Ideal Body Weight Chart - Should You Use One?

One question I hear a lot is, “What’s my ideal body weight?” For the longest time, people would look at a body weight chart, filled with heights and weights, to figure out if they were in a healthy weight range. The problem with those kinds of charts is that they don’t tell the whole story. What’s more important than your weight is your body fat percentage — and where you carry your extra fat.

You can be in a healthy weight range according to the charts — and still have a high body fat percentage. Or have a lot of unhealthy belly fat.

Let me give you an example. One woman weighs 120lbs; a second woman weighs 135lbs. You’d think the one who weighs 120lbs is “healthier” than the woman who weighs 135lbs, right? But it’s not necessarily true when you look at their body composition. The 120lbs woman can be “skinny fat” while the 135lbs woman can be a lean, mean fighting machine, with a lower body fat percentage and strong, beautiful muscles.

I’ve been both women. Trust me, I’d rather be 135lbs of lean muscle than 120lbs and “skinny fat”.

Your ideal body weight is:

• a weight you feel comfortable with.
• a weight where you don’t carry a lot of belly fat.
• a weight where your body fat percentage is in a healthy range (see chart here).

What’s your ideal body weight? Do you use a chart? Let me know in the comments down below!

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