Have you ever asked yourself ‘How much should I weigh’?

Or, “Do I weigh too much‘?

How much should I weigh for my height and age?

You no longer need to be confused about this. Find out how much you should weigh and measure your BMI with our handy calculator below that can be used for both males and females and measured in inches or meters.

How much should I weigh?

Of course you could just look at yourself in the mirror and make your own judgement, but for health reasons it may be important to know what’s a normal weight and what weight is too high for your age. It will give you an idea about your ideal body weight and what a person’s weight should be.

According to this article from the CDC, obesity and being overweight can lead serious overall health problems, so it’s definitely worth to pay attention to this.

Then, if you find out that you are too heavy for your height and age or you fall into the overweight or obesity range, you can do something about it and achieve your ideal body weight.

The Body Mass Index Chart & the BMI formula

The Body Mass Index or BMI is generally used to measure human body fat based on a person’s weight and height. Body mass index is defined as the individual’s body weight divided by the square of his or her height.

Sometimes you may think that you’re overweight, but it may actually be that you just have a higher muscle mass. Muscle mass is heavier than fat so this may contribute to your higher weight.

How much should I weigh: The weight height Chart

The below graph shows what the normal weight would be (both in pounds and kilograms) for your height (both in centimeters and inches).

Just follow your height number to your current weight and see which box you end up in.

how much should i weigh

For your weight in pounds look at the top and for your weight in kilograms check the bottom of your chart.

I’m currently 60 kg and my height is 1.73 cm. I end up in the yellow area which means that my weight is in a normal range.

Check below the healthy weight ranges (BMI score) for women.

How much should i weigh for my height and age - BMI chart for women | 40plusstyle.com

Women who want to achieve a healthy weight need to have a BMI of 18.5 – 24.9.

Is this information from the BMI calculator reliable?

In most cases, your BMI score will give you an easy and quick indicator of your “fatness” or “thinness”.

However, the results from the BMI test are not always accurate and should not be relied upon as an authority for medical diagnosis or as medical advice.

Some people tend to have a lot of muscles or muscle mass (which tend to weigh heavier) and for those people a completely wrong BMI range could result.

The number can also vary depending on whether you have a small frame or a large frame.

You should also pay attention to fat distribution. Many women, but especially men carry a lot of their weight on their belly which is unhealthy according to this article by the New York Times and will put your in a higher risk for potential problems.

Your BMI score will, however, give you a good indicator and if you have any doubts or concerns, see your physician.

Many of you will be able to tell if your high BMI score is due to too much fat or too much muscle mass, just by looking at yourself.

Check below the healthy weight ranges (BMI score) for men.

How much should a man weigh - BMI chart for men | 40plusstyle.com

How important is a healthy weight?

A healthy body weight is not just about looking good, it is actually very important for your overall wellbeing. A healthy weight will lead to the prevention of many illnesses and an overall better quality of life.

Here are just a few reasons why making sure that you are not too heavy is important.

  • Being overweight puts you at risk of many chronic and potentially lethal diseases, like high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, stroke and gall bladder disease, diabetes to name but a few.
  • It often causes you to move less which can lead to other issues (like sitting too much)
  • It often lowers you self esteem which can influence your mental health

Here are a few reasons why making sure you are not underweight is important

  • Being underweight is just as unhealthy and can lead to a number of health complications, some of them life-threatening.
  • It will lead to a lack energy which will influence all areas of your life negatively
  • It often lowers you self esteem which can influence your mental health

Here are some estimates and statistics from the World Health Organization (read more here)

  • Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.
  • In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese.
  • 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13% were obese.
  • Most of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
  • 39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2020.
  • Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.

If the current trend continues, the overall weight and obesity problem will only get bigger.

What are all the different factors leading to being overweight or a high BMI?

Here are some of the main reasons your weight may be too high.

  • You are not eating the right food. I have found that cutting down on sugar keeps maintaining a healthy weight a lot easier.
  • You’re eating too much food. Remember: as we get older, we need to eat less. We usually do the opposite.
  • You’re eating too often. You’ll need to give the hormones that control your sugar levels a chance to get lower. I wrote about this in this article on how to lose weight. Intermittent fasting (having a big break between meals once a day, can really help with this and restore your hormone levels).
  • You’re not moving enough. Although exercize and movement is important, my experience is that this factor contributes the least to being overweight. Ultimately, your diet is the most important, but of course it helps a lot if you also exericise.

What to do if you are overweight or underweight?

If you are overweight or underweight, don’t panic. There is a lot you can do to rectify the situation.

You are are ultimately the one in control and with the right diet, exercize and mindset coaching you too can achieve your ideal weight.

Here are a few pointers to get you started to achieving your ideal weight

Track your fitness and calories

One of the best tools to do this is a fitbit tracker. It will keep track of your steps and your heart rate and can also track your calories. You can create a plan for yourself to limit daily calories and do the required daily activity.

Track your weight and fitness | how much should I weigh | 40plusstyle.com

Fitbit tracker

If you want a fancier version that connects seamlessly with your Apple phone and health app, you can also consider the Apple Watch.

measure ftiness and controll your weight | 40plusstyle.com

Apple Watch

 

Educate yourself about nutrition and fitness

Here are a few books that I highly recommend:

What to do if you have a healthy BMI score but you still feel that you’re too fat?

If you are in the healthy range for BMI but you still consider yourself too fat, it may be due to the following reasons:

  • You have a low opinion of yourself. Sometimes your judgement is biased by low self esteem or low confidence. In that case, it may be useful to ask the opinion of a few other people you trust. You may be interested to read my article on how to increase your self confidence.
  • You let yourself be guided by what’s shared in the media. Sometimes we can get the impression that everyone is ‘perfect’ and ‘thin’ from social media. Please keep in mind that many images shared online are photoshopped; it’s not reality.
  • You dress in clothes that aren’t flattering you. There’s a LOT you can do with the right clothes. You can select the right clothes for your body type or choose clothes that hide your belly. 
  • You don’t accept that as you get older your waist size may get bigger. Especially as you enter menopause, it will get increasingly hard to maintain a flat belly or a thin waist size. A healthy weight doesn’t always mean a ‘perfect’ body shape, whatever that is. Why not accept your new shape and learn to dress it well?

Learn how to dress well for your body type

I believe it’s easier to maintain a healthy weight when you feel better about yourself. And you can instantly feel better about yourself when you feel good in good clothes.

At 40+style we have written a lot of helpful articles to help with that. You’ll find lots of tips on how to dress for your body type or how to creating flattering silhouettes with your clothes.

You may like to check:

So do the BMI test and find out how much you should weigh. And if you’re overweight or underweight, I hope that you will take the time to do something about it to optimize your health.

It is well worth it!

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical expert and this article should NOT be seen as medical advice. This weight calculator is for adults and for information purposes only. The results from the Weight calculator may not represent your real life weight situation and you should consult a medical professional for expert medical advise and before you start a diet or exercising regimen.

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Do you have a healthy weight? Find out with our handy BMI calculator! | 40plusstyle.com
Sylvia

Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.

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