What's Your Ideal Weight? The Healthy Range for Your Height

Ideal Weight Is a Range, Not One Number

Search results and old charts often present a single "ideal weight" for your height, but that idea is misleading. Health does not switch on at one exact kilogram and off at the next. Instead, there is a healthy weight range — a band of weights, all of which are considered healthy for your height.

The most common way to define that band is with BMI: the healthy weight range is simply the set of weights that place your BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. Because that is a range of BMI values, it translates into a range of weights, not a point. Two people of the same height can both be at a perfectly healthy weight while differing by ten kilograms or more, depending on their build, muscle mass and frame. That is normal and expected.

How the Healthy Range Is Calculated

To find your healthy weight range from BMI, you rearrange the BMI formula. Since BMI = kg ÷ m², the weight that produces a given BMI is BMI × height (m)². Plug in the two edges of the healthy band:

• Lower limit: 18.5 × height²
• Upper limit: 24.9 × height²

For someone 1.70 m tall, height squared is 2.89. The lower limit is 18.5 × 2.89 = about 53 kg, and the upper limit is 24.9 × 2.89 = about 72 kg. So a healthy weight range at 170 cm is roughly 53 to 72 kg. You can do this for any height, and the app does it automatically — no arithmetic needed.

Example Table: Healthy Weight by Height

Here is the healthy BMI weight range (BMI 18.5 to 24.9) for three common heights. These are rounded for readability:

• 160 cm (1.60 m): about 47 to 64 kg
• 170 cm (1.70 m): about 53 to 72 kg
• 180 cm (1.80 m): about 60 to 81 kg

Notice how wide each band is — often 15 to 20 kg. That width is the whole point: it makes room for different builds, and it is the same range for women and men, because BMI itself does not use sex. Where you sit within your range is a personal matter, and being toward one end is not inherently better than the other. If you want to know body composition rather than just weight, an estimated body fat percentage tells you more than the number on the scale.

Why 'Ideal Weight' Should Be Read Gently

The phrase "ideal weight" can add pressure that is not helpful. A weight-based range is a screening tool, not a target you have failed if you are outside it, and it says nothing about your fitness, strength or health habits. Athletes with high muscle mass may sit above their BMI range while being extremely healthy; others may be within range yet want to improve fitness. Use your healthy range as helpful context, not as a scoreboard.

If you are thinking about changing your weight, focus on sustainable habits and, where relevant, professional guidance — that matters far more than hitting a specific figure. This guide is for general information only and is not medical advice; please consult a doctor or dietitian about a weight that is right for you.