If you’re 5’7″, a healthy weight generally falls between 118 and 159 pounds based on BMI guidelines. That’s a wide range, and where you land within it depends on your sex, body frame, muscle mass, and age. A single “ideal” number doesn’t exist, but several tools can help you find a realistic target.
The BMI Range for 5’7″
Body mass index, or BMI, is the most common starting point. It divides your weight (in pounds) by your height squared. For someone standing 5’7″, the CDC’s weight categories break down like this:
- Underweight: below 118 pounds (BMI under 18.5)
- Healthy weight: 118 to 159 pounds (BMI 18.5 to 24.9)
- Overweight: 160 to 191 pounds (BMI 25 to 29.9)
- Obese: 192 pounds or more (BMI 30+)
Most adults at 5’7″ will have the lowest risk for weight-related health problems somewhere in that 118 to 159 pound window. But BMI treats all weight the same. It can’t tell the difference between fat, muscle, and bone, which is why it’s a screening tool rather than a diagnosis.
Ideal Body Weight by Sex
Clinical formulas narrow the range further by accounting for biological sex. Four widely used formulas, when applied to a 5’7″ person, cluster around similar numbers:
- Men: roughly 144 to 148 pounds
- Women: roughly 134 to 138 pounds
These midpoints are useful as a general reference, but they were developed decades ago on limited populations. They don’t account for how muscular you are, how old you are, or your ethnic background. Think of them as a starting anchor, not a prescription.
How Body Frame Changes the Number
Your bone structure matters. Someone with broad shoulders and a wide rib cage will naturally weigh more than a narrow-framed person at the same height, even at the same body fat level. The Metropolitan Life Insurance tables, one of the longest-running references for frame-adjusted weight, set these ranges for 5’7″ adults:
For men:
- Small frame: 138 to 145 pounds
- Medium frame: 142 to 154 pounds
- Large frame: 149 to 168 pounds
For women:
- Small frame: 123 to 136 pounds
- Medium frame: 133 to 147 pounds
- Large frame: 143 to 163 pounds
A simple way to estimate your frame size: wrap the thumb and middle finger of one hand around the opposite wrist. If they overlap, you likely have a small frame. If they just touch, medium. If there’s a gap, large. It’s a rough test, but it helps explain why two people at 5’7″ can look and feel healthy at very different weights.
Why BMI Can Be Misleading
BMI works reasonably well for the general population, but it has blind spots. A person who strength trains regularly may weigh 175 pounds at 5’7″ and fall into the “overweight” category while carrying relatively little body fat. BMI doesn’t distinguish between a pound of muscle and a pound of fat, so it can overestimate health risk in muscular people and underestimate it in people who carry excess fat but have a lower overall weight.
Two better complementary measures can fill in the gaps: waist circumference and body fat percentage. The NHS recommends keeping your waist measurement below half your height. At 5’7″ (67 inches), that means a waist under 33.5 inches. This matters because fat stored around the midsection poses more metabolic risk than fat carried in the hips or thighs.
Body fat percentage gives you even more context. A 2025 study published through Harvard Health defined overweight as 25% body fat or higher for men and 36% or higher for women. Obesity thresholds were 30% for men and 42% for women. You can get a rough estimate through scales with bioelectrical impedance, or a more accurate reading through a DEXA scan at a clinic.
Age Shifts the Target
The standard BMI categories were designed for adults aged 20 and older, but they don’t adjust for aging. Research suggests that adults over 74 may actually do better at a slightly higher weight. Some experts recommend a BMI of 22 to 26 for older adults, which translates to roughly 140 to 166 pounds at 5’7″. Carrying a small amount of extra weight in later life appears to offer a protective buffer during illness or recovery from surgery.
For younger adults, the standard 118 to 159 range remains the most supported by evidence. If you’re in your 20s or 30s and closer to the upper end of that range, the key question isn’t the number on the scale alone. It’s whether your waist is proportionate, your blood pressure and blood sugar are normal, and you’re physically active.
Health Risks Outside the Range
Carrying significantly more weight than the healthy range at 5’7″ raises the risk for a long list of conditions: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, several types of cancer, chronic kidney disease, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and depression. The risk increases as weight climbs higher above 191 pounds (a BMI of 30 at this height).
Being substantially underweight, below roughly 118 pounds, carries its own risks: weakened immunity, bone loss, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal disruption, and fertility problems. If your weight sits well below the healthy range and you haven’t intentionally been restricting food, it’s worth investigating with a healthcare provider.
Finding Your Personal Target
Rather than fixating on a single number, think in terms of a personal range. Start with the BMI-based window of 118 to 159 pounds, then adjust for your frame size, muscle mass, sex, and age. A 5’7″ man with a large frame and an active lifting routine could be perfectly healthy at 165 pounds. A 5’7″ woman with a small frame might feel her best around 125.
Three practical numbers to track together give you a fuller picture than any one of them alone: your weight (for the general trend over time), your waist circumference (under 33.5 inches at this height), and your body fat percentage if you have access to a reliable measurement. When all three fall in healthy territory, you can be reasonably confident that your weight is where it should be.