What IS your BMI, and why should you care? BMI stands for Body Mass Index -- a measure that is used to determine if someone is underweight, normal, overweight or obese. According to the National Institutes of Health, the BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of diabetes and death. The BMI takes into account your height and your weight. A BMI of 30 or above is considered obese, 25-29.9 is considered overweight, 18.5-24.9 is normal, and less than 18.5 is underweight. Want to calculate your BMI?

You can use the online BMI calculator located at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ to calculate your BMI.  If your result is 25 or over, you should consider losing some weight -- even a small loss will improve your health. If your BMI is over 30, you should make every attempt to lose weight starting NOW. Even a 10% drop in weight will improve your odds of staying healthy.

Two caveats - Although the BMI is generally very accurate, if you are an athlete and have more than average muscle, your BMI may be overestimated. It may underestimate the body mass of older people who have lost a lot of muscle.  But for most of us, the BMI is a reliable indicator of body mass.