How Much Should I Weigh?

Knowing how much you should weigh is a very complicated question. Your weight is a measure of everything in your body: fat, bones, and muscles. Since muscle weighs more than fat, two people that are the same weight and height could look totally different and their health could also be different.

Lets compare two people; one is a couch potato and the other is an athlete.

• The couch potato has a big abdomen, hips, and thighs and also has a lot of fat in his body and blood while having very little muscle.
• The athlete, on the other hand, has very little fat and a lot of muscle and a small waist and trim body.

Their weight and height may be the same, but their general health is not.

There are several factors which need to be considered when evaluating the ideal weight for an individual: height, bone density and hip to waist ratio.

Ideal Weight for Height

There is no set weight that is ideal for a certain height. Often, a person goes on a diet and starts working out, only to gain weight. This can happen because they are gaining muscle mass and losing fat, but the muscle mass weighs more than the fat they lost. But, that is alright, because they are getting healthier.

There are weight/height charts that will give you a general idea of the right weight for you. Here are some examples from a weight/height chart. As you can see, it is a range of weights, so that other factors can be considered.

For men:

• 5' 5", weight - 122 - 150 lbs
• 5' 10", weight - 149 - 183 lbs
• 6' 3", weight - 176 - 216 lbs

For women: 

• 5' 5", weight - 113 - 138 lbs
• 5' 10", weight - 135 - 165 lbs
• 6' 3", weight - 158 - 193 lbs

Bone Density

When considering your ideal weight you also need to consider bone density. A person with osteoporosis will have less bone density and will weigh less than another with the same body shape and size but may have a large waist and lots of fat on their body. 

Waist Hip Ratio

Another thing to consider when considering your ideal weight is your Waist Hip Ratio or WHR. To calculate your WHR, divide the measurement of your waist, taken just above your belly button, and divide that by the measurement of your hips, which is taken at the widest part of your hips. This ratio can show your risk for heart-related health problems.

• For a male, less than 0.9 shows a low risk, 0.9 to 0.99 show a moderate risk, and 1.0 or more shows a high risk.
• For women, less than 0.8 is low, 0.8 to 0.89 is moderate, and 0.9 or higher is high.

Defining Obesity

One out of every three Americans is considered to be obese. There is a formula based on your height and weight to determine if you are obese. It is called the Body Mass Index, or BMI.

The BMI is calculated by taking your weight and multiplying it by 703. Then you divide that resulting number by the square of your height in inches. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and are 5 feet 8 inches tall (68 inches), your BMI is 140,600 divided by 4624. Your BMI would be 30.41.

Here's how the BMI scores evaluate the person's weight:

• Normal weight - BMI between 18.5 and 24.0
• Overweight - BMI between 25.0 and 29.9
• Obese - BMI of 30.0 or higher
• Severely or morbidly obese - BMI of 40 or higher and may have serious health problems

When evaluating your weight remember to take into account your body composition, height, shape, and overall health.