You're standing in front of the mirror, maybe clutching a handful of a favorite pair of jeans that haven't fit since 2019, wondering if that magic number in your head is even realistic. If you're 5'7", you've probably Googled "goal weight for 5'7 female" more times than you’d care to admit. You see the charts. You see the influencers. But honestly? Most of those numbers are just math, and your body isn't an equation.
Being 5'7" is a bit of a "sweet spot" in the height world. You're tall enough that five pounds can disappear into your frame, but you're not so tall that you don't feel the impact of a heavy weekend.
The Numbers Game: What the Medical World Thinks
Let's talk about the Body Mass Index (BMI) for a second. It's old. It was invented in the 1830s by a Belgian mathematician named Adolphe Quetelet, who—get this—wasn't even a doctor. He was just obsessed with "the average man."
For a woman who is 5'7", the standard medical "healthy" range is roughly 121 to 158 pounds.
That is a massive gap.
Thirty-seven pounds of wiggle room! You could be 125 pounds and feel like a frail ghost, or 155 pounds and feel like an absolute powerhouse. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal. But if you have an athletic build—maybe you grew up swimming or you’ve spent the last year hitting the squat rack—that 158-pound limit is going to feel incredibly restrictive. Bone density matters too. Some of us literally have "heavy bones," a term people joke about but that is actually rooted in frame size metrics.
Frame Size and Why It Ruins Your Progress
You've probably heard someone say they are "big-boned." It sounds like an excuse, right? It isn't. Clinical researchers often use the elbow breadth or wrist circumference to determine frame size.
If you have a small frame, your goal weight for 5'7 female might actually sit on the lower end of that BMI scale, maybe 125-135 lbs. But if you have a large frame? Trying to force your body down to 130 lbs is going to be a miserable, unsustainable slog that probably messes with your hormones.
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Think about it this way.
Your skeleton is the foundation of your house. You can't put a mansion's worth of muscle and functional tissue on a shed's foundation, and you can't strip a mansion down to the studs without the whole thing collapsing.
Muscle vs. Fat: The 150-Pound Mystery
I’ve seen women who are 5'7" and 150 pounds look completely different from one another. One might be a size 10 with a softer composition, while another is a shredded size 6 who lifts heavy.
Muscle is dense.
It takes up about 15-20% less space than fat by volume. This is why the scale is a dirty liar. If you start a new lifting program and the scale doesn't move for three months, but your pants are falling off, you've succeeded. Your "goal weight" might actually be higher than you think if you’re prioritizing strength.
The Menstrual Cycle and Water Weight
We need to talk about the "Whoosh Effect" and the monthly bloat. For a woman of this height, it is totally normal to swing 3 to 5 pounds in a single week based on where you are in your cycle. Progesterone causes water retention. If you weigh yourself on day 26 of your cycle and see 162, don't panic. By day 3 of your period, you might be back at 157.
When you set a goal weight, it shouldn't be a single digit. It should be a range.
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What the Experts Say About Sustainability
Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a well-known obesity expert and professor, often talks about "Best Weight." Your best weight isn't the lowest weight you can reach through starvation; it’s the lowest weight you can reach while actually enjoying your life.
If being 135 pounds means you can never eat a slice of pizza with your kids or go out for drinks with friends, is it really your goal? Probably not.
Most 5'7" women find a "sweet spot" where they feel energetic and their blood markers (cholesterol, glucose) are perfect. Often, this lands between 140 and 150 pounds. This range allows for muscle definition without requiring a professional athlete’s diet.
The Trap of "Goal Weights"
A lot of people pick a number because it sounded good in high school. "I want to be 130 again."
Why?
Your body at 35 is not your body at 17. Your hips might have widened. Your metabolism has shifted. Your life stress is different. Instead of a number, look at functional goals. Can you climb three flights of stairs without getting winded? Does your back hurt when you wake up?
Real-World Examples of 5'7" Variations:
- The Endurance Athlete: Often sits between 128-138 lbs. Lean, lower muscle mass to stay light for running.
- The Average Active Woman: Usually comfortable around 142-152 lbs. Mixes cardio with some light weights or yoga.
- The Strength Trainer: Can easily be 160-170 lbs while looking "fit." High muscle mass protects joints and boosts metabolic rate.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio: A Better Metric
If you want to move away from the scale, grab a measuring tape. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that your waist-to-hip ratio is a much better predictor of long-term health than your weight. For women, a ratio of 0.85 or lower is the target.
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To find yours:
- Measure the smallest part of your waist.
- Measure the widest part of your hips.
- Divide the waist number by the hip number.
This tells you how much "visceral fat" (the dangerous kind around your organs) you're carrying. If your weight is 165 but your ratio is 0.78, you're likely in much better shape than someone who is 135 but carries all their weight in their midsection (the "skinny fat" phenomenon).
Lifestyle Factors You Can't Ignore
Sleep and stress are the silent killers of weight goals. You could be eating 1,200 calories (which, by the way, is usually too low for a 5'7" woman) and doing HIIT every day, but if you’re only sleeping five hours a night, your cortisol is going to hold onto every ounce of fat like its life depends on it.
Cortisol is a jerk.
It specifically likes to deposit fat in the abdominal area. If you’re struggling to hit your goal weight for 5'7 female, maybe stop looking at your plate and start looking at your pillow.
Actionable Steps to Finding Your Number
Stop chasing a ghost. If you want to find a weight that actually sticks, follow this path:
- Ditch the "Perfect" Number: Give yourself a 5-pound buffer. If your goal is 145, your real goal is 143-148. This prevents the psychological spiral when you have a salty dinner.
- Prioritize Protein: Aim for about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. It keeps you full and protects the muscle you have.
- Strength Train Twice a Week: You won't get "bulky" unless you are trying very, very hard to do so. You will, however, look tighter at a higher weight.
- Check Your Energy: If you hit your goal weight but you’re too tired to walk the dog, you’ve gone too far.
- Get a DEXA Scan: If you’re really curious, a DEXA scan will tell you exactly how much of your weight is bone, fat, and muscle. It’s the ultimate reality check for 5'7" women who think they "should" weigh less.
Forget the 1950s height-weight charts tucked away in a dusty doctor's office. Your goal weight for 5'7 female is the point where your body performs at its peak, your clothes fit the way you like, and you aren't constantly thinking about your next meal.
Focus on how you feel at 2 PM on a Tuesday. Are you crashing? Or are you fueled? That’s your real answer.
Next time you step on the scale, remember that gravity is just measuring your relationship with the earth, not your worth or your health. Use the 140-155 range as a starting point, but listen to your joints and your energy levels above all else. Success isn't a destination on a dial; it's a sustainable lifestyle that doesn't feel like a chore.