For some of us, it might have been years since we placed ourselves on the scales. It’s easier to invent a number that we want to believe is true with respect to our body mass rather than write one down on a form that reflects the real life fact of the matter.

But when it comes to getting life insurance, inventing a figure or guessing your size will simply no longer wash. Now insurance companies are not only demanding to know whether you are overweight or not and what you consider to be your actual weight, but they are also asking customers when was the last time they jumped on the scales.

The company probably knows that there are actually people out there prepared to lie about their weight to insurance providers in an effort to get a cheaper quote because they know that the truth will be pricey.

And they are probably also becoming increasingly aware about the concerns surrounding obesity. After all, insurance companies aren’t the only ones becoming wary about this. The UK Government is frequently sending out reminders that quarter of the nation is overweight. So are general practitioners, the Diabetes Foundation, the Men’s Health Forum to name a few.

What’s more worrying, is that Cancer UK’s research will tell you that of those suffering from over eating, a quarter of that group aren’t the slightest bit interested when it comes to shedding the kilos. And the only other country that beats Britain when comes to obesity, in fact, is Greece.

So how can you tell if you might be classed as obese and therefore someone who has to pay a higher premium for life insurance? You need to work out your Body Mass Index, commonly known as the BMI. You do this by taking your height in metres and dividing it by the same number. With the number that comes from this, divide it by your weight in kilograms and you wind up with your BMI. According to the British Medical Association, you’re likely to be overweight if your BMI is more than 25 and you are obese if it is 30 or over.

The good news is that most life insurance companies are pretty good about people who fall into the overweight category. They mostly accept people with a BMI level of 30.

But anything more than that? Get out the cheque book and be prepared to pay sky high premiums. And once you’ve paid out that figure then get ready to take a medical examination because the insurance firm will make you. If it’s not just the case that your life assurance premium rocket by a staggering 50%, it could be that it is refused.

So next time before you have fill out one of these forms asking you what is your weight, go into the bathroom, dust off those scales and stand on them. You might just be in for a surprise.

Quote Life Insurance are a specialist life insurance website providing help and quotes to uk residents