Answer: It depends who you are asking…
If you ask your doctor, you will probably receive a number, reflecting your Body Mass Index (BMI), which puts you in one of the following categories: underweight malnourished, normal, overweight, obese, severely morbidly obese. Problem is BMI is not accurate at all when used to determine if you are the right weight. Why? Because it it represents a number that’s a ratio of your weight to height. It doesn’t have anything to do with your actual body fat percentage and your body fat mass to lean mass ratio.
For example, some people who are seriously overweight or even obese may ring as normal BMI and vice versa – people with high BMI (one that puts them in the overweight or obese category) may in fact have a quite low body fat percentage.
(Calculate your Ideal Body Weight here. Calculate your BMI here, if you care to know your BMI number)
It so happens that people with naturally broad frames and more muscle mass typically register as “at risk” because of higher BMI numbers, and folks with lower lean muscle mass but higher body fat percentage (skinny fat) may register as normal when in reality they are overweight or worse.
For example, I, according to the BMI, am almost on the verge to be classified as overweight. My BMI is 24.1! Anybody above 24.9 is overweight (in Japan this means obese). And… my body fat percentage is…. 7-8 percent!!! Here is a recent snap shot of me, if you want to see what means to be almost considered overweight, according to the BMI:
In short, I do not personally use BMI to determine the “right weight” or Ideal Body Weight (IBW) of a person and I don’t recommend that anybody should. Oh my, a guy came up with this formula more than 160 years ago!! And it was popularized by another guy, who made the entire world believe that saturated fats are horrible for our health!! You know who I’m talking about, right – Ancel Keys? But, hey, it’s convenient, so MDs don’t want to bother using something else, although they all know they should..
Any way, moving on..
A far more accurate measure of proper weight is a ratio, called “Weist-to-Hip” ratio (WHR). It is what you think it is. A person measures her/his waist an inch above the belly button and the hips at the widest point and divides the waist number by the hip number (waist/hip). A measure of 0.9 and above for men and 0.8 and above for women is considered dangerous, in relation to the risk of ailments of the “modern man” – you know, the self-inflicted health problems.
You say, “But, it doesn’t take into account my height and body fat percentage (Body Fat Calculator, if you care to know your bf%). Why should I use that to determine if I am the right weight?”. Good question. And, you are right to ask.
Well, listen to this. It’s been proposed recently and investigated that the Waist-to-Hip (WHR) ratio is a pretty good indicator of attractiveness. That’s right -ATTRACTIVENESS. Women with higher WHR (larger waist in relation to the hips) and men with lower WHR (smaller, more feminine waist in relation to hips) are seen as unattractive by the opposite sex.
So, if attractiveness is your first priority then the WHR should be a good number for you to play with. And, even if it isn’t, WHR should provide a good indication whether you are at risk of degenerative diseases or not.
But, here is what I’ve found to be a great AND SIMPLE formula for determining the appropriate body weight, or shall I say Ideal Body Weight (IBW) of a person. Ready? Here you go:
- If you are a FEMALE: The first 5 feet of your height = 100 lbs, and for each inch after that add 5 lbs. +/- 5-10 percent
- If you are a MALE: The first 5 feet of your height = 106 lbs, and for each inch after that add 6 lbs. +/- 5-10 percent
Why the +/- 5-10 deviation allowance? To allow for extra lean muscle mass, if above the number, or for a smaller frame, if you are below the number.
Example: A female 5’4” = 100 lbs + (4 x 5 lbs) = 120 lbs +/- 5-10 percent
I am not exactly sure who uses this simple, but accurate formula. I think the health insurance companies do, but I’m not positive positive on this. I’ve heard it on a radio show several years ago and it really made sense back then. The formula doesn’t take into account your weight and body fat percentage – just the height, I know. But, I tested it with many people, and those who hit the mark always looked great and had a normal for their height body fat percentage. I’ve used it on myself and I’ve confirmed the accuracy many times (I am within the +5 percent deviation). I’ve been using it since.
And, I suggest you do to!
And, please, don’t bother with the BMI (sigh).