How to Calculate the Ideal Weight for Women

To determine one's ideal weight, a couple of factors must be taken into account. Though it is commonly considered that your height determines how much you should ideally weigh, there is not one magic number for a height. Gender, frame size and height must all be taken into consideration together in order to provide the most accurate ideal weight measurement.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Calculator

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Instructions

• 1

  Measure your height and make note of it.

• 2

  Determine how many inches taller or shorter than five foot tall you are. A five foot tall female ideally should weigh 100 pounds.

• 3

  For every inch you measure above five foot, add five pounds. For every inch you measure below five foot, subtract five pounds.

• 4

  Determine your body frame size -- whether it is small, medium or large -- as this affects the ideal weight as well.

• 5

  Use the tape measure to measure your wrist. Alternatively you can wrap your thumb and pointer finger around your wrist.

  If you wrist is six inches around or if your two fingers just barely touch, you have a medium frame size. if your wrist is less than six inches around or if your two fingers overlap, than you have a small frame size. Alternatively if your wrist is more than six inches around or your two fingers cannot touch, you have a large frame.

• 6

  If you have a medium frame, you do not have to calculate any further to determine your ideal weight. For example, a five foot tall woman with a medium frame should weight 100 pounds.

  If you have a small frame size though, you need to subtract ten percent of the determined ideal weight. So that five foot tall woman with a small frame would subtract ten percent of 100 --one pound -- for an ideal weight of 99 pounds.

  If you have a large frame, you need to add ten percent. This time the ideal weight for the five foot tall women would be 101 pounds.