If there’s ever a time to have the ideal body weight, it’s during a global pandemic! All the studies have shown that those who are overweight or obese have a much tougher time combatting the coronavirus. If you’re in better shape, you increase your chances of living or at least recovering quicker.
Another thing to think about is maintaining an ideal body weight once you’ve reached financial independence. If you’re financially independent, your number one goal should be to be as fit as possible in order to live as long as possible.
In any discount cash flow analysis, it is the terminal value that often makes up the largest portion of a company’s value. The longer you can extend the terminal value, the wealthier you will be!
In other words, to be rich and out of shape is irrational. Yes, when you are rich, it’s easier to hire people to mow your lawn, drive you around, and eat all the buttery steaks you want. However, it makes more sense to get in ideal weight to give yourself a higher chance of living a longer life.
My Weight Battle And The Desire To Get To Ideal Weight
I went to play tennis on New Year’s day to lose some weight I had gained during the holidays. I got a sweaty two-hour match in and then hit again for another 1.5 hours the very next day. I’m not delusional to think that after two days I would lose any amount of weight. However, I stubbornly got on the scale before and after anyway.
Hoping to see a loss of at least a pound, the damn scale betrayed me. In two days, I had gained 5 pounds from 168 lbs to 173 lbs!
How the hell does someone gain 3% more body weight in just 48 hours. I didn’t gorge myself during this period. I’m at a loss for words. I could blame the flashing “battery” signal on the scale, but that’s just an excuse.
At 5 feet 10 inches tall, 173 lbs is a lot to carry on the tennis court. Kei Nishikori, a professional tennis player who is my height weighs 155 pounds. Meanwhile, I remember being cut in high school at 150 pounds.
Ever since my trip to India in 2008, my weight hasn’t fluctuated more than seven pounds (162-169). But now I’ve broken this range with all the crap I’ve been eating. I feel bad for disrespecting all the poverty I witnessed while in India.
After staying in a relatively tight weight range for so long, it finally took two kids and a pandemic to become overweight. How sad!
I don’t accept mediocrity in my work. Therefore, why do I accept being overweight and mediocre in my health? It makes no sense at all.
Mission To Achieve The Ideal Weight
I don’t want to be another big blogger. My field has a disproportionate number of folks who can’t run two consecutive miles even with an angry three-legged bear roaring after them. At least we got sexy fingers!
As a result, as of today, I swear I will get back to the ideal weight for my frame and height by February 8, 2022. My ideal weight is between 160 – 163 pounds.
So how do we find the ideal weight? There are numerous factors that go into determining what your ideal body weight should be.
Based on an average of four sites I checked out (healthstatus.com, halls.md, healthcentral.com, healthdiscovery.net), Healthdiscovery.net’s estimates look to be the most accurate and reasonable.
One site had a lower range of 129 pounds as a healthy weight for someone 5’10”. Unless the starvation look is back in, 129 pounds is certainly not an ideal weight for someone of my height and frame.
Let’s take a look at the ideal weight charts for men and women. I plan to get back to my ideal body weight of 155 pounds while on sabbatical.
The Ideal Body Weight For Men By Height And Frame
Below is the ideal body weight for men by height and frame. If you are unsure of your frame size, then go with medium frame.
| Height in Feet&Inches | Small Frame | Medium Frame | Large Frame |
| 5’2″ | 128-134 | 131-141 | 138-150 |
| 5’3″ | 130-136 | 133-143 | 140-153 |
| 5’4″ | 132-138 | 135-145 | 142-156 |
| 5’5″ | 134-140 | 137-148 | 144-160 |
| 5’6″ | 136-142 | 139-151 | 146-164 |
| 5’7″ | 138-145 | 142-154 | 149-168 |
| 5’8″ | 140-148 | 145-157 | 152-172 |
| 5’9″ | 142-151 | 151-163 | 155-176 |
| 5’10” | 144-154 | 151-163 | 158-180 |
| 5’11” | 146-157 | 154-166 | 161-184 |
| 6’0″ | 149-160 | 157-170 | 164-188 |
| 6’1″ | 152-164 | 160-174 | 168-192 |
| 6’2″ | 155-168 | 165-178 | 172-197 |
| 6’3″ | 158-172 | 167-182 | 176-202 |
| 6’4″ | 162-176 | 171-187 | 181-207 |
As you can tell from the chart, at 173 pounds I’m up to 22 pounds overweight for my medium-size frame. I’d like to think that because I have large quads due to tennis, I’m not that much overweight. However, that’s just another stupid excuse!
A couple of years ago, when I was closer to 168 pounds, my doctor said I was at a healthy weight. However, I had ~17% body fat, which was double what it was 20 years ago. In other words, my doctor was just being nice. He thought I couldn’t handle the truth.
If he had given it to me straight that I was at least 5 pounds overweight, I could have been more focused on my diet. Alas, I continued to slowly let myself go.
Ideal Body Weight For Women By Height And Frame
Below is the ideal body weight for women by height and frame. Again, go with the medium frame column if you are unsure about your frame size.
| Height in Feet&Inches | Small Frame | Medium Frame | Large Frame |
| 4’10” | 102-111 | 109-121 | 118-131 |
| 4’11” | 103-113 | 111-123 | 120-134 |
| 5’0″ | 104-115 | 113-126 | 122-137 |
| 5’1″ | 106-118 | 115-129 | 125-140 |
| 5’2″ | 108-121 | 118-132 | 128-143 |
| 5’3″ | 111-124 | 121-135 | 131-147 |
| 5’4″ | 114-127 | 124-138 | 134-151 |
| 5’5″ | 117-130 | 127-141 | 137-155 |
| 5’6″ | 120-133 | 130-144 | 140-159 |
| 5’7″ | 123-136 | 133-147 | 143-163 |
| 5’8″ | 126-139 | 136-150 | 146-167 |
| 5’9″ | 129-142 | 139-153 | 149-170 |
| 5’10” | 132-145 | 142-156 | 152-173 |
| 5’11” | 135-148 | 145-159 | 155-176 |
| 6’0″ | 138-151 | 148-162 | 158-179 |
Definition of medium-frame: Your middle finger and thumb just touch when you hold your wrist. You are large-framed if your fingers do not touch. You are small-framed if your fingers overlap.
Ideal Body Weight By BMI
Let’s say you don’t agree with the above ideal weight charts. That’s OK. Let’s check out what your body weight should be using the Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation. Punch your height and weight into the BMI calculator and you will get your BMI number.
BMI Categories:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
Of course, if you are a weightlifter or professional athlete with a lot of muscle, your BMI will likely be higher. Therefore, you can’t just accept your BMI at face value.
You must make a judgement call! My BMI is 25, which is right at the beginning of Overweight. I’m also of average build. Therefore, I accept that I am indeed, overweight.
My Weight Loss Goal
From today forward, my mission by Feb 8, 2022 is to get back to 165 pounds. At this weight, I will be firmly in the band of “ideal weight” for a medium-framed man at my height.
I know myself. There is no way in hell I’ll be able to get back down to the 150s like I was in high school. Therefore, I won’t even try. To have such a goal would be too torturous.
As someone who is currently on sabbatical, one of my goals is to focus on my physical and mental health. We should be risk-averse with our health because there’s no guarantee we can make it back!
Reasons To Get Back In Shape
1) My children. The main reason why I want to get back in shape is so that I can increase my chances of living a healthy life for the next 30 years.
I figure, in 30 years, both my children will have the education and wisdom to live independent lives. Further, my hope is that in 30 years, my children will both have found life partners. Financial independence and love. What more can a father ask for his children?
2) Counteract other illnesses. The second reason for getting back in shape is to counteract lung disease. I know I’ll eventually have a harder time breathing given asthma tends to come back after 40. Besides lung disease, I’m sure I will face other health issues that will slowly hurt the quality of my life. Therefore, if I can control my weight, that’s the least I can do.
3) To feel great more often. The older I get, the more niggling health issues I seem to experience. If it’s not a bum shoulder it’s funny vision. Losing weight will also help put less stress on my knees, which are surely wearing down from so much tennis.
4) To look great. When you look great, you feel great. Your self-esteem goes up and you are more confident to do more things. I’m already a confident person. However, it’s nice to look in the mirror once in a while and think, “Damn, you fine!”
5) For my wife. After a while, it’s easy to get sloppy in our appearances. After all, we’ve already secured the love of our lives, why stay in shape? Not only will I get in better shape for my wife, but I’m also going to dress better as well. I’ve dressed in old track pants, t-shirts, and old warmup jackets practically every day since the pandemic began. Now I will dress sharper by using more than 10% of my wardrobe.
6) To save money. Being overweight may have also caused me to snore more and have episodes of sleep apnea. This ultimately hurt my chances of getting the best life insurance rate when I wanted to renew a couple years ago. Please get life insurance before seeing a doctor for a non-life threatening issue. Being overweight costs more money.
My Plan For Losing Weight
1) For every two hours I spend online writing, I will spend 30 minutes exercising. So long as I keep this 4:1 mental-to-physical ratio, I will at least not blow out. I regularly spend 20 hours a week online. Therefore, I will regularly exercise 5 hours a week by walking, playing tennis, and playing softball. The weight loss formula is as simple as apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top.
2) I will do 60 push-ups and 150 sit-ups for every basketball or football game I watch. Watching sports is the worst for an athlete, because it’s a double negative. Instead of playing sports ourselves, we’re rotting away our bodies and our minds.
3) I will eat more slowly to give my body time to know that I have eaten. It takes 15-20 minutes for the body to know one is full. Hence, that 15-20 minutes is a crucial period where one can overeat and gain a lot of weight. The solution is to eat slowly and be mindful of everything I put in my mouth.
4) I will eat vegetarian three days a week. Eating vegetarian feels great, is good for digestion, and could very well be cheaper too. I will also consciously reduce dairy and sugar from my diet. Sugar is really the silent killer of our generation.
To achieve the ideal weight really requires mostly better eating habits. I need to achieve a calorie deficit to lose weight.
Related: The Health Benefits Of Early Retirement Are Priceless
Ideal Weight + Money = Better Life
The ideal body weight pisses me off because it’s so low. In actuality, I’m just pissed off at myself for letting myself go. As a father of two young children, my goal is to live long enough so they can be independent adults.
I used to tell myself that I’m heavier because I have more muscles. I used to also blame a slower metabolism and my kids for my weight gain. Unfortunately, these are all excuses.
Today, I am saying NO to weight creep. Even though there’s this new study that says middle-aged people who put on weight live longer than those who remain in healthy shape throughout their lives. You see, another excuse!
Being overweight puts a burden on society. By being overweight, other people ultimately pay for my extra health care costs through longer wait times and more expensive premiums. At least, for now, my family is currently paying an unsubsidized $2,250/month in health insurance premiums.
I will get back to the ideal weight range of 165-168 pounds by 2023! That’s roughly 6% off from my current bodyweight that I plan to lose in 12 months. It shouldn’t be a problem if I stick to my weight-loss goals above.
Who else is annoyed enough at the ideal body weight to do something about it? I’d love for more people to join me on my quest. Let’s both get in ideal shape and make lots of money!
Recommendation For Life
If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that life is not guaranteed. We must do everything we can to protect our dependents. Being out of shape increases your chances of an earlier death.
As a result, please get life insurance and try to get fitter. Not only should you get enough life insurance to cover your liabilities, your life insurance term should last long enough to get them through college.
The best place to get life insurance is through PolicyGenius. PolicyGenius will help you find the best plan for the lowest price tailored to your needs. PolicyGenius provides free, no-obligation quotes so you can get the best rate.
Readers, have you gained any weight during the pandemic? What do you think about the ideal body weight by sex, height, and frame? Do you think they are realistic numbers? Do you know of any great health or weight-loss apps?
For more nuanced personal finance content, join 50,000+ others and sign up for the free Financial Samurai newsletter. Financial Samurai is one of the largest independently-owned personal finance sites that started in 2009. To get my posts in your inbox as soon as they are published, sign up here.
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[…] We get out of shape because we forget there are millions of starving people around the world who would do anything just to eat a quarter of what we eat. […]
Hey Mr. Samurai, best thing to do is just to get into a work out routine. Seeing as you have limited time or wish to work out in parallel to something like watching tv, I could imagine doing (slightly more serious) bodyweight HITT fitness plus perhaps some slight jogging/running. I have a busy life too (2 young boys, increasingly busy career + keeping up with financial blogs like yours daily) and managed to fit in a HIIT routine about 5-6 days per week. This is not a shameless plug and I don’t work for the company either, but something like Freeletics (‘AI’ coach giving you harder workouts progressively, based on your feedback & input) is giving me good gains, especially combined with limiting my alcohol, sugar and salt intake. Of course there are plenty alternatives to Freeletics, but I just have 4-5 years of experience with the platform.
Another thing that keeps motivating me is to do some RL events, for me they are Spartan, Tough Mudder races, but they could be anything. Keeping those in the back of your mind might be an additional incentive. :)
Summarizing, whatever works for you in the long term, should be the goal, not too dissimilar from investing.
Cheers,
Roland
P.S.: don’t stare blindly on those height & weight tables, I feel I have a skinny look at 6’3″ and 195 lbs. For me currently it is more about muscle gain & fat loss. I enjoy the work outs, blast music and everything else will come in due time. Nothing is visible on a day per day basis, but progress is measured in years.
Want to lose weight and look fit. Rowing and kettle bells. Will change your life. I am 60. 6’1″ /180. People comment I look like I am in my 40’s. One other item, drink water and cut back on eating “dirty”.
JJ
All I can say is thank heavens for that chart indicating weights for large framed people. I was thrilled when my middle finger and thumb were no where near each other. Those BMI charts do not count for the fact that some of us are larger framed and I avoid the BMI scale.
Do we get monthly updates? I am also attempting to get down to a healthy weight this year but I am not providing any details. Part of my reason for losing weight is financial. Lose weight or buy all new clothes. People who maintain a steady weight have much nicer wardrobes because they can invest in quality classic pieces that they will wear for years. Many of us have wardrobes full of fast fashion in a variety of sizes to continually tide us over until we get to our ideal weight. I am tired of having a bunch of clothes that don’t fit.
Indeed! Thank goodness for the large frame column :)
I’ll provide quarterly updates at the very least.
The financial aspect of losing weight or maintain weight really is a point. If I was 15 pounds lighter, I would be more comfortably wearing medium size shirts again. Hah. Thankfully, shirts are cheap!
your just fat and can’t accept it.
Like they say “you can’t outrun a bad diet”
Low carb is the way in my experience. I’ve done keto then switch to paleo or carb cycling after having each of my 3 kids. A few relatives strictly do Dr. Bergs healthy keto and have lost major weight and able to maintain it. They also do it under doctors supervision with bloodwork. Honestly I don’t think it will take you a fill year to lose that much weight as a Male. Could easily be done in 3 months or less with diet.
I gained about 10 pounds in 2020. Mrs. RB40 kept baking cookies, cakes, pies, and all sorts of treats. It was too much empty calories. I skipped breakfast most days for intermittent fasting, but it wasn’t enough.
This year, I lost about 5 pounds so far. I was in quarantine in Thailand for 2 weeks. They gave us Thai serving size which was about half of the US serving size. I think my stomach shrunk during those 2 weeks. I can’t eat as much anymore. My weight is in a good range now, but I still have belly fat. I’ll keep eating less and hope to go down a few more pounds. Mrs. RB40 plans to bake a lot less in 2021…
Managing weight is all about managing intake. Yes exercise is important, but I firmly believe eating is 80% of weight management. Another milestone to be wary of is your 50’s. I hit my early 50’s and weight management became even harder…plus I was working more hours…blah, blah, blah. So build the healthy habits early because it gets more challenging as you get older. BTW the charts are BS…I have been lifting weights for several years and my weight adjusted to my activity. 6’0”…160# to 195#.
Agreed. To lose weight your body needs to burn more calories than you’re taking in. Calculate your basal metabolic rate to see how many calories you should be eating and then shoot for a 500 daily caloric deficit in order to lose a pound a week. Then find what your BMR is for your target weight and that’s what you need to stay at for forever.
Keep in mind that your body burns thousands of calories a day to begin with, so exercise isn’t required to lose weight. It’s all about the math.
Hitting that lower calorie level will require reprogramming your food mindset. You have to learn how many calories are in your meals and which foods are upping your tally: juices, processed foods, sweets, pasta. Bottom line is that if you don’t practice portion control and limit calories, exercise won’t make a difference.
The amount of calories burned from exercise is relatively small. It takes a half hour on a treadmill to burn the same amount of calories in a glass of orange juice. So if you work out and refresh yourself with a glass of Tropicana, the net calorie effect is zero. Stop drinking juice (or processed foods, or shacking non stop), and you will eliminate calories without ever having to put on your gym clothes. It’s all about nutrition and developing new, sustainable food habits.
Going veg three days a week isn’t a sustainable habit imo. You want a habit you’ll follow for the rest of your life. Have balanced meals every day that include proteins that your body needs, healthy fats that will make you feel satisfied, small portions of carbs for energy, and lots of vegetables that will keep you full longer. Make sure they fit in your caloric formula and you’re good.
We like Mike Vacanti OTR app for managing macros. It’s free and easy to use. You can either search the food items you’re eating in the list, or add items manually.
My husband and I have both been in body building competitions in the past. It can be difficult to cut the last 5 pounds while retaining your lean muscle mass unless you track everything.
I agree with your point about how great it feels to look and be in shape!
Great goal and a one year time frame is perfect.
Hi Sam,
Great article. I’m in the process of slowly and steadily losing weight. I’ve lost over 35 lbs in the last 11 months and would like to shed another 20 more. What is the source of the height/weight charts you posted in the article?
I will say that any weight that feels healthy is probably healthy. I am off the charts (they don’t call me Big-D for nothing). I was 257 at 6’3″ and around 7% body fat based on water scales. Yes I was a college athlete, but still according to most of these scales – I was severely overweight or obese. Again this is a representative. I am never going to be in that good a shape again, but I still lift and if I am near that weight – I will be happy. I certainly don’t bench press over 400# still (250 on a good day at 45 years old). I still leg press over 1000# however.
Again – do you feel healthy is the key. Weight is just a number based on many factors. I can lose over 10 pounds by literally sleeping. I weight myself before I go to sleep, and if I get a good nights sleep (about 10 hours), I can lose over 10 pounds after my morning pee. Happens almost every weekend for me. Body weight is a factor of a number of things. Good sleep, metabolism, food digestion, etc. For me – I don’t see the result of a food hit my weight for over 2 days. So for example, I eat a pizza on Friday, I won’t see the result on the scale until Sunday at the earliest. This is why weight to me is the worst thing to follow.
Check your numbers (diabetes, cholesterol, etc.), and check your measurements. If you have 34″ pants, and they are snug, you might stand to lose a little weight. Are you winded more easily due to physical activity? Then maybe some more cardio is in store. You can play the gain muscle or lose fat game in perpetuity, but measurements and results don’t lie.
I did the Weightless program with Brock Armstrong and Monica Reinagel and had a much better outlook in those height vs weight charts and the dieters mindset vs lifestyle you can live with. I’m 5’10” and 172 lbs and absolutely fine. I encourage you to check out their Facebook page.
I love seeing this post in with the usual mix. Health is one of the few things more valuable then financial security. Good luck to you.
Added sugar is one of the worst appetite stimulator’s, your plan to avoid will probably shed a few pounds just by that one effort alone. If you’re the type looking for good reads, there is a book by a neuroscientist called The Hungry Brain that is completely enlightening on how appetite works (and it’s a fun read). The conclusion is the old fashioned advice to eat fresh, whole foods, but it explains the science of why not doing so is an eventual losing battle for the vast majority of people. It’s been years since I first read it and since then, with zero real effort, I’ve maintained my weight freakishly to the pound.
Thanks for the charts and motivations! I was about ten pounds heavier than I wanted to be last summer. I finally set a weight loss goal in September to lose five pounds by October. I really cut back on calories which helped a lot. I felt really happy to beat my goal and held on for October, but started to slip once the holidays started. I’m back to my rough October weight and am going to try to lose another 2-5 pounds over the next couple months.
For me cutting out sugar and limiting dairy help a lot. But oh that’s hard to do lol. I’m excited that warmer weather is slowly creeping back because that helps me get outside more. And I always feel better when I take more walks outside. Which in turn helps me want to eat healthier too. And then that all helps with weight loss.
The cold winter days definitely make me crave heavy, comfort foods which aren’t good for the waist. Here’s to warmer weather and slimming down!
Good luck, Sam! I actually think we are really alike. I’m Asian, 5’11, and weigh 155 – 158 pounds. To boot, I’m a personal finance blogger as well! I kid, I kid.
I used to weigh 173 just like you. Then the pandemic hit and I could actually measure and track the calories that I am eating so I was able to lose almost 20 pounds, I was so happy!
I don’t look any different at all. I think you’ve highlighted this in your other posts, so I would suggest that your primary focus should be on diet and not exercise. It’s great to keep your heart rate up and it does make you healthier. However, I think you know that what ultimately matters is diet. I haven’t exercised in the entire year 2020!
Of course, this is just unsolicited advice from a random blogger on the internet. Therefore, you don’t have to take the advice at all either. Just a random blogger commenting along :-)
You may want to consider Intermittent Fasting, Sam. It involves limiting your eating hours.
A popular start to this is to eat in an 16/8 pattern. Eat in an 8 hour window, say 9-5 and fast the next 16 hours except for water and non caloric drinks.
I’ve followed an 18/6 pattern for two years. I fast 18 hours and eat in a 6 hour window, say 12-6 pm.
Scientific studies point out the benefits like lower blood pressure as well as weight maintenance/weight loss. Good luck.
Thanks. I did that yesterday. I’ve found that during the pandemic, I eat more after 7 pm than I have liked. It’s just a lot of watching Netflix and snacking. A no no!
I’ve been doing the 36 hour fast: eat dinner, sleep, next day water, tea or coffee, sleep and your done. No rules the rest of the week. Been trimming down about 2.5 lbs a week. Appears to have other health benefits too: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fasting-benefits
Sam,
Check out the obesity code by Dr. Jason Fung.
You will learn the truth behind fat loss, and learn that everything we’ve been taught about fat loss is WRONG.
Thanks to the entities with a vested interest in keeping us sick and fat.
Sugar really is the enemy. When it comes to high cholesterol, for example, most people think you need to reduce red meat or butter to fix this. While that is helpful, sugar is the real enemy. I’ve found reducing sweets and breads has the biggest effect on my weight and well being.
Bread does indeed make you fat as was said in the movie Scot Pilgrim vs the World.
Body weight depends on a lot of factors, not solely how much food you eat and the weight on the scale. If a top performing athlete weighed themselves, they would be considered obese due to their muscle mass, not their actual weight. As someone who has followed the Mediterranean/blue zone/paleo diet for all my life, as a 20 yr old college student currently although it can get tempting to eat junk and free fast food like my peers, it not only makes me more groggy, less full, unhappy, perform worse and many more negative side affects I don’t want to endure, it is also a waste of money because at the end of the day health = wealth. My family and I never focus on our weight, we only weigh ourselves at the doctor and that’s what keeps us healthy and lean. we don’t obsess over our weight because we eat when we are hungry. We’ve never tried any diet and even eat desert every night! It really starts with portion control and following your cues. Although the scale Sam provided isn’t completely accurate since it doesn’t include muscle, stress or water weight, we are all in the small size and would consider ourselves always lean and skinny. Even though its about how you feel not look like, just to give you a sense, that’s what we are like. We only have whole foods, not processed junk or sugar in our house and although it might seem like torture, I’ve gotten used to it living like this all my life. We prioritize eating together, cooking 5-6x a week, rarely eating out to avoid nonsense fees, sodium, etc. we have no distractions while eating, smaller plates and portions, no calorie restrictions instead focus on feeling full and eating protein and nutrient dense carbs and drinking lots and lots of water for the skin and improving digestion! We incorporate exercise into our daily routines not a time slot to workout and then sit for the rest of the day. My parents and I have a standing desk which helps us stay mindful of our posture and give us a free energy booster. Yes I asked my mom to get me an exercise bike because we are stuck at home 24/7, but I walk 2x a day and cycle every morning because walking is so much better for your mind than staring at screen sweating! Vitamin D and C are the best remedies for mood and walking is always necessary, preferably 10k steps per day. Lastly, sleep is a must. Sleep controls everything in the body and will make or break you. America is the only place on earth where there is a gym in every hotel and on every street corner in cities and workaholism and burnout on the rise ! In Europe, walking, resting and eating when hungry not because its free or there keeps you thin! It’s a lifestyle, don’t pressure yourself! Anyone can be healthy by following my top lifestyle tips that are easy, fun and work!
The scales you list are a good reference but I think we all inherently know what a ‘healthy’ weight is for each of us. For me, it’s when my blood and cholesterol numbers are in the normal range and all of my clothes are slightly loose. I weigh only once a month but don’t put too much focus on the number. Instead, I concentrate on eating when I’m hungry, stretching each meal to 20 minutes (to give my stomach time to send the full signal to my brain), and stopping when I’m full. I eat pretty healthy Mon-Fri and save my ‘treats’ for the weekends. Lately, I’ve changed my strategy for sugar intake on the weekends. Instead of eating a full dessert, I take three bites, savoring each one and enjoying the flavors. After three bites, you have fully experienced the dessert and continuing doesn’t provide any additional benefit.
Just my two cents ;-)
Is there a body fat percentage or degree of strength tied to those ideal weight ranges? I fall into the “small frame” category at 5’8″, and have ranged from 120 pounds on the low end (weak and skinny) to now 170 (after a fair amount of eating and lifting). I’ve also been at 150 while sedentary (awful) and 150 after some biking and lifting gains (better).
So far I prefer my current 170 pound self the most. But I have gotten chubby, so I’m looking to drop about 10 pounds with as little strength loss as possible to see how I look and feel. I definitely have fat to spare, but I also have room to gain plenty of muscle mass. I’m holding back with eating as-is because I don’t really want to get fatter, so it’s time to lose some fat.
The chart you posted has 140-148 pounds being ideal for a 5’8″ small framed man, which sounds reasonable for someone who has moderate-at-best muscle mass (e.g. mostly cardio-based recreation). But I was also in that range as a sedentary office drone, which should be far from ideal.
In contrast to the lower-weight ideals, 170-175lbs might be more of an ideal for my frame at 10% body fat if I were to hit “natty limit” levels of muscle building with gifted genetics according to this calculator.
https://www.weightrainer.net/bodypred.html
The practical reality for me is probably somewhere in between 140 and 170, given that I’m not capable of being a top-tier champion athlete. But regardless of the exact weight, I’m aiming for ~10% body fat and more respectable numbers on my lifts than I currently have, which is going to put me closer to 170 than 140 I think.
Sam, you are a financial genius but not a fitness genius.
this is what you want to read: https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Leaner-Stronger-Building-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B006XF5BTG
The goal is to look athletic and graceful. People’s bodies reveal that look at different weights, depending on critical measurements. For example, a 5’ 11” male with a 28” waist, 38” chest, and 6% body fat will snap the necks of men, women and children all around (our brains react instinctively to specific rations considered ideal in nature), and weigh-in between 135 and 145.
Scales suck but so do random money advisors. As a recovering anorexic, I found this post through the Googs, so I’m now going to read your site.
Ugh, but I’m sure I’m one of the few who read before trolling.
Most people don’t know their actual weight and even if they knew, they don’t know what is their ideal weight for their body. This is also happened to me. So I am very thankful for this post because it will give you a hint on what to do next. I will help you plan what to do in the future to have a good health.
If you are 6 foot and weigh under 150 you probably look like the pictures from Aushwitz. If your goal is to become fit and healthy then expect to gain weight not loose weight. Skinny isn’t pretty. You won’t get compliments you well get concerned looks and often comments. People might be hesitant to tell a friend they’ve gained weight but they are very bold when they see weightloss that falls to the range listed as healthy in those charts. Diseases associated with wasting syndrome come to mind. Stay active and keep eating. You will be happier and look healthier. Plus those around you won’t be worried all the time.
I hardest time getting rid of that spare tire of extra 5 to 20 pounds around my waist that kept me from my ideal weight. then I met a guy who told me about Dr. Davis and the “Wheat Belly” that plagues us in our society.
So I gave up wheat, and that means All bread and pasta and breading on chicken and meats, where ever you detect wheat, stay away and don’t eat.
you will be finally be able to regain control of your body weight.
honestly if you don’t give up wheat you’re just wasting your time with exercise and other diets because it’s the wheat that is going to build up your body fat in a never ending cycle as long as you eat wheat.
I eat some sort of wheat every day and I have abs and deadlift 500lbs+. My cholesterol and glucose are in normal range.
I weight 175 and am 5’7”.
Let’s avoid the pseudo-science. If this works for you and helps keeps you healthy, great. But it’s not for everyone.
This is not a health and fitness blog and claiming that you should be X weight for Y height is not helpful or factual.
Sam,
What is you weight these days? I am still holding at 160 lbs with a 6’2″ medium frame. Life is good.
-Mike
Tim Ferris’ 4 hour body. That’s all I have to say. Best book ever. I am a 5’7” small frame female lawyer. Was 145 within 4 years into big law firm life. 4 months after starting the 4 hour body and now I’m 125. Body looks amazing and can’t believe how big I looked earlier this year. I thought it was IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight. Crazy thing is that it wasn’t even hard to lose once I knew what to eat and had a plan to follow. Crazier thing was that at 145, I worked out way harder and, by normal standards, I ate healthy and low calorie. Now I eat more calories, work out less and have a way better body.
This diet is much easier to follow, and stay compliant long term than keto for me (I can’t eat dairy and don’t like eggs) but I have not been able to lose much other than a few lbs water weight with this diet so far in 2+ months (I’ve tried it for a few weeks each time in the past). I am really giving it a go this time since many many people have success with this but quite frustrated. One thing to know is that a lot of women tend to lose weight much slower on this diet than men due to our varying hormones throughout our cycle. I will keep trying though since Tim Ferriss has so much good info in his books. 4hr workweek totally changed my thinking and life and I got hooked from there.