What is my Ideal Body Weight?

Do you ever get discouraged and wonder, what weight should I be at or how much weight do I need to lose in order to be in a safer, healthier range? Today’s FAQ is here to answer that!

Want to save this post?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox.

It is the beginning of the year and we are all setting goals for ourselves, to lose weight, become more fit, gain more muscle etc. These are all great goals and ones that we are all trying to achieve, so the question is how can we achieve these goals?

I believe the first step is learning what your ideal weight is. (also see 20 questions to ask yourself if you are at a healthy weight here)

So what is your ideal weight?

This is a loaded question due to the fact that there are so many variables. In the early 1970’s, physician’s and nutritionists came up with the term “Ideal Body Weight”. Which as defined by Science Direct, is the optimal weight associated with the maximum life expectancy for a given height. (source)

Looking back, this concept had great intentions, however it wasn’t very accurate. Weight calculations have so many different factors playing into them such as, gender, ethnicity, health history, and genetics. Over time Physician’s and Dietician’s discovered a new way to analyze an individual’s ideal weight and called this method Body Mass Index or BMI.

What is BMI

Body Mass Index (BMI) is an individual’s fat percentage based on height and weight. Although calculating an individual’s BMI isn’t always 100% accurate, it gives individuals a general baseline and target weight. For individuals, understanding your optimal weight is a key to success. Having a specific goal in mind that is measurable and attainable will allow you to achieve it in a timely manner.

How to Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI)

One can Calculate BMI by taking your weight in kilograms (lbs / 2.2= kilograms) divided by your height in meters (inches * 0.0254 = meters) squared.

(Kilogram/(Meters )²) = BMI or [(LBS /((Inches)²)] x 703 = BMI
For Adults: BMI Calculator For Child and Teen: BMI Calculator

***(Calculating BMI for children and teenagers is based on the CDC growth charts, gender and age of the children and teens ages 2 – 19 years of age.) (Calculate macros and calories here!)

What should my BMI be and how is it interpreted?

According to the Center for Disease Control an average persons BMI should fall between the ranges of 18.5-24.9. Below 18.5 would represent an individual who is underweight and above 24.9 would represent individuals who are either overweight or obese.

Though BMI is a great tool to use, remember that everybody is different. However, understanding your BMI can greatly help one learn an approximate range of where their body weight should be and it should not be used to diagnose anything including exact body fat and overall health.

As we all kick off this year, let’s try to be a little better than we were last year and the first step to doing so is learning where you should be with your weight, then setting goals to help you reach a healthy desired weight.

Now who’s ready to kick this year off on the right foot!