How to Check Your Ideal Weight According to Your Height

According to the American Council on Exercise, determining your ideal weight provides an average range to keep your body healthy based on your height and frame size. Knowing this number will give you guidance when determining if you need to lose, maintain or gain weight. A simple equation will allow you to quickly determine your ideal weight.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Paper

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Instructions

• 1

  Measure your height in inches while barefoot from your heels to the top of your head. It might be helpful to have a friend assist you in taking this measurement. Write down the resulting number.

• 2

  Determine your body frame size by wrapping your thumb and middle finger around the smallest point of your wrist. If your fingers overlap, you have a small frame size, if they just touch, you have a medium frame, and if they do not touch, you have a large frame. Write down your frame size. If you are 60 inches or less in height, skip this step.

• 3

  Calculate how many inches over 5 feet (60 inches) you are and write down the result. If you are 60 inches or under, write down "0."

• 4

  Multiply the resulting number by five if you are a small frame, six if you have a medium frame and seven if you have a large frame. If you wrote down zero, skip this step.

• 5

  Add 100 (female) or 115 (male) to the resulting number to determine your approximate ideal weight based upon your height.