--- description: If you've been focusing on healthy ways to lose weight, try these methods to check your waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) title: 4 Ways to Tell If You're At a Healthy Weight image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3b7392763c8d86cd/698878bcab6d77f5196a7ef2/scale-3-weight-body-image-diet-health-fitness-betterment.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Diet & Nutrition](/tag/dietnutrition/) ## Diet & Nutrition Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 4 Ways to Tell If You're At a Healthy Weight by [Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 4, 2016 3:00 PM CUT  Molly Cranna for TIME by [Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 4, 2016 3:00 PM CUT More than 54 million Americans who are labeled overweight or obese according to their body mass index (BMI), a weight-to-height ratio, [are actually healthy](http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ijo201617a.html "undefined"), found a recent study in the _International Journal of Obesity_. Wondering where you stand? Check into these digits instead. **Waist circumference** If your belly is home to excess fat, you may be at greater risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Wrap a tape measure around your middle just above your hip bones, at about your belly button. A healthy measurement for women is less than 35 inches. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_This Indiana Teen Explained to Her Teacher Why BMI Is Total BS_](http://news.health.com/2016/04/06/this-indiana-teen-explained-to-her-teacher-why-bmi-is-total-bs/?xid=time "undefined") **Resting heart rate** Put two fingers over your pulse—at the wrist or neck—and count the number of beats in one minute. Between 60 and 100 beats is normal. A lower resting heart rate generally implies better physical health; a less active lifestyle can lead to a higher rate because the heart has to work harder. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_13 Best (and Worst) Ways to Measure Body Fat_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20948380%5F2,00.html?xid=time "undefined") **Body fat percentage** Unlike BMI, this number reveals the amount of excess fat, separate from muscle mass. A healthy range for women is 20 to 32 percent. Get a bioelectrical impedance analysis at your health club; a machine sends electricity through your body to calculate the amount of fat versus lean tissue. **_Health.com:_** [_The Big Benefits of Losing a Little Bit of Weight_](http://news.health.com/2016/04/15/the-big-benefits-of-losing-just-a-little-bit-of-weight/?xid=time "undefined") **Basal metabolic rate** BMR factors in your height, weight, gender, activity level and age to approximate the number of calories you burn while at rest; you can also use it to estimate how many calories to cut from your diet each day to achieve your weight-loss goal. Plug in your info at [supertracker.usda.gov/bwp.](https://supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/ "undefined") _This_ [_article_](http://news.health.com/2016/04/22/4-ways-to-tell-if-youre-at-a-healthy-weight/?xid=time "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4316523/healthy-weight-check/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4316523/healthy-weight-check/"},"headline":"4 Ways to Tell If You're At a Healthy Weight","datePublished":"2016-05-04T15:00:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:14:19.113Z","description":"Try these methods to checking your waist circumference and BMI","url":"https://time.com/4316523/healthy-weight-check/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3b7392763c8d86cd/698878bcab6d77f5196a7ef2/scale-3-weight-body-image-diet-health-fitness-betterment.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3b7392763c8d86cd/698878bcab6d77f5196a7ef2/scale-3-weight-body-image-diet-health-fitness-betterment.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"scale-3-weight-body-image-diet-health-fitness-betterment-motto-stock","caption":"scale-3-weight-body-image-diet-health-fitness-betterment-motto-stock","creditText":"Molly Cranna for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4316523/healthy-weight-check/","name":"4 Ways to Tell If You're At a Healthy Weight"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Weight Loss Woes","description":"A new study reveals why it's tough to stay lean after weight loss","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0iPEQn0T/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-05-02T20:38:33.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0iPEQn0T.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4316523/healthy-weight-check/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4316523/healthy-weight-check/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```