What's the best way to determine a healthy weight? You can find out what your body mass index is by using the interactive BMI calculator, or you can look at your height and weight in the chart below.
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Determining how much you should weigh is not a simple matter of looking at a height-weight chart, but includes considering the amount of bone, muscle and fat in your body's composition.
The amount of fat is the critical measurement. A good indicator of how much fat you carry is the body mass index (BMI). Although it is not a perfect measure, it gives a fairly accurate assessment of how much of your body is composed of fat.
Use the tool at right to calculate your BMI. Having a BMI higher than 24.9 may mean you are overweight. Note that these are approximate values, and they are intended to be used only as a rough guide.
If you are worried about your BMI or are trying to lose weight, talk to your primary care doctor. You may also contact the Rush Nutrition and Wellness Center or the Weight Management Program in the Department of Preventive Medicine. These programs offer nutrition counseling and help with making lifestyle changes.
Doctors at Rush offer bariatric surgery for some people who are morbidly obese (those with a BMI of at least 40, or a BMI of at least 35 plus an obesity-related disease that can be helped by water for things such as diabetes or high blood pressure).
| Height | Weight | ||
| Normal | Overweight | Obese | |
| 4' 10" | 91 to 118 lbs. | 119 to 142 lbs. | 143 to 186 lbs. |
| 4' 11" | 94 to 123 lbs. | 124 to 147 lbs. | 148 to 193 lbs. |
| 5' | 97 to 127 lbs. | 128 to 152 lbs. | 153 to 199 lbs. |
| 5' 1" | 100 to 131 lbs. | 132 to 157 lbs. | 158 to 206 lbs. |
| 5' 2" | 104 to 135 lbs. | 136 to 163 lbs. | 164 to 213 lbs. |
| 5' 3" | 107 to 140 lbs. | 141 to 168 lbs. | 169 to 220 lbs. |
| 5' 4" | 110 to 144 lbs. | 145 to 173 lbs. | 174 to 227 lbs. |
| 5' 5" | 114 to 149 lbs. | 150 to 179 lbs. | 180 to 234 lbs. |
| 5' 6" | 118 to 154 lbs. | 155 to 185 lbs. | 186 to 241 lbs. |
| 5' 7" | 121 to 158 lbs. | 159 to 190 lbs. | 191 to 249 lbs. |
| 5' 8" | 125 to 163 lbs. | 164 to 196 lbs. | 197 to 256 lbs. |
| 5' 9" | 128 to 168 lbs. | 169 to 202 lbs. | 203 to 263 lbs. |
| 5' 10" | 132 to 173 lbs. | 174 to 208 lbs. | 209 to 271 lbs. |
| 5' 11" | 136 to 178 lbs. | 179 to 214 lbs. | 215 to 279 lbs. |
| 6' | 140 to 183 lbs. | 184 to 220 lbs. | 221 to 287 lbs. |
| 6' 1" | 144 to 188 lbs. | 189 to 226 lbs. | 227 to 295 lbs. |
| 6' 2" | 148 to 193 lbs. | 194 to 232 lbs. | 233 to 303 lbs. |
| 6' 3" | 152 to 199 lbs. | 200 to 239 lbs. | 240 to 311 lbs. |
| 6' 4" | 156 to 204 lbs. | 205 to 245 lbs. | 246 to 320 lbs. |
| BMI | 19 to 24 | 25 to 29 | 30 to 39 |
Source: National Institutes of Health. Don't see your weight? Learn more.