1. Weigh yourself and have your height measured. Find your BMI category in figure 1. The higher your BMI category, the greater the risk for health problems.
2. Measure around your waist, just above your hip bones, while standing. Health risks increase as waist measurement increases, particularly if waist is greater than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men. Excess abdominal fat may place you at greater risk of health problems, even if your BMI is about right. 3. Use INDEX 2 to find out how many other risk factors you have. The higher your BMI and waist measurement, and the more risk factors you have from INDEX 2, the more you are likely to benefit from weight loss.
NOTE: Weight loss is usually not advisable for pregnant women.