Wellness Tools

Waist size:

Hip size:

Sex:

Note: The Waist-to-Hip Calculator is based on research outcomes of middle-aged men and women. This tool is not applicable to pregnant women and children and may not accurately indicate risk for young adults or older individuals.

How to Use

Studies have shown that the shape of your body can be correlated to higher risks for health problems such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. By measuring the ratio of your waist size to your hip size, you can use our calculator to determine your body type and levels of risk.

The data used to derive the waist-to-hip results was taken from middle-aged men and women. The calculator may not apply to young children, the elderly, or pregnant women.

Measure Yourself First

To use the calculator, you need current measurements for your waist and hips. So, get out that measuring tape!

When measuring around your waist, measure the narrowest part of your torso. If you can't find it, measure around yourself at your belly button. No sucking in!

To measure your hips, wrap the measuring tape around the widest part of your hips.

Studies have shown that the shape of your body can be correlated to higher risks for health problems such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. By measuring the ratio of your waist size to your hip sizes, you can use our calculator to determine your body type and levels of risk.

The data used to derive the waist-to-hip results was taken from middle-aged men and women. The calculator may not apply to young children, the elderly, or pregnant women.

1. Select if you are measuring in inches or centimeters from the drop-down list.

2. Click and enter your waist size in the appropriate box.

3. Click and enter your hip size in the next box.

4. Click Male or Female.

5. When you have finished entering your information, click CALCULATE SUBMIT.

More About This Tool

Did you know that the size of your waist in relation to the size of your hips can help determine your risk for diabetes, and other conditions? In general, the higher your waist-hip ratio is, the higher your health risks may be, regardless of how tall or big-boned you are. Find out if you are at risk.

Review Date: 6/20/2008
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Previously reviewed by Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, Department of Pediatrics, Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine; Chief of Future Health, A.D.A.M., Inc. (6/9/2006)

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2015 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Current weight:

Sex:

Age:

Weight goal:

Physical activity level:

Note: This tool is not applicable to pregnant women, children under age 18, or people over 60.

How to Use

Do you know how many calories you need each day? Using our Nutritional Needs Calculator, you can estimate the number of calories that you need each day, based on your age, sex, current weight, level of physical activity, and weight goals.

To maintain your current weight, you need to eat approximately the same number of calories that you burn. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. To gain weight, eat more!

If you have not established weight goals, use our Ideal Body Weight Calculator to estimate an appropriate weight target.

1. Enter your current weight in the box provided. If you entered your weight in kilograms, be sure to select KILOGRAMS from the drop-down list.

2. Select your gender.

3. Enter your age.

4. Select your weight goal from the drop-down list. If you are happy with your current weight, select MAINTAIN WEIGHT. To gain or lose weight, we assume and recommend a goal of one pound (0.45 kg) per week.

5. Select the level of physical activity in your average day.

6. When you have entered your information, click SUBMIT.

More About This Tool

When your calorie intake consistently equals your calorie expenditure, you will maintain your current weight. When you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. Likewise, if you eat fewer calories than you use, you will lose weight.

The trick to maintaining, gaining or losing weight is to find out how many calories, on average, you burn per day, and to adjust your intake accordingly. For example, if your goal is to lose 10 lbs., and you burn 2,200 calories per day, then trimming 500 calories from the amount you burn (i.e., keeping your daily intake at 1,700 calories) will enable you to lose approximately 1 lb. of fat per week (1 lb. of fat equals about 3,500 calories). After 10 weeks you would reach your goal!

Don't worry about crunching the numbers yourself. Let this interactive calculator do the planning for you. Just fill out the information requested to get an estimate of the:

Number of calories you burn in a day
Number of calories you should consume per day to meet your weight goal
Recommended daily amount of key nutrients (vitamin C, folate, calcium, etc.) and food types (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) you should strive to get through your diet.

Use the following guidelines to determine your physical activity level.

High activity: Participation in vigorous physical activity for 60 minutes or more at least 4 to 5 days per week or having a job that is very physically demanding (such as a roofer or aerobics instructor).
Intermediate activity: Participation in moderate physical activity like swimming, jogging, or fast walking, 2 or 3 times a week, 30 to 60 minutes each time.
Low activity: No planned, regular physical activity; occasional weekend or weekly activity is the only type of physical activity (like golf or recreational tennis).

Age:

Note: This tool is not applicable to children. The maximum heart rate in healthy children is about 200 beats per minute. According to the American Heart Association, there is no need to arbitrarily restrict healthy children to lower heart rates.

How to Use

During exercise, you want to elevate your heart rate to strengthen it while avoiding rates that endanger it. According to the American Heart Association, the best heart rates to achieve during exercise are between 50 - 85% of your maximum heart rate.

Use our Target Heart Rate Calculator to compute the appropriate heart rate for people your age to achieve during exercise. If you're beginning an exercise program, you should aim for the low end of this range. More experienced exercisers can aim for higher target rates.

1. Enter your age in the space provided.

2. Click SUBMIT.

More About This Tool

You're sweating through another aerobic workout, and you're wondering whether you're overdoing it or not working hard enough. Pacing yourself is extremely important to maximizing the benefits of exercise. What's the right pace for you?

One way of finding the right pace is to monitor how fast your heart is pumping during your workout. According to the American Heart Association, the safest and most effective pace of exercise is one that keeps your heart pumping at a speed between 50 - 85% of your maximum heart rate. Fill in the information below and we'll calculate the range of target heart rates that may be best for you during exercise.

Body frame:

Current height:

Sex:

Note: The Desirable Body Weight calculator is not applicable to pregnant women, children under the age of 18, and competitive athletes. The tool may not be accurate for women under 4'9" (145 centimeters) or over 5'10" (178 centimeters) in height and for men under 5'1" (155 centimeters) and over 6'3" (190.5 centimeters).

How to Use

Do you know your desirable body weight? Use our Desirable Body Weight Calculator to find a body weight that may be best for you.

For your height, gender, and size of body frame, there exists a range of weights that are considered optimal. Desirable body weight changes with age and other factors. This tool is not appropriate for children or pregnant women.

If you have used other A.D.A.M. tools, some of this information may be filled in for you.

1. Select your body frame size: SMALL, MEDIUM, or LARGE.

2. Measure your height without shoes, and enter the figure in the space provided. Indicate if you are entering your height in feet and inches or in meters and centimeters using the drop-down list.

3. Indicate your gender using the drop-down list.

4. When you have filled in the required information, click SUBMIT.

More About This Tool

Maintaining a healthy body weight can significantly reduce your risks of a number of diseases and conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and depression. A healthy body weight has also been shown to improve overall quality of life. What is the desirable body weight for you?

Your desirable body weight depends on your gender, height, and body frame size. Fill in the information below and we'll calculate a range of body weights that may be best for you.

1.	Enter your height in feet and inches, total inches, meters, or total centimeters. No high-heeled shoes! In fact, no shoes at all!
2.	Select your body frame size.
3.	Indicate whether you are male or female, and click the submit button to get your results.

Current weight:

Physical activity:

Duration of workout:

Note: The Calorie Burner Counter provides only an estimate of the number of calories burned for a given activity and duration. This estimate is derived from Ainsworth, B.E., et al. "Compendium of Physical Activities: Classification of Energy Costs of Human Physical Activities." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 1993. Actual calories burned may vary, depending on the intensity of the workout, the age and body composition of the exerciser and other factors. Not all types of physical activity are appropriate or safe for all individuals. If you have any health conditions or concerns, talk to your health care provider before beginning or significantly increasing your physical activity program.

How to Use

The number of calories that you burn during exercise is dependent on your weight, your type of exercise, and the duration. Using our Calorie Burner Calculator, you can calculate the approximate number of calories that you burn during a workout.

If you have used other A.D.A.M. tools, some of this information may be filled in for you.

1. Enter your current weight in the box provided. If you entered your weight in kilograms, be sure to select KILOGRAMS from the drop-down lists.

2. Select the type of physical activity. For many activities, there are variations in the level of exertion.

3. Enter the duration of your workout in the box provided. If you entered the time in hours, select HOURS from the drop-down list.

4. When you have entered all of your information, click SUBMIT.