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Table of Contents Table of ContentsAn "ideal" weight is typically calculated based on height and weight. Generally, a healthy body mass index (BMI) of 22 is in the middle of the normal weight range and is associated with the best health outcomes. However, the American Medical Association (AMA) cautions that BMI loses predictability when applied to individuals.
You can use the weight charts below as a general guide, but it's important to understand that these estimates cannot give you an accurate target weight. Other factors such as genetics, body composition, environment, and lifestyle can shift what may be a healthy weight range for you. These charts are not valid for children or teens and may not be accurate for many adults.
Remember that ideal weight is not an absolute target for either appearance or health. The values in the charts are estimates and may not consider factors like muscle mass or health conditions that affect weight.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a dated, biased measure that doesn’t account for several factors, such as body composition, ethnicity, race, gender, and age.
Despite being a flawed measure, BMI is widely used today in the medical community because it is an inexpensive and quick method for analyzing potential health status and outcomes.
The traditional ideal weight calculation is a rule of thumb rather than based on health research or a comprehensive study of population averages.
These equations were developed for use by doctors to calculate drug dosages. They tend to overestimate ideal weight at shorter heights and underestimate it at taller heights.
However, a 2016 study found that the results correlate well with the body mass index of 21 for women and 22.5 for men, which is near the middle of the healthy BMI range. The authors of the study suggest a different equation using body mass index.
The healthy BMI range is the same for men and women, so the results apply to both. The healthy normal weight range is a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9; a body mass index of 22 is in the middle of that range.
The biggest differences between the older equations and the newer equation come in the taller height range. Also, the ideal for women is the same as for men when using BMI, and the new equation allows a few pounds more at each height for women than the older charts.
You can be healthy in a wide range of weights, but being underweight is associated with poor health outcomes and higher mortality for some conditions, as is being far above the healthy BMI range.
If your weight is above that of the ideal for your height on the charts, it is tempting to think that it is because you are lean but very muscular. This may be true in some cases, but most people usually weigh more because they have more body fat.
Body mass index is commonly used by health authorities to assess if you are overweight or obese. However, in 2023 the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy to clarify the role of BMI as a measure in medicine.
The AMA policy states that relative body shape and composition differences across race/ethnic groups, sexes, genders, and age-span are essential to consider and that BMI should not be used as the sole criteria for denying insurance reimbursement. The AMA recommends that BMI be used along with other measures of risk such as visceral fat, body composition, waist circumference, and genetic/metabolic factors.
Very muscular people may have a higher body mass index while still having low body fat. Meanwhile, people who have lost and replaced muscle mass with fat may appear to have a normal BMI when they have too much body fat and insufficient muscle for good health outcomes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends using both the BMI and your waist circumference to determine whether you are at a healthy weight. According to the CDC, a waist over 35 inches for non-pregnant women and over 40 inches for men indicates a higher risk of obesity-related conditions.
One factor of why you may way more or less is based on bone structure. Those with thicker, more dense bones will naturally tend to weigh more than those with thinner, less dense bones at the same body composition levels.
You can take your body frame size into account, if you choose, by measuring your wrist.
Women:
Men:
After determining your frame size, you can factor that into equations to determine your ideal body weight (IBW). For women of medium frames, the equation takes a baseline of 100 pounds, then adds 5 pounds for each inch of height above 5 feet. It looks like this: IBW (lb) = 100 + 5 x (Ht – 60 in)
The equation for men of medium frames takes a baseline of 106 pounds and adds 6 pounds for each inch of height above 5 feet, which looks like this: IBW (lb) = 106 + 6 x (Ht – 60 in). If you have a small frame, subtract 10%, and if you have a large frame, add 10% to the answer you get for medium frames.
If you're wondering what your ideal weight is based on your height, this chart which is based on the updated equations, can help.
Women
(in pounds)
Men
(in pounds)