Let’s be real. You’ve probably spent way too much time staring at those blue-and-white charts in a doctor’s office. You know the ones. They claim there is a single, magical number that defines your health. But if you’re standing 5'7", you’ve likely noticed that a "standard" weight can look and feel radically different on two different people.
It's frustrating.
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Society loves a simple answer, but biology isn't simple. Honestly, the ideal weight for 5'7 woman isn't a point on a map; it's a broad, shifting territory influenced by things your bathroom scale is too dumb to understand. We’re talking bone density, muscle mass, and even where your ancestors came from.
If we look strictly at the Body Mass Index (BMI)—a tool created in the 1830s by a Belgian mathematician named Adolphe Quetelet who wasn't even a doctor—the range for a 5'7" woman is roughly 118 to 159 pounds. That’s a 41-pound gap. It’s huge. It's the difference between a distance runner’s build and a powerhouse lifter’s frame. Both can be perfectly healthy, yet the scale treats them the same.
The Problem With the Magic Number
The BMI is a blunt instrument. It doesn't know if your 155 pounds is made of marble-hard muscle or something else. This is why many experts, like those at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, argue that while BMI is a "good enough" starting point for large populations, it’s often a terrible guide for individuals.
Think about it. Muscle is significantly denser than fat. If you’ve been hitting the squat rack or training for a triathlon, you might find yourself creeping toward the "overweight" category on a chart while having a low body fat percentage and excellent cardiovascular health. On the flip side, someone can be "normal weight" but have high levels of visceral fat—the kind that hangs out around your organs—which is actually much more dangerous for your long-term health.
Health isn't just a number. It's how you feel when you wake up. It's your blood pressure. It's your fasted glucose levels. It's whether you can carry your groceries up three flights of stairs without feeling like your lungs are giving out.
Decoding the ideal weight for 5'7 woman by Frame Size
We often ignore frame size, but it’s a massive piece of the puzzle. A woman with a "small" frame at 5'7" might feel her best at 125 pounds, whereas a woman with a "large" frame would look and feel depleted at that same weight.
How do you even tell? A quick-and-dirty method used by many clinicians is the wrist measurement. If you wrap your thumb and middle finger around your wrist and they overlap, you’re likely small-framed. If they just touch, you're medium. If there’s a gap? Large frame.
For a 5'7" woman, the "ideal" might break down like this:
- Small Frame: 123 to 136 pounds.
- Medium Frame: 133 to 147 pounds.
- Large Frame: 144 to 163 pounds.
See the overlap? It’s all a bit blurry. That’s because your body is a living system, not a math equation.
Beyond the Scale: Waist-to-Hip Ratio
If you want a better metric than the scale, grab a tape measure. The Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) is often a much more accurate predictor of health risks like Type 2 diabetes or heart disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a ratio of 0.85 or lower is generally considered healthy for women.
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Why does this matter? Because where you carry your weight is arguably more important than how much you carry. Subcutaneous fat (the stuff you can pinch) is mostly a cosmetic concern. Visceral fat (the stuff deep inside) is metabolically active and inflammatory. If you’re 5'7" and 165 pounds but most of that weight is in your glutes and legs, you might actually be at lower metabolic risk than someone who is 135 pounds but carries all of it in their midsection.
The Role of Age and Menopause
We have to talk about the "M" word. Menopause. As women age, especially as they move into their 40s and 50s, estrogen levels drop. This naturally leads to a shift in fat distribution toward the abdomen. It’s annoying, sure, but it’s also biological.
Recent studies have suggested that as we age, having a slightly higher BMI might actually be protective. It’s called the "obesity paradox" in some medical circles, though that’s a bit of a misnomer. Basically, having a little extra reserve can be a lifesaver if you get hit with a serious illness or injury later in life. A 5'7" woman at age 22 and the same woman at age 65 should not necessarily be aiming for the exact same number on the scale.
Why Performance Matters More Than Aesthetics
Instead of asking "What should I weigh?", try asking "What can my body do?"
If you’re 5'7" and 150 pounds but you’re constantly exhausted, getting sick, and your hair is thinning, that weight isn't "ideal" for you, even if it's dead center on a BMI chart. Conversely, if you're 165 pounds, eating a diverse diet of whole foods, sleeping 8 hours a night, and your blood work is pristine, you’ve probably found your sweet spot.
Athletes are the classic example of why the ideal weight for 5'7 woman is so subjective. Look at professional tennis players or CrossFit athletes who stand 5'7". Many weigh well over 150 pounds. They are the picture of health, but a 1990s insurance chart would tell them to lose weight. It’s absurd.
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Real Talk: Mental Health and the Scale
We can't ignore the psychological toll of chasing a number. If maintaining a specific weight requires you to obsess over every calorie, skip social outings, and feel miserable, then that weight is not healthy. Period. Health includes your relationship with food and your body.
A "healthy" weight is the one you can maintain while living a life you actually enjoy. It’s the weight where your hormones are balanced—meaning you have a regular cycle if you're pre-menopausal—and your energy is stable throughout the day.
Actionable Steps to Find Your Personal Range
Forget the "perfect" number. It doesn't exist. Instead, focus on these markers to see if you're in the right ballpark for your height.
- Check your waist circumference. For a woman, a measurement under 35 inches is typically the goal for reducing chronic disease risk.
- Monitor your energy levels. Do you crash at 3 PM? Are you too tired to exercise? This is a better indicator of metabolic health than the scale.
- Get a DEXA scan or use a smart scale. While home scales aren't perfect, they can give you a rough idea of your body fat percentage versus lean mass. For women, a healthy range is typically 21% to 32%, depending on age and activity level.
- Prioritize protein and strength training. Instead of trying to "lose weight," try to "change composition." Adding five pounds of muscle while losing five pounds of fat won't change the scale, but it will transform your health and how your clothes fit.
- Look at your blood work. Ask your doctor for a full metabolic panel. If your triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and A1c are in the green, your body is likely happy where it is.
The reality is that your body is incredibly good at finding its "set point"—the weight it wants to be when you're eating well and moving naturally. For a 5'7" woman, that set point might be 135 or it might be 160. Listen to your body, not the outdated chart on the wall.
Focus on nourishing yourself and building strength. The rest usually takes care of itself.