How much should I weigh? Ideal Weight for my height
How much should I weigh? Is there a relation between body weight and height?
Body weight is associated with increase in fat in your body, but can also be due to increase in muscles on your body. Muscle addition normally happens with bodybuilders who are on a special muscle increasing diet.
Although excessive weight is undesirable, it may not be really life threatening. But keeping your weight in check is very beneficial as that would not only make you feel more energetic and active, but also prevent various cardiovascular (heart) diseases that may creep during the later years in your life.
What can determine if my body weight is correct for me? Are there any tools that will tell me I need to lose weight or gain weight or I am ok the way I am?
Three major tools or methods to determine if your are overweight or obese are:
- Body weight compared to your height
- Your waist size
- If you have any preexisting heart related or cardiovascular ailments
Body weight and height comparison
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is typically used by professionals to give you a quick indication of your body weight status. BMI is calculated as follows:
- BMI = weight in kilograms/(height in meters squared) OR
- BMI = (weight in pounds/(height in inches squared ))x 703
For example: if your weight is 160 pounds, and your height is 68 inches (5 feet and 8 inches), then your BMI will be
BMI = ((160/68*68)) * 703 = 24.32
Now you can look at the BMI table and see if 24.32 is good, bad or just ok.
Body Mass Index values – use the following to get a quick opinion of your weight based on your height
- 18.5 or less: Low BMI (underweight)
- 18.5 to 24.9: Medium BMI (normal weight)
- 25 to 29.9: High BMI (overweight)
- 30 and above: Very-High BMI (obese)
Based on the above BMI table, your weight is considered to be “Normal”. Again, this should let you relax, if you have other illnesses so its best to get your self checked by a professional if you have any other ailments or feel tired or fatigued most of the times.
Waist size is also a pretty good indication of your being overweight
A lot of weight is accumulated in the waist area. If you feel your waist size is more that any other person you know of the same height with “normal” BMI index, you are probably overweight.
Cardiac related heart ailments
If you are over 40 years of age, and have high cholesterol problem or have high blood pressure, hypertension, then you must watch your weight very carefully. While BMI may give you an indication of where you stand, a regular health check up by professionals every 6 months is a must.
Should I try to lose weight and excess fat? How can i shed the extra pounds and reduce my fat?
If you have the following conditions, seek professional advice:
- If you have normal health and BMI is over 30
- If you have any history of heart trouble, cholesterol and any other cardiac ailment and you BMI is over 25
- If your waist size is over 40 inches (men) and 35 inches (women), you may want to get professional advice before its tool late
Losing weight is a totally separate and vast topic. But here are some tips that may help:
- Eat a healthy breakfast, include fruits, oats, cereal
- Eat smaller meals, increase your frequency
- Cut down on fast foods, and fried foods.
- Cut down on red meat; Eat chicken and fish if you must
- Drink more water – at least 10 glasses per day spread evenly throughout the day
- Eat your dinner at least 2 hours before you go to bed
- Get a brisk walk for 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week; you need to break into a sweat.
These are by no means a complete set i instructions to lose weight, but can serve as good starting points.
So your question about “How much should I weigh” has a very long answer but this information should help you get a feel on what you need to do next to keep your weight in check and stay fit and healthy.
Let us know about your experience on losing weight. How did you do it? How much did you lose? What special diet of exercises did you undertake to reduce your weight? Post your comments and share your
8 Responses to “How much should I weigh? Ideal Weight for my height”
Leave a Reply
I have been trying to get my weight down for a while now. I weigh 120 pounds and am just 5 feet and 2 inches tall (or short). Accordingly my weight is too much for my height and I have been trying to get rid of the fat so I can fit in with what the BMI tells me. I have been exercising, eating a lot less fatty food, drinking a lot more water. I did lose some 10 pounds in 1 month, but the weight climbed back up in just a few days I stopped with my exercise routine. Its really tough to maintain your weight and your fitness levels. I really want to make sure that I do not look too fat or overweight for my height.
Reply This Comment
Weight loss is not a simple thing. it requires you to change your lifestyle and then u will get results as long as you persist with exercising.
you need to do all the 3 below
1) Weight Training
2) Cardio
3) Diet
IF you do these well and adopt it as lifestyle then you will see fantastic changes after a period of 3 to 6 months.
the only problem would be, are you motivated enough ?
Reply This Comment
I am a 45 year old male, 5 feet and 9 inches tall. I weigh about 155 pounds. Is this the right weight for my height and age? I will tell you what my daily activities are: I have a desk job, travel about 20 minutes to work, seated work almost all day – evenings I go for a walk for about 60 minutes. Brisk walking is what i do, my pulse rate goes to 120 per minute. I eat light food in the night – dinners are light – so my diet is not that bad i think. I have oatmeal and milk for breakfast, have a “not so heavy” lunch.
My question is : Do i need to reduce weight? If yes, how much? Does the BMI tell me that I am overweight? what is my Body Mass index. My doctor told me i am slightly overweight for my height and weight. Should i reduce by 5 pounds? What exercises should I undertake to lose these 5 pounds and how can i keep the weight off? i just want to make sure that i stay in line with the ideal weight requirement for my height and age.
Thanks.
Reply This Comment
I am 19 years old, 6′5″ and i weigh 260. I am an amateur body builder. Using the scale for regular people I have a BMI of 31. I wanted to know is my weight healthy? I have tried losing the extra pounds for about 3 weeks. I have gone through very extensive cardio programs, weight training programs, and various other things. It seems that I am losing some of my stomach however I cant seem to loose any weight at all.
Reply This Comment
A good start in your quest on how to become taller, is to stop eating so much junk food and avoid habits that are harmful to your healthy. So, quit the smoking, avoid drinking too much alcohol, stay away from sugary sweets and sodas, and avoid eating foods high in salt or simple carbohydrates.
Reply This Comment
How can I lose my wait in just 1 week. I am doing a job in which 8 hours I only sit so my weight is is up by 5 kg in 2 months How can I lose this weight.
Reply This Comment
Sam Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 4:08 am
First try simple things:
1. Eat 3 hours before you go to bed.
2. Eat oatmeal from breakfast
3. Eat more fruits
4. Eat smaller portions during the day
5. If at all possible, walk for at least 20 minutes per day.
Reply This Comment
I am 24 yrs old, 6′1″ and weigh about 182 lbs. I feel like I am overweight but others say I look fine. Will it be better to lose weight, if so how much? I am worried that I might become really fat when I am older so should I do it now or wait till it gets worse?
Reply This Comment