Finding your “ideal body weight” can be a challenge for many people. It is not always as simple as looking up your height and weight on a chart. There are several factors to consider, such as body mass index, height-to-weight ratio, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio. Here is the guide on how to find ideal body weight and achieve your healthiest body composition.
Ideal Body Weight Formula Options
The formulas for men and average women weight calculation include:
| Formula | Men | Women |
| Commonly Used Formula | Ideal body weight (kgs) = 22 × (height in meters)2 | Ideal body weight (kgs) = 22 × (height in meters − 10 cm)2 |
| DR Miller’s formula (1983) | 56.2 kg + 1.41 kg per inch over 5 feet | 53.1 kg + 1.36 kg per inch over 5 feet |
| JD Robinson’s formula (1983) | 52 kg + 1.9 kg per inch over 5 feet | 49 kg + 1.7 kg per inch over 5 feet |
| BJ Devine’s formula (1974) | 50.0 kg + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 feet | 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg per inch over 5 feet |
| GJ Hamwi’s formula (1964) | 48.0 kg + 2.7 kg per inch over 5 feet | 45.5 kg + 2.2 kg per inch over 5 feet |
1. Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index is a standard tool used to reckon the person’s weight according to height. This is one of the most popular ways of how to find the ideal body weight. BMI measurements lie in various categories, and each type depends on the BMI number.
It is the common ideal body weight pediatrics testing tool to decide whether a person is at an adequate weight and body lubricant status. To determine if your weight drops within the healthy divide, you can utilize an online BMI ideal body weight calculator to obtain your BMI. Place your height and weight into the calculator, and if the outcome plunges between 18.5 and 24.9, which is the healthy BMI range, then you’re at an ideal weight for your height.
- BMI under 18.5 shows that body is skinny and underweight.
- BMI in the range of 18.5 and 24.9 is considered perfect.
- BMI from 25 to 29.9 is overweight and has a bulky body.
- Over the 30 BMI results in obesity.
An ideal weight calculator generates perfect weight based on height and age. According to the doctors, the primary purpose of BMI is to lose weight, and having a low BMI is getting a healthy weight and disease control.
But too much low BMI can demand more muscle mass, and you should gain weight according to the body mass index calculator.
BMI is a very straightforward measure of your ideal weight. While it brings height into thinking and reflection, it does not include some factors such as:
- Waist or hip dimensions
- The proportion or allotment of fat
- The ratio of muscle mass
These elements can influence health. For example, high-performance athletes overlook being very healthy and having small fat and require ideal weight. They can have an increased BMI because they have more muscle mass, but this does not indicate they are overweight for their height.
Height-Weight Chart Guide
The healthy range considering height and weight of the human body include:
| Height | Normal weight BMI 19–24 | Overweight BMI 25–29 | Obesity BMI 30–39 | Severe obesity BMI 40+ |
| 4 ft 10 in (58 in) | 91–115 lb | 119–138 lb | 143–186 lb | 191–258 lb |
| 4 ft 11 in (59 in) | 94–119 lb | 124–143 lb | 148–193 lb | 198–267 lb |
| 5ft (60 in”) | 97–123 lb | 128–148 lb | 153–199 lb | 204–276 lb |
| 5 ft 1 in (61 in) | 100–127 lb | 132–153 lb | 158–206 lb | 211–285 lb |
| 5 ft 2 in (62 in) | 104–131 lb | 136–158 lb | 164–213 lb | 218–295 lb |
| 5 ft 3 in (63 in) | 107–135 lb | 141–163 lb | 169–220 lb | 225–304 lb |
| 5 ft 4 in (64 in) | 110–140 lb | 145–169 lb | 174–227 lb | 232–314 lb |
| 5 ft 5 in (65 in) | 114–144 lb | 150–174 lb | 180–234 lb | 240–324 lb |
| 5 ft 6 in (66 in) | 118–148 lb | 155–179 lb | 186–241 lb | 247–334 lb |
| 5 ft 7 in (67 in) | 121–153 lb | 159–185 lb | 191–249 lb | 255–344 lb |
| 5 ft 8 in (68 in) | 125–158 lb | 164–190 lb | 197–256 lb | 262–354 lb |
| 5 ft 9 in (69 in) | 128–162 lb | 169–196 lb | 203–263 lb | 270–365 lb |
| 5 ft 10 in (70 in) | 132–167 lb | 174–202 lb | 209–271 lb | 278–376 lb |
| 5 ft 11 in (71 in) | 136–172 lb | 179–208 lb | 215–279 lb | 286–386 lb |
| 6 ft (72 in) | 140–177 lb | 184–213 lb | 221–287 lb | 294–397 lb |
| 6 ft 1 in (73 in) | 144–182 lb | 189–219 lb | 227–295 lb | 302–408 lb |
| 6 ft 2 in (74 in) | 148–186 lb | 194–225 lb | 233–303 lb | 311–420 lb |
2. Consider Waist Circumference
While the ideal body weight equation and BMI don’t consider your fat profile, carrying too much abdominal area increases the risk of diabetes. The excess visceral can lead to gallbladder issues, breast cancer heart disease because it indicates you have a dangerous type of obesity.
If you have a bigger waist, it indicates you have visceral fat in large amounts in your body, a harmful type of fat that covers your organs and pushes your belly to the exterior side. Much visceral fat can raise your chance of heart disease and other health situations.
To determine your waist size for your ideal weight, measure at the narrowest point where your torso becomes widest. This is usually around or below the belly button and rib cage area on either side.
Roughly 35 inches should accommodate most women without being too tight, so they don’t feel uncomfortable in their clothes. If you are a man, try to maintain it below 40 inches.
Next, we will talk about the waist-to-hip ratio in how to find the ideal body weight.
3. Waist-to-Hip Ratio
A waist-to-hip ratio less than 0.8 could be a sign of excess visceral fat in your abdomen, while one higher than this suggests you may have an “apple” shape due to obesity or poor dieting practices. To find your hip circumference, measure around the widest part of your hips. If you’re unsure because it varies from person to person, take several measurements and use whichever number provides a higher measurement to ensure accuracy.
How To Measure?
To figure out their WHR, a person should estimate around their waist at the narrowest part, slightly above the belly button. They can then diverge this proportion by the width of their hip at its broadest part.
Suppose a person’s waist is 26 inches, and its hips are 34 inches. In this case, we will divide the waist measure by the hips dimension and obtain a WHR of 0.76.
The association of WHR with the health risks is given below.
- WHR of 0.8 in females and 0.9 in males is at low risk.
- WHR of 0.9–0.99 in males and 0.8–0.89 in females is at moderate risk.
- WHR of over 1.0 in males and above 0.9 in females is a high health risk.
4. Body Fat Percentage
In how to find ideal body weight your body fat percentage is arguably the most important element. There are many ways to determine fat percentage in your body, and some methods that use bioelectrical impedance can measure it. It’s important because not all people have the same range for healthy boundaries based on their gender or age groupings, so knowing where you fall within these guidelines will give an accurate assessment of how much lean mass (muscle) versus unwanted visceral adipose tissue has been gained and lost over time.
The American Council on Exercise reports that men’s healthy essential body fat composition is 2% to 4%, with women’s percentage ranging from 10%-30%.
How to Measure?
To measure your body fat ratio for an ideal weight, you can have a professional measure your body lubricant with skinfold calipers, bioelectrical impedance research, or BIA, utilizing a handheld scanner. Both are unrestricted at some gyms. BIA is concerned with having an easy electrical movement communicated through your body.
Because fat delays electrical signals, the time it brings the signal to hand through the body can help assess body fat. Other more precise ways to measure body fat live are costly and demand special tools.
Recommendations
| Activity level | Male body type | Female body type |
| Athletes | 6–13% | 14–20% |
| Fit non-athletes | 14–17% | 21–24% |
| Acceptable | 18–24% | 25–31% |
| Obesity | 25% or more | 32% or more |
Summing Up – How To Find Ideal Body Weight?
Finding your ideal body weight is a personal decision. There are many ways to calculate it, and the most important thing is that you feel good about where you’re at. This article has given some tips on how to find the ideal body weight, but ultimately only YOU can decide what’s right for you! We also have significant helpful information on ideal body weight vs. adjusted bodyweight if you want to learn more.
Whatever route you take in accomplishing this goal, we wish all our readers luck in their journey towards finding their ideal body weight!
