Is There Such a Thing as "Ideal Weight" ?

[mango19]

Does anyone believe there exists an ideal weight for each person - not only health wise but supposedly appearance wise? If so, do you think it is as simple as taking someone's height and plugging it into one of the charts?

[Fallen_Horse]

BF% is MUCH more important than total weight or BMI...

[Jason]

This would be an approximate ideal weight for health.

Woman: 95 pounds for 5 feet tall, then 4 pounds for every inch above that.

Men: 105 pounds for 5 feet tall, then 5 pounds for every inch above that.

[VeganEssentials]

This would be an approximate ideal weight for health.

Woman: 95 pounds for 5 feet tall, then 4 pounds for every inch above that.

Men: 105 pounds for 5 feet tall, then 5 pounds for every inch above that.

 

If I went by that guideline, even for health, I'd look so bad that people would literally be throwing food at me, begging me to eat something For me to fathom weighing in around 165, I'd look like Christian Bale in The Machinst with that super-anorexic style look.

 

Frame has to be greatly considered for most people. With my build, even if I didn't lift and had minimal extra muscle mass, my ideal weight would be about 190 lbs. or so. Runs in the family - I have a sister who is about 5'6" and her ideal weight based off her build is about 150 lbs. since she's got a giant frame like I do. Because she lifts a lot, she comes in around 180 and doesn't have that much extra fat on her body (if she lost about 20 lbs., she'd be pretty darned ripped!)

[Jason]

If I went by that guideline, even for health, I'd look so bad that people would literally be throwing food at me, begging me to eat something For me to fathom weighing in around 165, I'd look like Christian Bale in The Machinst with that super-anorexic style look.

 

You are right, almost anybody using that formula would be called anorexic, skinny, scrawny, unhealthy etc.

My response was purely for health.

The old pinch an inch at the waist is a very good, very easy guideline to use.

I dont' care how much I weigh, I just want to wear my high school 501 jeans again.

 

The Longer Your Waistline, The Shorter Your Life

As a good rule of thumb: for optimum health and longevity, a man should have no more than one-half inch of

skin that he can pinch near his umbilicus (belly button) and a woman should not have more than one inch.

Almost any fat on the body over this minimum is a health risk. If you have gained even as little as ten pounds

since the age of eighteen or twenty, then you could be at significant increased risk of health problems as

heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The truth is that most people who think they are at the

right weight still have too much fat on their body.

[blabbate]

This would be an approximate ideal weight for health.

Woman: 95 pounds for 5 feet tall, then 4 pounds for every inch above that.

Men: 105 pounds for 5 feet tall, then 5 pounds for every inch above that.

So let's see ... I'm 6'2", so 175 lbs? Seriously? I was 171 about 8 weeks ago, and I was told to gain weight. A coworker asked a friend of mine if I had an eating disorder. Because frame and body composition matter so much, even an approximate ideal can be wildly inaccurate. If you go by BMI, I should be about 167 or so, and I'd look positively anemic.

 

However, if I use body fat % and a mirror, I can almost ignore weight altogether. In fact, as long as my bf stays low, I think the more weight the better.

[GinaKina]

Oh my gosh, I would have to be 111 lbs. I don't think I have ever weighed that much.

[FormicaLinoleum]

This would be an approximate ideal weight for health.

Woman: 95 pounds for 5 feet tall, then 4 pounds for every inch above that.

Men: 105 pounds for 5 feet tall, then 5 pounds for every inch above that.

Whoa! I'm 5'5", so that would put my "ideal" at about 115. I'm about 150. I know I'd survive if I lost a bit, but I can't imagine getting anywhere near that low! For most of my post-pubescent life I was around 140 and that seemed pretty good on me.

 

On the other hand, my partner is about 5'4" and barely 110. Obviously, she is much thinner than I am, but it seems pretty natural for her. I can't imagine her being close to my weight, but I also can't imagine me being close to hers.

 

We eat and exercise pretty similarly, but have totally different body types. I tend to carry a fair amount of muscle mass even without trying, whereas she has very little muscle.

 

So I guess it's pretty much what VE said--it varies. I figure it's more important to worry about being healthy in terms of eating and exercise.

[DV]

I was my "ideal" 135 lbs a few times in my adult life. I looked like a scarecrow. Actually, I've been 140 lbs or less my entire life and it's made gaining muscle, especially on my lower body, very difficult and slow.

[bodybag]

I'm 6' 1". My ideal weight would be 210lbs 5% bodyfat.