Your ideal weight isn't only determined by your height. You must also account for your gender and body frame to arrive at the appropriate number of pounds. The reason for this is that women tend to weigh less than men, even at the same height, and the larger you body frame, the more pounds you tend to carry. Someone with a medium frame has an ideal weight that's less than someone with a larger frame and more than someone with a smaller frame.
Body Frame
Measuring the circumference of your wrist is the easiest method of determining your body frame size. According to the National Institutes of Health, men are considered medium-framed with a wrist circumference of anywhere between 6 1/2 and 7 1/2 inches. Anything below or above this range is a small or large frame, respectively. Women under 5 feet 2 inches have a medium frame with a wrist circumference of 5 1/2 to 5 3/4 inches, while women over 5 feet 5 inches have a medium frame with a wrist circumference of 6 1/4 to 6 1/2 inches. Women falling between the heights of 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 5 inches are considered medium-framed with circumferences of 6 to 6 1/4 inches. Like men, anything below or above these ranges for the specific heights are small or large frame, respectively.
Ideal Weight
Determining your ideal weight with a medium frame is quite simple. The equation only accounts for your gender and inches of height. Men simply take 106 lbs. for their first 5 feet and then add 6 lbs. to this number for each additional inch, explains the National Institutes of Health. At 5 feet 6 inches tall, a medium-framed male should weigh roughly 142 lbs. A woman's ideal weight is slightly less than a man of the same height. For women, start off with 100 lbs. for the first 5 feet and then another 5 lbs. for every inch above this height. At 5 feet 6 inches tall, a medium-framed female should weigh roughly 130 lbs.
Body Mass Index
Besides the number of pounds, you can determine whether you're a healthy weight for your height by looking at your body mass index, or BMI. This equation doesn't factor in body frame, but is often considered a "reliable indicator of body fatness," asserts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To determine your BMI, multiply your weight by 703. Divide this number by your height in inches and then divide it again by your height in inches. A man weighing 142 lbs. and measuring 5 feet 6 inches tall has a BMI of 22.9, while a woman weighing 130 lbs. and measuring 5 feet 6 inches tall has a BMI of 20.9. Both of these numbers fall within the healthy range for body mass index.
BMI Categories
With body mass index, a healthy range is considered anywhere between 18.5 and 24.9. Any number less than this range is categorized as underweight, whereas anything above is deemed overweight, obese or morbidly obese. Looking at the aforementioned examples gives you some indication that a few added pounds won't necessarily translate into a designation of overweight, so weighing a little more than your ideal weight isn't unhealthy. You can fluctuate 5 lbs. from week to week without negatively affecting your body mass index.
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