMI between 25 and 29.9): between about 15 to 25 pounds or 7 and 11.5 kg extra weight during pregnancy.If you were normal weight before pregnancy (for the IOM, that is a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9): between about 25 to 35 pounds or 11.5 and 16 kg extra weight during pregnancy.If you were underweight before pregnancy (for the IOM, that is a BMI of less than 18.5): between about 28 to 40 pounds or 12.5 and 18 kgs extra weight during pregnancy.The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended weight gain is as follows:

Body mass index calculator pounds