HEALTH CALCULATORS
Body Composition Calculator
Calculate your BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio, and see exactly where you fall on each scale.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Needs height and weight.
| BMI | Category | Risk of Related Disease |
|---|---|---|
| Below 18.5 | Underweight | Low (but risk of other problems) |
| 18.5 – 24.9 | Healthy Weight | Average |
| 25.0 – 29.9 | Overweight | Increased |
| 30.0 – 34.9 | Obesity Class 1 | Moderate |
| 35.0 – 39.9 | Obesity Class 2 | Severe |
| 40.0 and above | Obesity Class 3 | Very Severe |
Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Needs waist and hips.
| Waist-to-Hip Ratio (Men) | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Below 0.90 | Within the healthy range |
| 0.90 and above | Abdominal obesity: substantially increased risk of metabolic complications |
Waist-to-Height Ratio
Needs waist and height.
| Waist-to-Height Ratio | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Below 0.40 | Low: may indicate health risks; discuss with your Provider |
| 0.40 – 0.49 | Healthy: no increased health risk |
| 0.50 – 0.59 | Increased health risk |
| 0.60 and above | High health risk |
Simple rule of thumb: keep your waist to less than half your height.
For educational purposes only. This calculator does not diagnose any condition or replace an evaluation by a licensed healthcare Provider. Always review your results with your Provider.
Why Use More Than One Number?
BMI is quick and useful, but it only compares weight to height. It can’t tell fat from muscle, so a muscular man can land in the “overweight” range while being very lean. Waist-based measurements fill that gap by looking at where you carry fat. Fat around the midsection (visceral fat) is closely linked to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, heart disease, and low testosterone.
What Each Measurement Tells You
- BMI gives a general picture of your weight relative to your height.
- Waist-to-hip ratio shows how much of your weight sits around your waist compared with your hips. For men, the World Health Organization uses 0.90 as the cutoff for abdominal obesity.
- Waist-to-height ratio is one of the simplest and best predictors of health risk from central fat. Current guidelines recommend keeping your waist to less than half your height.
How to Measure Accurately
- Measure your waist midway between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, after breathing out normally. Don’t suck in.
- Measure your hips around the widest part of your buttocks.
- Keep the tape snug but not tight, and parallel to the floor.
Some ethnic groups, including people of South Asian, Chinese, and Black African or African-Caribbean descent, face increased health risk at lower BMI levels. For the most accurate picture of fat and muscle, body composition testing such as DEXA or InBody goes further than any tape measure.
FAQ
Body Composition Questions.
Is BMI accurate for muscular men?
Not always. BMI can’t distinguish muscle from fat, so very muscular men may be classified as overweight or obese. That’s why waist-to-height and waist-to-hip ratios, or body composition testing like DEXA or InBody, give a more complete picture.
What is a healthy waist-to-height ratio?
Between 0.40 and 0.49. Keeping your waist to less than half your height is a simple target recommended by current guidelines.
What is a healthy waist-to-hip ratio for men?
Below 0.90. The World Health Organization defines a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.90 or above in men as abdominal obesity, which carries a substantially increased risk of metabolic complications.
Does belly fat affect testosterone?
It can. Excess abdominal fat is associated with lower testosterone levels, and low testosterone can make it easier to gain abdominal fat. Your Provider can evaluate both together.
LOSE THE FAT. KEEP THE MUSCLE.
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Sources: World Health Organization. Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic. WHO Technical Report Series 894; 2000. World Health Organization. Waist Circumference and Waist–Hip Ratio: Report of a WHO Expert Consultation; 2008. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Obesity: identification, assessment and management (CG189), updated 2022.