Ideal Weight Calculator

Ideal Weight Calculator
7 min read

The ideal Weight Calculator estimates the ideal weight based on age and height. It provides results from the popular Devine formula. The ideal weight calculation is a thumb rather than based on health research.Ideal Weight Calculator

IBW was introduced to estimate dosages for medical use, and the formulas used to calculate it are unrelated to how a person looks at a given weight. The metabolism of certain drugs is based on IBW, which is total body weight. This IBW is used widely throughout sports. It is not a perfect measurement that cannot consider the percentages of body fat and muscle in a person's body. Persons who are highly fit, healthy athletes are considered overweight based on IBW. It is an imperfect measure and not indicative of health. All Calculator.net's 

The first significant step that you can take to be healthy is to know about your ideal body weight. Obesity and overweight are the major cause of lifestyle disease. It causes heart disease, diabetes, stroke, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, metabolic syndrome, and types of cancer. IBW calculator is gender specific, with men heavier for a given height when compared to women.

What is the Ideal weight?

The weight scale involves different factors, including height, muscle-fat ratio, body fat distribution, gender, and other physiological conditions. The common steps to determine your ideal weight are

  • Body Mass Index
  • Waist-to-Hip Ratio,
  • Body Fat Percentage.

How to calculate the Ideal weight?

Body Mass Index (BMI)

By measuring your body mass index, you can determine whether your weight is within the ideal range. This calculation measures weight about your height to determine overall mass. You can use a BMI calculator, or you can calculate by using the formula:

BMI = kg/m^2

BMI scale

BMI below 18.5 –underweight

BMI between 18.5 – 24.9 – normal

BMI between 25 and 29.9 – overweight

BMI of 30 or more – obesity

A very high BMI indicates overweight and poor health. In contrast, a very low BMI indicates health problems, including weakened immune function, bone loss, and iron deficiency anemia. BMI estimates the right weight and can measure a person's healthy weight or excess pounds.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR)

The Waist-to-Hip ratio measurement helps you to check how much fat is stored in your hips, waist, etc. Do the following steps to measure your exact weight.

  • To get the hip circumference, take the measuring tape around the widest part of your hips.
  • To get waist circumference, take a measuring tape and breathe normally. Breathe and warp the tape around the smallest part above the belly button, which is the natural waistline. 
  • Calculate WHR, and divide waist circumference (WC) by your hip circumference (HC)

WHR = WC/HC.

 A healthy hip-to-waist ratio is different for men and women. According to WHO, a good ratio is 0.9 for men and 0.85 or less for women.

Body Fat Percentage

You can measure body fat percentage by dividing the body's weight by total weight. Here is the formula:

 BFD = WBD / TW.

How should I weigh?

Age 

A large determinant of an IBW is past the ages of 14-15 for girls and 16-17 for boys after people stop growing. Human males and females lose 1.5 and 2 inches in height by age 70. It is important to remember that lean muscle mass decreases as people age, and it is easier to accumulate excess body fat. It is possible to lessen the effects of aging by adopting habits such as monitoring diet, stress, exercise, and sleep.

Gender

Females weigh less than males. They naturally have a higher percentage of body fat. The male body generally has higher muscle mass, and muscle is heavier than fat. Women have lower bone density. Males tend to be taller than females.

Height

The taller persons, the more muscle mass and body fat they have which results in more weight. A male at a similar height to a female should weigh about 10-20% heavier.

Body Frame Size

Body frame size has an impact on the measurement of ideal weight. It is categorized as small, medium, or large-boned. The circumference of a person's wrist about their height as shown below:

Women

Height under 5’2”

  • Small boned = wrist size less than 5.5."
  • Medium boned = wrist size 5.5" to 5.75."
  • Large boned = wrist size over 5.75."

Height between 5’2” and 5’5”

  • Small boned = wrist size less than 6."
  • Medium boned = wrist size 6” to 6.25."
  • Large boned = wrist size over 6.25."

Height over 5’5”

  • Small boned = wrist size less than 6.25."
  • Medium boned = wrist size 6.25” to 6.5."
  • Large boned = wrist size over 6.5."

Men

Height over 5’5”

  • Small boned = wrist size 5.5” to 6.5."
  • Medium boned = wrist size 6.5” to 7.5."
  • Large boned = wrist size over 7.5."

How is ideal weight calculated?

The equations were developed by use of doctors to find drug dosages. They overestimate ideal weight at shorter heights and underestimate it at taller heights. 

Ideal weight calculator for men!

Robinson formula (1983) – 52 kg + 1.9 kg per every inch over 5 feet

Miller formula (1983) – 56.2 kg + 1.41 kg per every inch over 5 feet

Hamwi formula (1964) – 48.0 kg + 2.7 kg per every inch over 5 feet

Devine formula (1974) – 50.0 kg + 2.3 kg per every inch over 5 feet

Ideal weight calculator for women!

Robinson formula (1983) – 49 kg + 1.7 kg per every inch over 5 feet

Miller formula (1983) – 53.1 kg + 1.36 kg per every inch over 5 feet

Hamwi formula (1964) – 45.5 kg + 2.2 kg per every inch over 5 feet

Devine formula (1974) – 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg per every inch over 5 feet

Equations for ideal weight!

Weight in pounds = 5 X BMI + (BMI divided by 5) x (Height in inches minus 60)

Weight in kilograms = 2.2 x BMI + (3.5 X BMI) x (Height in meters minus 1.5)

Healthy BMI Range

The healthy BMI range is the same for both men and women, and the healthy weight range is a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9, with a body mass index of 22 in the middle of that range. The higher BMI, the higher the chance a person will suffer from health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Limitations of IBW calculator

  • The formulas are designed to apply to as wide a range of people as possible.  
  • The formulas factor only in height and gender.
  • There are no considerations for physical handicaps. People on the extreme ends of the spectrum have activity levels, or muscle mass to body fat ratios, known as body composition. 

Ideal weight calculator used as a general guideline based on popular formulas. These results are not intended as strict values, and a person is considered an ideal weight.

In case you have found a mistake in the text, please send a message to the author by selecting the mistake and pressing Ctrl-Enter.
Leon Nick 2
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