Good question – what is your “ideal weight” if you want to be healthy?

by Marshall Brain

When I look in the mirror, it is easy to see that I am fat. More than half of American adults probably see the same kind of thing. But what is a person’s “ideal weight”? What do doctors think a person should weigh if he/she wants to be healthy? What do other people think?

This page can help you find an answer, by showing you several different interpretations for your ideal weight:

Better ideal weight body calculations

The conventional tool that medical professionals use today has to do with your Body Mass Index (BMI). That is the second calculation on the above page. BMI is a very simple formula that looks at your height and weight and calculates a ratio (The actual formula: You take your weight in kilograms and divide by your height in meters squared). Then you figure out where you stand based on the following table:

– Underweight: <18.5
– Normal: 18.5-24.9
– Overweight: 25-29.9
– Obese: BMI of 30 or greater

Before starting the Dukan Diet I was officially Obese. I moved from Obese to Overweight yesterday after losing 20 pounds. Now I need to lose about 30 more pounds to get into the very upper fringe of “Normal”. For me, a BMI of 24.9 translates into a weight of 174 pounds.

I have vague memories of once weighing 174. That was maybe 15 years ago. I am very curious to see if I can get anywhere near that weight again.

The first calculation on the calculator page is more generous. It is actually pretty interesting because it takes age and people’s perceptions into account, as explained here. For me, it is 184. I would be very happy to reach 184, ecstatic to reach 174. Those 2 weights are 20 and 30 pounds away, so it will be awhile.

See also this explanation of BMI:

Dukan Table of Contents

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