A healthy weight is generally defined as the body weight range associated with the lowest statistical risk for developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes. Determining this range requires a measurement that balances total body mass with height, offering a standardized approach to health assessment. The question of how much one should weigh for a specific height, like 5 feet 7 inches, introduces the need for a simple, universally applied screening tool used by public health organizations worldwide.
The Primary Metric: Body Mass Index
The most common method for screening a person’s weight status is the Body Mass Index, or BMI. BMI is calculated by dividing an individual’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. This calculation offers a single number that health professionals use to broadly categorize a person’s weight in relation to their height.
The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention utilize four main BMI categories for adults. A BMI of less than 18.5 is classified as Underweight, while the standard Healthy Weight range falls between 18.5 and 24.9. A BMI from 25.0 to 29.9 is considered Overweight, and a BMI of 30.0 or greater is classified as Obese. BMI functions as a screening tool to identify potential weight-related health risks, but it is not a diagnostic measure of an individual’s health.
Defining the Healthy Weight Range for 5’7″
Applying the standard healthy BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9 to a height of 5 feet 7 inches (approximately 1.70 meters) yields a specific target weight range. To maintain a weight status categorized as “Healthy Weight,” a person who is 5’7″ tall should weigh between approximately 118 pounds and 159 pounds. In metric units, this range corresponds to about 53.5 kilograms to 72.1 kilograms.
This numerical range represents the weight boundaries within which the lowest risk of certain chronic diseases is statistically observed in the general population. Knowing this range provides a quantifiable benchmark for an individual to assess their current weight status. When a person’s weight falls outside of this calculated zone, it indicates the need for further medical evaluation, not an automatic diagnosis of poor health.
Factors That Modify Ideal Weight
The primary limitation of the BMI calculation is its failure to account for body composition, meaning it cannot distinguish between fat mass and lean mass like muscle and bone. Muscle tissue is considerably denser than fat tissue. Highly muscular individuals, such as athletes, may have a high BMI that incorrectly classifies them as Overweight or Obese. In these cases, their elevated weight is due to metabolically active muscle rather than excess body fat, meaning their health risk is not necessarily increased.
Body frame size also influences a person’s weight without changing their underlying health risk. Individuals with a larger bone structure naturally weigh more than those with a smaller frame at the same height and body fat percentage. Frame size can be estimated by measuring the wrist circumference in relation to height, offering a simple way to adjust the interpretation of the BMI result. A person with a large frame can healthily carry more weight than a small-framed person with an identical BMI.
Healthy body fat percentage also differs naturally between sexes and changes with age. Women typically have a higher healthy body fat percentage than men because they carry more essential fat necessary for reproductive and hormonal function. For example, a healthy range for women in their 20s may be 21–32%, while men in the same age group have a healthy range of 8–19%. The acceptable body fat percentage tends to increase slightly for both men and women as they age, reflecting natural physiological changes.
Health Implications of Weight Deviation
Maintaining weight within the healthy range is associated with better long-term health outcomes, as significant deviation in either direction presents distinct physiological risks.
Excess weight, categorized as Overweight or Obese, increases the workload on the cardiovascular system and can lead to chronic conditions. These risks include the development of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), cardiovascular disease, and obstructive sleep apnea. Excess fat tissue is metabolically active and secretes hormones that promote low-grade inflammation, contributing to the development of these chronic diseases.
Conversely, a weight status in the Underweight category presents its own set of health challenges. Being underweight is associated with an increased risk of nutritional deficiencies, which can compromise the immune system and increase susceptibility to infections. For women, being significantly underweight can lead to hormonal abnormalities, while for both sexes, it increases the risk of bone density loss, potentially leading to osteoporosis. Both extremes of the weight spectrum are linked to higher rates of all-cause mortality compared to the healthy weight range.