Overweight Calculator — Free Online Assessment Tool

How to Use the Overweight Calculator

1. Select your unit system: Choose Metric or Imperial using the toggle at the top.
2. Enter your weight: Input your current body weight. For overweight assessment, your weight is compared against the healthy range for your height.
3. Enter your height: Input your height to calculate BMI and determine your healthy weight range.
4. Review your assessment: The calculator shows your BMI and category, whether you are classified as overweight, how much weight is above the healthy range maximum, the health risk level, and projections showing what your BMI would be after 5% and 10% weight loss.

The 5% and 10% weight loss projections show you that even modest, achievable reductions can meaningfully improve your BMI classification. A 5% loss is a common first goal recommended by healthcare providers.

BMI Formula and Overweight Classification

Step-by-Step Calculation Example

For a person weighing 88 kg and 172 cm tall:

1. Convert height to meters: 172 / 100 = 1.72 m
2. Square the height: 1.72 x 1.72 = 2.9584
3. Calculate BMI: 88 / 2.9584 = 29.7
4. Classification: Overweight (25.0-29.9)
5. Healthy range max: 24.9 x 2.9584 = 73.7 kg
6. Weight above range: 88 - 73.7 = 14.3 kg
7. 5% loss: 88 x 0.95 = 83.6 kg → BMI 28.3
8. 10% loss: 88 x 0.90 = 79.2 kg → BMI 26.8

Practical Examples

Example 1: Michelle's Health Check

Michelle is a 38-year-old who weighs 78 kg at 162 cm. Her doctor has suggested monitoring her weight:

• BMI: 78 / 1.62² = 29.7 (Overweight)
• Healthy range: 48.6 - 65.4 kg
• Weight above range: 12.6 kg
• 5% loss (3.9 kg): BMI drops to 28.2
• 10% loss (7.8 kg): BMI drops to 26.7

Michelle's doctor recommends starting with a 5% weight loss target of 3.9 kg over 2-3 months. This modest goal would improve her blood pressure (which is borderline high) and reduce her risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Michelle starts by adding a 30-minute daily walk and reducing portion sizes slightly.

Example 2: Carlos After a Sedentary Year

Carlos is a 42-year-old who gained weight after a desk job change. He now weighs 95 kg at 180 cm:

• BMI: 95 / 1.80² = 29.3 (Overweight)
• Healthy range: 59.9 - 80.7 kg
• Weight above range: 14.3 kg
• 5% loss (4.8 kg): BMI drops to 27.9
• 10% loss (9.5 kg): BMI drops to 26.4

Carlos is near the boundary between overweight and obese. His doctor orders blood work which shows elevated fasting glucose and cholesterol. Carlos joins a gym, starts meal prepping to control portion sizes, and targets losing 0.5 kg per week. After 10 weeks, he has lost 5 kg and his blood work shows improvement.

Example 3: Priya Maintaining After Weight Loss

Priya is a 50-year-old who lost 15 kg over the past year and now weighs 72 kg at 165 cm. She wants to check her current status:

• BMI: 72 / 1.65² = 26.4 (Overweight)
• Healthy range: 50.4 - 67.8 kg
• Weight above range: 4.2 kg
• Current 5% target: just 3.6 kg to cross into healthy BMI range

Priya is only 4.2 kg above the healthy range maximum, down from 19.2 kg above. Her doctor confirms that her blood markers have all normalized since her weight loss. She decides to maintain her current habits and see if the remaining weight comes off naturally over the next few months, rather than intensifying her approach.

Overweight Classification Reference Table

Tips and Complete Guide to Managing Overweight

Evidence-Based Weight Management

Successful long-term weight management combines dietary changes, physical activity, and behavioral modification. The most effective dietary approach is one you can sustain long-term, whether that means reducing portion sizes, tracking calories, increasing vegetable intake, or following a structured eating pattern like the Mediterranean diet. Research shows that the specific diet matters less than adherence. Physical activity should include at least 150 minutes per week of moderate cardiovascular exercise and 2-3 sessions of resistance training. Behavioral strategies such as keeping a food journal, planning meals in advance, managing stress, and getting adequate sleep all contribute to success. Use our calorie calculator to determine your daily caloric needs.

Understanding Health Risks

Overweight status is associated with increased risk of several health conditions including type 2 diabetes (2-3x higher risk), cardiovascular disease (1.5-2x higher risk), hypertension (2-3x higher risk), certain cancers (breast, colon, kidney), sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, and fatty liver disease. However, risk depends on multiple factors including where fat is distributed (abdominal fat carries more risk), metabolic health markers, physical fitness level, family history, and lifestyle factors like smoking and alcohol consumption. Addressing overweight through lifestyle changes reduces these risks significantly, even before reaching a normal BMI.

Setting Realistic Goals

Setting achievable, incremental goals is far more effective than targeting your ultimate ideal weight from the start. A practical framework uses the 5-10% milestone approach: focus first on losing 5% of your current weight, then reassess. Once you have maintained that loss for 3-6 months, consider whether to pursue another 5% reduction. This stepped approach allows your body to adjust, reduces the psychological burden of a large target, and lets you celebrate genuine achievements along the way. Many people find that the health improvements they experience after a 10% loss are so significant that further weight loss becomes a secondary concern.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Pursuing extreme caloric restriction: Very low calorie diets (below 1200 calories for women or 1500 for men) without medical supervision increase muscle loss, nutritional deficiency risk, and metabolic adaptation that makes weight regain more likely.
• Relying on exercise alone: While exercise is essential for health, it is difficult to create a significant caloric deficit through exercise alone. Combining dietary changes with physical activity produces the best results.
• Expecting linear progress: Weight loss naturally occurs in steps and plateaus. A period of stalled weight loss does not mean your approach has failed. Consistency through plateaus eventually produces results.
• Ignoring the role of sleep and stress: Poor sleep increases hunger hormones and reduces willpower, while chronic stress elevates cortisol which promotes abdominal fat storage. Addressing these factors can be as impactful as dietary changes.
• Using BMI as the sole measure: Track other metrics including waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, how clothing fits, and energy levels. These may improve before the scale shows significant change.

Frequently Asked Questions