Type “ideal weight” into any search engine and you’ll get calculators promising a single perfect number for your height. It’s a comforting idea, and it’s also misleading. The honest answer is that your ideal weight is a range, and understanding why makes the whole concept far more useful.
Why “one perfect number” is a myth
Picture two people who are both 175 cm tall. One is lightly built with a slim frame; the other is broad-shouldered and muscular. Should they weigh exactly the same to be “ideal”? Obviously not. Build, frame size and muscle mass all change what a healthy weight looks like.
That’s why a single number is the wrong tool. A healthy range acknowledges this reality: several weights can be perfectly healthy for the same height.
How a healthy range is worked out
The most common approach takes the healthy BMI band of 18.5 to 24.9 and works backwards for your height to find the weights that fall inside it. That span is your healthy weight range.
For example, here are approximate healthy ranges by height:
| Height | Healthy weight range |
|---|---|
| 160 cm | 47 to 64 kg |
| 170 cm | 53 to 72 kg |
| 180 cm | 60 to 81 kg |
| 190 cm | 67 to 90 kg |
Our ideal weight calculator gives you the exact range for your height.
What the range doesn’t capture
A height-based range is a useful guide, but like BMI, it has the same blind spot: it can’t see your body composition.
Muscle changes the picture. A muscular person might sit at or above the top of their "healthy" range while carrying very little fat. For them, body composition matters more than landing in a particular weight band.
This is why your body fat percentage is worth checking alongside a weight range. Together they tell you not just whether your weight is healthy for your height, but whether it’s made up of the right things.
Does age change it?
For adults, the healthy weight range is broadly the same across ages. Some research suggests slightly higher weights may be perfectly fine, even protective, for older adults, but the standard range remains a sensible guide for most people.
Where should you aim within the range?
Anywhere inside the healthy range is generally considered fine, so there’s no need to chase the bottom of it. Where you feel strongest, perform best and stay healthiest depends on your build and goals. For many people, the middle of the range is a comfortable, sustainable place to be.
Putting it together
- Find your range with the ideal weight calculator.
- Treat it as a band, not a single target.
- Check body composition with body fat percentage for context.
- Aim for where you feel best within the healthy range.
Ditch the idea of one perfect number. A healthy range gives you room to be a real person with a real body, which is exactly the point.