How Much Should You Weigh Based on Your Height and Age? (2024)

We live in a weight-obsessed society. We all want to know how we stack up against the ‘norm’ when we step on the scale. The reality is that there is no ‘norm’ for how much you should weigh based on your height and age. That’s because your weight is affected by many variables, including your body composition.

That said, several charts and guidelines have been published by government departments and health authorities that purport to lay out the ideal weight for height and age.

During my 30+ years as a personal trainer, I’ve worked one-on-one with close to a thousand people to help them achieve their ideal weight. The first question I’m asked by most of them is, ‘How much should I weigh?’ So, I’ve spent much time helping people get a realistic answer to this fundamental question.

In this article, we’ll analyze the weight for height and age statistics and explain why they shouldn’t be taken as gospel. We’ll also provide guidance on the most accurate way to measure your weight, considering how much muscle and fat you carry on your frame.

Height-Weight Chart Statistics

Height weight charts have been used to measure health since the early 19th century. In 1832, a Belgian mathematician named Adolphe Quetelet developed the body mass index or BMI. Quetelet used the BMI to study population growth, not health status.

Over the years, insurance companies have used BMI to determine whether a person fits within a specific ‘healthy’ range for classification purposes. Then, in 1972, American scientist Ancel Keys promoted BMI to assess obesity levels. It is now used extensively to categorize people according to the following classifications:

• Underweight
• Normal weight
• Overweight
• Obese

The formula for working out your BMI is to divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared.

Here’s an example of how to work out the BMI of a 200-pound person who is 5’11.

Firstly, we need to convert pounds and feet to kilograms and meters.

• 200 pounds = 90.72 kg
• 5’11” = 1.8 meters

We can now make use of the formula:

BMI = weight in kg/height in meters squared

Let’s now plug in our figures:

• BMI = 90.72 / (1.8)²
• BMI = 90.72 / 3,24
• BMI = 28

If you want to bypass the calculations, you can use our online BMI calculator.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have provided the following BMI categories:

1. Underweight: BMI less than 18.5
2. Normal weight: BMI 18.5 to 24.9
3. Overweight: BMI 25.0 to 29.9
4. Obesity:
   1. Class 1: BMI 30.0 to 34.9
   2. Class 2: BMI 35.0 to 39.9
   3. Class 3 (also known as severe or morbid obesity): BMI 40.0 or higher

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has published the following weight and height chart, which aligns with the CDC BMI classifications:

To read the table, locate your height in the left column, then run your finger along that row to find your weight. At the top of that column, you will see your BMI.

Problems with BMI

Although physicians and insurance companies worldwide still use BMI to determine a person’s health status, it has some obvious flaws. Here’s what you need to know to help put the BMI into proper perspective:

BMI Ignores Body Composition

Body composition relates to the amount of fat versus muscle you have on your body. When you step on a standard scale, you get an overall weight reading that doesn’t differentiate between fat and muscle. We can see why this matters if we go back to our example of a 200-pound person who is 5’11”.

A 200-pound person carrying too much body fat around their waist will have the same BMI as a 200-pound bodybuilder with six percent body fat. Both of them would be overweight according to the CDC categories.

Because muscle is a lot denser than fat, it adds significantly to your scale weight. As a result, the more muscle you have on your frame, the closer you are going to get to the obese category, leading to higher insurance premiums and a negative health diagnosis.

BMI Ignores Age

The body mass index does not consider a person’s age. On its website, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute warns that BMI is prone to underestimating body fat in older persons who have lost muscle mass. In other words, a 70-year-old with the same BMI as a 25-year-old is likely to have more fat due to their lower level of muscle mass. [1]

BMI Does Not Factor in Ethnicity

By focusing on just two parameters — weight and height — the body mass index ignores a person’s ethnic background. This may be especially problematic for people of Asian origin. According to the Mayo Clinic website, “BMI may underestimate risk for people of Asian descent, in part because it doesn’t factor in the risk associated with excess abdominal fat, (which is slightly greater among southeast Asians).” [2]

BMI Does Not Distinguish Gender

Another obvious failing of the BMI is that it does not differentiate between males and females. Men have a significantly higher amount of bone tissue and muscle mass than women of the same height, which affects their total weight.

Internal organs, such as the heart, lungs, and liver, are also larger in men, affecting overall weight. Finally, men and women naturally store fat in different body parts. Women are more prone to subcutaneous rather than visceral fat distribution. This affects the relative health risk of weight gain among the genders. Yet, this is not accounted for in the BMI.

What is the Average Weight of Americans?

It’s no secret that, as a population, Americans are overweight. So, comparing yourself to the average American is not a good way to gauge your health. But it does provide an interesting point of measure; we all want to know how we stack up against the ‘average Joe (or Jill).’

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that the average weight of an American male is 197.9 pounds. To help put that figure into perspective, the average male height is 5’9”.

That means that, according to the BMI, the average American male is 29.2, putting him in the overweight category. According to the CDC, the ideal weight for a 5’9” male is between 126 and 169 pounds.

A woman’s average height and weight in the United States is 5’4” and 170 pounds. So, her BMI is also 29.2, putting her in the overweight category along with her male counterpart. The CDC’s ideal weight range for this female is 108 to 145 pounds.

Weight by Age Guidelines

The Body Mass Index does not consider a person’s age. Yet, we know several physiological changes that affect our weight as we get older.

From about the age of 30, we start to lose muscle mass at a rate of 3-8% per decade. At the same time, the body produces less of the critical anabolic hormone testosterone and growth hormone, making it harder to gain muscle. Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than body fat, so the less we have, the fewer calories we’ll burn.

Metabolism also slows as we age, meaning you naturally burn fewer calories at rest. Hormonal changes, notably reduced estrogen secretion in women, can also lead to weight gain. Older people may also be more likely to use medications that include weight gain as a side effect.

With all these factors in mind, checking your weight against height and weight charts can be interesting. Remember, though, that these figures ignore body weight composition.

Here is a chart displaying the Centers for Disease Control’s weight averages by age:

Male Weight Averages

Female Weight Averages

What are Some More Accurate Ways to Measure Your Weight?

By now, it should be pretty clear that relying on weight, height, age charts, and BMI will not give you a very accurate rendering of your healthy weight or health status. Fortunately, there are better ways to do it.

Here are three methods I use with my personal training clients to help them see what is happening with their bodies:

Waist Circumference

Measuring your waist circumference is a speedy way to get a general idea of how healthy your weight is, especially for men. Males tend to accumulate body fat around their midline. This consists of visceral fat, which sits deep around the body organs, and subcutaneous fat, which resides under the skin.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to measuring your waist circumference:

1. Take off your top to measure around your belly with direct skin contact.
2. Stand upright with your shoulders pulled back and feet together. Do not slouch.
3. Use a measuring tape to measure around your belly button in inches. Make sure that the tape is parallel to the floor.

Harvard Health Publishing has published the following waist circumference guidelines for health risks. [3]

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Following on from your waist measurement is your waist-to-hip ratio. While this measurement won’t tell you much about your ideal weight, it does provide a valuable health indicator. The more significant the difference between your hips and waist, the healthier you are.

Here is how to work out your waist-to-hip ratio:

1. Measure your waist as directed above.
2. Measure your hips, ensuring that the tape is parallel to the floor all the way around.
3. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement.

Here’s the calculation for a guy with a 37.5-inch waist and 44-inch hips:

37.5 / 44 = 0.85

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published the following waist-to-hip healthy range guidelines. [4]

• Men: 0.9 or less
• Women: 0.8 or less

Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is the most accurate measure of your body composition. That’s because it isolates your body fat from your lean body mass. Your body fat percentage is the percentage of your total weight that consists of fat. It excludes muscle tissue, bone, blood, internal organs, and every other part of you except for your fat content.

Go here to work out your body fat percentage.

The healthy body fat range differs between men and women. Women naturally carry more internal fat around their hips, breasts, and genitals. As a result, their health levels are higher than those of men. The ranges also change according to age.

As we get older, we naturally carry more fat and less muscle. This results from a slower metabolism and lower testosterone as the decades roll by.

Healthy Body Fat Levels for Men

• 18-30: 10-16%
• 30-50: 12-18%
• 50+: 14-20%

Healthy Body Fat Levels for Women

• 18-30: 14-21%
• 30-50: 15-23%
• 50+: 16-25%

As you can see, the ranges in each age group are pretty broad. A person who achieved a body fat percentage at the lowest level in each age group would be lean compared to their contemporaries.

Unfortunately, these ideal healthy body fat percentages are far from the norm. Many people have much higher levels of body fat as a result of their lifestyle. The high rate of obesity has lifted the averages across the board.

To be classified as obese, you need to have a body fat percentage at or above the following:

• Men: 25%
• Women: 32%

What Your Body Looks Like at Different Body Fat Levels

Men

The images above represent body fat percentages ranging from extremely lean (3-4%) to extremely obese (40%). They allow you to get a good idea of where you are sitting right now. All you have to do is stand with your top off in front of a mirror and compare yourself to the pictures.

The chart also allows you to identify your goal body fat percentage. You can then lock that image into your brain as a motivational booster to help propel you to that goal. It is easier to have a visual representation of your goal body in your mind than a number.

In the bottom row, we see the three guys who are in the obesity category. Men naturally store their extra calories around their belly, and the higher the body fat percentage, the larger the belly.

You will remember that 25% is the trigger that rates you as obese. So, if you are higher than that, your long-term goal should be to get out of the obesity zone. Achieve this through a combination of nutrition and exercise.

We see a range from 15 to 25% in the second row. This is the range that most guys tend to find themselves in. As you can see, even at a level of between 15 and 20%, you are starting to get some definition in your abdominal area. At around 17% body fat, the top row of abs will begin to appear.

By the time you get down to 15%, you will have more definition throughout the entire midline. If you have been training your abs, you will have a lot more definition at this level than if your midsection is untrained.

To achieve peak ab conditioning, including your intercostals and every row of abdominals, you must be down to 10-11%.

The top row of the chart is where we start getting to the extreme level. You must be very dedicated to maintaining a body fat percentage of less than 10%. This is the level where professional athletes and competitive bodybuilders reside.

Women

[image courtesy www.athleanonline.com]

For women, the obesity level starts at 32%. However, as you can see, between 20 and 30% of the body looks a lot more athletic than it does for men in the same range.

Women will actually start to get a little definition in the upper abs at around 22%. Under 20%, a woman will begin to take on that toned, athletic look that many desire. Once she gets under 16%, her abs will be clearly visible.

Women are not recommended to get below 13% body fat, as it can compromise their reproductive capacity. At such a low body fat, a woman cannot menstruate, and her ability to get pregnant may be compromised.

Conclusion

There is no definitive answer to how much you should weigh based on your height and weight. As we’ve seen, relying on these two parameters will not give you an accurate gauge of healthy weight. As a result, the body mass index and charts based on it are also not the best guide.

We recommend using your waist measurement, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage as the most accurate methods to determine your healthy weight range.

Need to lose body fat? Check out the five unbreakable rules for effective weight loss direct from an ex-marine and PT.

References

Fitness Volt is committed to providing our readers with science-based information. We use only credible and peer-reviewed sources to support the information we share in our articles.

1. Assessing Your Weight and Health Risk. (n.d.). https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/risk.htm
2. Mayo Clinic BMI and waist circumference calculator. (2020, April 23). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/in-depth/bmi-calculator/itt-20084938
3. Harvard Health Publishing. (2017). “Abdominal Obesity and Your Health”
4. Safety, N. A. F. (2011, May 16). Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241501491

If you have any questions or need further clarification about this article, please leave a comment below, and Steve will get back to you as soon as possible.