Ideal Weight & Body Measurements

According to the federal government, more than 60 percent of Americans are considered to be overweight or obese. Although body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio calculators --- often found at fitness, health and government websites --- can help you determine ideal body weight and body measurements, keep in mind that age, muscle-to-fat ratio and bone density should also be taken into account. Ideal body weight and measurements vary from person to person.

Benefits

Calculating your body measurements on a regular basis can help you set goals for weight loss. If you are overweight or obese, you are at a high risk for many serious health conditions, including heart disease, strokes, certain forms of cancer, type 2 diabetes and gallbladder disease. Other conditions, such as sleep apnea and irregular menstrual periods, are also the result of carrying too much fat.

Body Mass Index

The body mass index, or BMI, is the most popular way of calculating if you are within an ideal weight range. It is derived from how your weight relates to your height. Enter your height and weight into an online BMI calculator. If your BMI is less than 18.5, you are considered underweight. If your score is between 18.5 and 25, your BMI is considered to be ideal. If your BMI is between 25 and 30, you are considered to be overweight. A person with a BMI higher than 30 is classified as obese.

Children's BMI

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a BMI calculator for children and teens. It is for ages 2 through 19. The CDC also maintains a BMI spreadsheet for schools to calculate BMI-for-age for up to 2,000 children. The "Children's BMI Tool for Schools" is a Microsoft Excel document that can be downloaded from the CDC website.

Body Fat and Weight Circumference

Measuring waist-to-hip ratio is another way to determine if your weight or body type is ideal. Enter your waist and hip measurements into an online tool and specify your gender. The scoring scale is different for men and women. Your result determines if you are at risk for problems related to being overweight. Men are at risk if they have a WHR above 1 and women if their WHR is above 0.9.

Drawbacks

BMI does not take into consideration muscle mass and may not give an accurate estimate for athletes and those with muscular builds. It may also underestimate body fat in senior citizens who have lost muscle mass. Although some feel that WHR is a better measurement tool than BMI, it is important to note that WHR does not accurately reflect your total body fat percentage.