Weight ManagementWeight Loss
Explore This Topic

7 Tips Proven to Help Lower Your BMI

While it’s not a perfect measurement, BMI can be a good indicator of how much fat your body is carrying — and the related risks.
7 Tips Proven to Help Lower Your BMI
iStock
By
Updated on January 24, 2025
by

What Strategies Are Recommended For Weight Loss?

We asked real people to share their thoughts about weight loss and weight loss drugs. Listen to what they had to say, and what advice leading endocrinologist Caroline Messer, MD, offers in reply.
What Strategies Are Recommended For Weight Loss?

Next up video playing in 10 seconds

You’ve long heard doctors talk about BMI — or body mass index — and you may even know yours off the top of your head, especially if you were told your number was in the unhealthy range.

Technically, your BMI is used “as a good — though rough — indicator of how much fat mass you’re likely to have,” says Patrick M. O’Neil, PhD, the director of the weight management center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

But it’s not the full picture.

BMI has its limitations for what it can and can’t tell you about your health and whether you need to lose weight. Age, sex, ethnicity, and muscle mass can skew BMI as it relates to body fat.

 For instance, if you’re extremely athletic and have a lot of muscle mass, your BMI may indicate that you have obesity when you’re actually fit. “With BMI, you can’t say that it offers conclusive proof that someone has excess body fat,” says Dr. O’Neil.
That said, if your BMI is in the higher range and your waist circumference also indicates you’re at risk for health problems, such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, your doctor may advise you to lose weight, which will likely lower your BMI. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists these waist circumference guidelines: less than 35 inches for a woman (nonpregnant) and less than 40 inches for a man.

Here are the science- and expert-backed steps that will help you achieve lasting results.

1. Calculate Your BMI

You can calculate your BMI by dividing your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, and then multiplying that number by 703. Use this equation to get your number: weight (lb) / [height (in) x height (in)] x 703.
An easier way of finding your BMI is to use the online calculator from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to see where you fall.

Here’s how the BMI ranges are categorized:

  • Underweight is a BMI less than 18.5
  • Healthy weight is a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
  • Overweight is a BMI of 25 to 29.9
  • Obesity is a BMI of 30 or greater

It can be beneficial to get your official BMI reading at a doctor’s office from someone who is weighing you and measuring your height. “If you ask most of us how much we weigh, we’ll report we weigh less than we do, and we’ll say we’re a little taller. That would lead to an underestimation,” says O’Neil.

2. Set a Realistic BMI Goal

If you are overweight or have obesity, a reduction of as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can have substantial health benefits, according to the CDC.

 For some people, this means that your BMI still may be in the overweight range, and that may be okay.

“It’s unrealistic and unnecessary for everyone with a BMI of 30 or more to get to a BMI in the normal range. The health significance of BMI is not indicated by the number it is today, but whether today’s BMI is more or less than it was in the past,” says O’Neil. In other words, it’s all about whether you’re making strides toward a better health future. Your goal should be to lose a modest amount of weight and then reevaluate your progress.

3. Set a Workout Plan

If you know you need to start exercising more — and your activity log proves it — you’re going to want to exercise. That doesn’t necessarily mean jumping into kickboxing or trying out CrossFit.

“I tell patients that you don’t get extra credit for doing the toughest exercise you can find,” says O’Neil. He suggests picking an activity that you find fun or tolerable, such as walking your dog or hiking, and making that your regular workout.

It’s not enough to say that you’re going to start exercising “more.” Rather, plan it out.

Commit to walking for 20 minutes three times this week, and plan the days you’re going to do it and what time — for instance, after work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And if something comes up, know that you can shorten it to 5 or 10 minutes — everything counts.

“First, establish the habit of doing an activity, and then focus on the duration and intensity of it,” advises O’Neil.

4. Track Your Exercise and Movements

As with monitoring your food intake, you’ve got to know what your physical activity level is like. At the Weight Management Center at MUSC, everyone who joins the program gets a Fitbit activity tracker, which makes it easy to track and record your exercise and everyday movements. (Walking up the stairs counts!) Even if you’re not in a program, there are tons of apps at your disposal, whether you’re on an Android or an iPhone, and fitness trackers you can wear on your wrist.

5. Set a Healthy Eating Plan

When you want to lose weight, there’s no shortage of diet advice. What’s more, research shows that focusing on both diet and exercise is the best combination for successful weight loss.

Because diets are so variable from person to person — your coworker may swear by low-carb eating while that would make you miserable — research suggests that it may be more important to focus on the quality of your food.

For instance, a multinational study found that foods like potato chips, processed meats, red meat, and sugary beverages were associated with weight gain, while those like fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and yogurt were associated with weight loss.

If you’re unsure of the best plan for you, work with a dietitian or a healthcare professional to create a diet that makes the most sense for your lifestyle.


6. Track Your Weight Loss Progress

Know where you stand today — and where you stood yesterday. Then give yourself a pat on the back. “Self-monitoring is really important when it comes to weight control,” says O’Neil.

He recommends recording your food or calorie intake for a few days to understand what your eating habits are truly like. “Many patients will come back and say, ‘I never knew how much I ate,’” he explains.

It may be the reality check you need to change your habits. Use whatever method you feel most comfortable with, whether that’s writing it in a journal or using an app on your smartphone. A study found that the more frequently participants used a web app to track their diet habits over six months, the more weight they lost.

Once a week, get on the scale. Then chart your weight (this is easy to do via an app, or you can DIY using a graph).

 This way, you’ll know whether you need to change up your weight loss approach — or stay the course.

7. Stay Consistent

Even if the weight doesn’t seem like it’s coming off fast enough, stay the course. It’s only with consistent efforts to eat well, move more, and maintain other healthy habits that affect weight (like getting enough sleep) that the pounds come off permanently, research demonstrates.

 Researchers found that when weight jumped up and down — possibly because of inconsistent efforts — people were more likely to give up on their goals. Remember: You’ve got this.

The Takeaway

  • If you lower your BMI you may also lower your risk for certain types of health problems, such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes.
  • Plan out your exercise and track your progress. Consider using fitness trackers to more easily see the change over time.
  • Speak to a healthcare professional about a diet that includes whole foods and works with your daily routine.
  • Stay consistent with your weight loss efforts and maintain healthy habits to keep your pounds off permanently.

Resources We Trust

Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
Justin Laube, MD

Justin Laube, MD

Medical Reviewer

Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, and trauma healing.

He graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Wisconsin and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. During medical school, he completed a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices through the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. He completed his three-year residency training in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles on the primary care track and a two-year fellowship in integrative East-West primary care at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine.

He is currently taking a multiyear personal and professional sabbatical to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, disease, and the processes of healing. He is developing a clinical practice for patients with complex trauma, as well as for others going through significant life transitions. He is working on a book distilling the insights from his sabbatical, teaching, and leading retreats on trauma, integrative health, mindfulness, and well-being for health professionals, students, and the community.

Previously, Dr. Laube was an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he provided primary care and integrative East-West medical consultations. As part of the faculty, he completed a medical education fellowship and received a certificate in innovation in curriculum design and evaluation. He was the fellowship director at the Center for East-West Medicine and led courses for physician fellows, residents, and medical students.

See full bio

Jessica Migala

Author

Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty. She has written extensively about vision care, diabetes, dermatology, gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular health, cancer, pregnancy, and gynecology. She was previously an assistant editor at Prevention where she wrote monthly science-based beauty news items and feature stories.

She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publications, including Cosmopolitan, O:The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, Fitness, Family Circle, Health, Prevention, Self, VICE, and more. Migala lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young boys, rescue beagle, and 15 fish. When not reporting, she likes running, bike rides, and a glass of wine (in moderation, of course).

See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. September 2024.
  2. Healthy Weight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2024.
  3. Steps for Losing Weight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 28, 2023.
  4. Physical Activity and Your Weight and Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 27, 2023.
  5. Cordova R et al. Consumption of ultra-processed foods associated with weight gain and obesity in adults: A multi-national cohort study. Clinical Nutrition. September 1, 2021.
  6. 12 Healthy Diets That May Work for You. Cleveland Clinic. October 29, 2022.
  7. Harvey J et al. Log Often, Lose More: Electronic Dietary Self-Monitoring for Weight Loss. Obesity. February 25, 2019.
  8. Graph Your Weight. Medical University of South Carolina Health.
  9. Turicchi J et al. The impact of early body-weight variability on long-term weight maintenance: Exploratory results from the NoHoW weight-loss maintenance intervention. International Journal of Obesity. March 2021.