About the Ideal Weight Calculator
The idea of an ideal body weight comes from clinical medicine, where formulas such as Devine were originally created to calculate drug doses rather than to set personal targets. Four of those formulas are shown here side by side, together with the weight range that corresponds to a healthy body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 for your height, which is the measure most health services actually use.
Expect the formulas to disagree by several kilograms, because each was fitted to a different population. None of them knows anything about your build or your muscle mass, so a lean, muscular person often sits above the range and is perfectly healthy. Treat the numbers as a rough target zone and pay more attention to waist measurement, fitness and how your weight is changing over time.
How to use the Ideal Weight Calculator
- Choose metric or imperial units and select your sex.
- Enter your height.
- Compare the four formula results and the healthy BMI range in the table.