One of the most common questions we have received in our email inbox is “how much should I weigh?” In this article, we will explain 4 common methods to help you work this out.
To determine how much you should weigh (your ideal body weight) several factors should be considered, including age, muscle-fat ratio, height, sex, and bone density.
Some health professionals suggest that calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI) is the best way to decide whether your body weight is ideal. Others say that BMI is inaccurate as it does not account for muscle mass, and that waist-hip ratio is a better method.
It’s worth remembering that one person’s ideal body weight may be completely different to another’s. If you compare yourself to family and friends you risk either aiming too high (if you are surrounded by obese or overweight people), or too low (if everyone around you works as a fashion model). Even comparing yourself with people outside your immediate surroundings may not work.
The levels of overweight and obesity in countries as the USA or UK, are much higher than in countries such as The Netherlands. So a Dutch person may aim for a lower ideal weight than an American if all he did was to compare himself to other people.
