The Ideal Height, Weight & Bmi

When you are at the ideal weight for your height, you will not only look better but also enjoy at new level of health. Being overweight puts you at higher risk for many diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Over time, doctors and health professionals have changed the way they determine the ideal weight for a given height. These professionals now consider different measurements to be ideal than those that they used in the past. Health professionals take into into account factors such as your gender, age and the amount of muscle you have when determining the best weight for your height.

Met Life Height Weight Charts

Before 1980, medical professionals used the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Height and Weight Charts to determine the ideal weight for height of an individual. The insurance industry created these charts using not medical studies but life insurance data on which weights had the lowest mortality rates for an individual of a given height for those aged 25 to 59. These charts give you ideal weights based on frame size and height. Since 1984 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics have moved toward using BMI instead of these charts for reporting the prevalence of overweight individuals.

BMI

As of 2010, the most common calculation used for adults is the body mass index, or BMI. This calculation uses your height and weight to estimate the percentage of fat in your body. The World Health Organization considers a number between 18.5 and 24.9 to be in the healthy range for adults. Pediatricians rely on weight-for-height charts and BMI-for-age charts because a healthy BMI for a child depends on age.

BMI Considerations

If you are a weightlifter or a well-muscled athlete, BMI may not accurately predict your health risks. BMI doesn't differentiate between lean muscle mass and fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you have very low levels of fat and high levels of muscle, your BMI may categorize you as overweight, or even as obese.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Doctors use another calculation, the waist-to-hip ratio, as well as BMI, especially for older individuals. According to the American Association of Family Physicians, the lower your waist-to-hip ratio, the lower your risk for heart attack. This makes the waist-to-hip ratio a better predictor for heart disease than BMI. Monitor this measurement when you are trying to determine whether you are at a healthy weight for your height.

Expert Insight

Dr. Cedric X. Bryant, the chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, recommends using more than just one number, whether it is BMI or your weight, to determine whether or not you are at a healthy weight. You need to take into consideration other factors, including weight distribution, body composition, family history and medical history in order to come up with a weight that is healthy and achievable for you.