What Is Your Ideal Weight? How to Find a Healthy Weight for Your Height
"How much should I weigh?" is one of the most common health questions, and it has a frustrating answer: there is no single perfect number. Your ideal weight is really a healthy range shaped by your height, sex, build, and more. The good news is that finding that range is simple once you know how. This guide shows you the most practical method, explains the well-known formulas, and helps you set a realistic target.
The simplest method: the healthy BMI range
The most widely used and realistic approach is to work backwards from a healthy Body Mass Index. Health authorities consider a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 to be the healthy range, and you can turn that into a weight range for your exact height.
Healthy weight ranges by height (from BMI 18.5–24.9):
- 160 cm: about 47 to 64 kg
- 170 cm: about 53 to 72 kg
- 180 cm: about 60 to 81 kg
Notice these are wide bands, not single numbers, which is exactly the point. You can find the healthy range for your own height using our BMI calculator and the BMI guide.
The classic ideal-weight formulas
Before BMI became standard, doctors used height-based formulas to estimate ideal body weight, mainly to help calculate medication doses. Four are still referenced today: Devine (1974), Robinson (1983), Miller (1983), and Hamwi (1964). They all work the same way, a base weight at five feet of height plus a set amount for each inch above that, with different numbers for men and women.
The catch is that they disagree. For the same height, these formulas can differ by around 7%, or roughly 11 pounds. That is why no single formula should be treated as the truth. They are useful estimates, but the healthy BMI range usually gives a broader and more realistic target.
Why it is a range, not one number
Several factors mean two people of the same height can both be healthy at quite different weights:
- Frame size: larger-framed people may sit 10% above a formula estimate and still be perfectly healthy.
- Muscle mass: muscle weighs more than fat, so an athletic person may weigh more without excess body fat.
- Sex: women naturally carry more essential body fat than men, so charts differ by sex.
- Age and ethnicity: healthy ranges can shift with age, and some health bodies use lower thresholds for people of South Asian descent.
This is why chasing one exact "perfect" number is the wrong goal. Aiming to stay within a healthy band is more realistic and far less stressful.
What the number is really for
An ideal weight figure is a guide, not a verdict on your health. Research links staying within a healthy weight range to lower long-term health risks, but body composition matters just as much as the number on the scale. Someone in the "healthy" BMI band can still carry excess fat, and a muscular person may read "overweight" while being very fit. Treat your ideal weight as one signal among several, alongside how you feel, your fitness, and a doctor's input.
Setting a realistic target
If your weight sits outside the healthy range and you want to change it, aim for the nearest edge of the range rather than the middle, and get there slowly. Steady change of around half a kilogram to a kilogram per week is far more sustainable than a crash effort. To plan the calories behind that, see our guide on how many calories you need to lose weight.
Find your range now
The quickest way to find your personal healthy range is to check your BMI. Enter your height and weight into our free BMI calculator; if you land between 18.5 and 24.9 you are within the healthy band, and the result explains where you sit. As always, treat it as a guide and speak to a professional about your individual circumstances.
- US National Institutes of Health (NIH) — healthy weight ranges
- World Health Organization — BMI classification
- Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi ideal body weight formulas
Frequently asked questions
- How do I find my ideal weight?
- Use the healthy BMI range (18.5–24.9) for your height, which gives a realistic weight range. A 170 cm person, for example, has a healthy range of about 53 to 72 kg.
- Is ideal weight one number or a range?
- A range. Height, sex, frame, age, and muscle all affect it, so a band is more realistic than a single figure.
- Why do the formulas disagree?
- Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi were built from different data, so they vary by several pounds. The BMI range is usually the better everyday guide.
- Can I be healthy outside the range?
- Yes, especially if you are muscular. The range is a guide, not a strict rule; body composition and overall health matter too.