What’s My Ideal Weight | Calculating Body Mass Index for Women and Men

If you are looking to shed off excess weight from your body, you definitely need to know your ideal weight. You need to maintain balance and be able to determine when enough is enough when it comes to quick weight loss. Knowing your ideal weight can help you in your quest to lose weight naturally without having to revert to crash diets, which are dangerous and can cause serious repercussions to your health.

As much as you’d want to focus on eliminating fat and calories off your body, it is important to note that calories serve their own function in your body. But exactly just how much calories must you consume or shed off? The truth is that you cannot employ a “one size fits all” approach. Each person is different and therefore you must begin with your ideal weight calculation according to your body size and type. In addition, the ideal weight varies depending on whether you are a male or a female. You can learn more about this below.

Ideal Body Weight for Women

The average weight for women who are five feet tall is around 100 pounds. For every inch above the 5-feet barometer you can add 5 more pounds of body weight. On the other hand, you must subtract 5 pounds for every inch below 5-feet. For example, a woman who stands at 5 feet and 2 inches should weight approximately 110 pounds. Meanwhile, a woman who stands 4 feet and 10 inches should weigh around 90 pounds.

Some knowledge on how to find BMI or body mass index is crucial in determining your ideal weight to height. When calculating the ideal weight, the frame of the body should also be taken into consideration apart from the height. It makes logical sense that a large framed person is heavier than a medium framed person who is in turn heavier than a small framed person. You can determine your own frame by measuring your wrist with the use of a measuring tape. If your wrist measures six inches, then you have a medium frame. If your wrist measures less than six inches, then you have a small frame and you have to subtract 10 percent from the average weight for women to determine your own ideal weight. If your wrist measures beyond 6 inches, then you are large framed. In this case you must add 10 percent to the ideal weight for average sized women in order to determine yours.

Ideal Body Weight for Men

Unlike the average weight for women, the ideal body weight for men with a height of five feet is at 106 pounds. When a man is above or below five feet in height, you have to add or subtract 6 pounds for every corresponding inch respectively.

As in the case of women, the body frame can also impact a man’s ideal weight and you can use the wrist measurement to determine your own frame type. For men though, seven inches will be used as the standard wrist measurement. If your wrist measurement is at exactly seven inches, then you have a medium frame. Any measurement below seven inches is considered small frame and measurements above seven inches are treated as large frame. For small and large frames, you can find your own ideal weight by subtracting or adding 10 percent to the calculated weight.

Maintaining Ideal Weight

Your effort on a quick and easy weight loss method does not end in determining the answer to “what’s my ideal weight?” If you look online you can find free ideal weight charts and calculators that will enable you to establish your ideal weight according to your height and body frame. At this point you can adjust your dieting approach and exercise regime based on your ideal weight. If you are unable to do this by yourself you can work this out with your doctor, nutritionist or personal trainer. The truth is that by arriving to your ideal weight will not only make you look better but it will also make you feel better. Being at your ideal weight also means limiting any potential health risks that you can have in the future.