You're standing in front of the mirror, or maybe you're at the doctor's office staring at that little paper gown, and the question hits: what is a normal weight for 5 8 female? It sounds like it should be a simple number. One digit. Maybe a tiny range. But honestly, if you ask three different doctors, you might get four different answers. Being 5'8" is an interesting height for a woman. You're taller than average—about four inches taller than the typical American woman—which means your "normal" looks a lot different than someone who is 5'4".
Bodies are weird.
One person at 140 pounds looks lean and athletic, while another at the exact same weight and height might feel soft or even "skinny fat" because of their muscle-to-fat ratio. Then there’s the bone structure. Some people have "fine" bones, and others have a frame that’s built like a literal fortress. If you’ve ever tried to slide a bracelet over a wrist that just won't budge, you know what I mean. We need to talk about what the charts say, sure, but we also need to talk about why those charts are sometimes kind of garbage.
The BMI Math and Why It’s Only Half the Story
If we go by the standard Body Mass Index (BMI), which was actually invented by a mathematician named Adolphe Quetelet in the 1830s—yeah, a mathematician, not a doctor—the range for a normal weight for 5 8 female is roughly 122 to 164 pounds.
That is a massive gap.
Forty-two pounds is the difference between fitting into a size 4 and a size 12. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as long as your BMI falls between 18.5 and 24.9, you’re "normal." But let's be real. If you’re 5'8" and you weigh 122 pounds, you’re right on the edge of being underweight. For many women, that weight is hard to maintain without feeling constant fatigue or dealing with hormonal disruptions. On the flip side, 164 pounds can look incredibly fit if you're hitting the gym and carrying a decent amount of muscle.
Muscle is dense. It’s heavy.
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Dr. Nick Trefethen from Oxford University actually proposed a "New BMI" formula a few years ago because he argued the old one penalizes tall people. Since you're 5'8", the old formula might actually make you look "heavier" on paper than you really are in terms of body fat. His formula accounts for the fact that as humans get taller, we don't just get wider; we grow in three dimensions.
The Frame Size Factor
You’ve probably heard people say they are "big-boned." It sounds like an excuse, right? It isn't. It’s a real anatomical reality. You can actually check this yourself with a tape measure around your wrist. For a woman who is 5'8", a wrist circumference under 6.25 inches usually means a small frame. Between 6.25 and 6.5 inches is medium. Anything over 6.5 inches is a large frame.
If you have a large frame, trying to force your body down to 130 pounds is going to be a nightmare. Your skeleton literally weighs more. Your organs are scaled to fit your frame. When we talk about a normal weight for 5 8 female, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company tables—which are old school but weirdly accurate for frame sizes—suggest that a large-framed woman at 5'8" should actually aim for 144 to 164 pounds. Meanwhile, a small-framed woman might feel her best at 126 to 139 pounds.
It's all about context.
Think about a professional swimmer versus a marathon runner. Both could be 5'8". The swimmer likely has broader shoulders and more muscle mass to power through the water, putting her at the higher end of the weight spectrum. The runner is likely leaner and lighter to reduce the impact on her joints. Both are "normal" and healthy.
Why Your "Happy Weight" Might Not Be the "Chart Weight"
There’s this concept in health circles called "Set Point Theory." Basically, your body has a weight range it really, really wants to stay in. For some 5'8" women, that’s 150 pounds. For others, it’s 135. If you find that you have to starve yourself to stay under 140, your body is telling you that 140 isn't your personal normal weight for 5 8 female.
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Your hormones play a huge role here too.
When your weight drops too low for your specific frame, your body might stop producing enough estrogen. This leads to issues like amenorrhea (losing your period) or bone density loss. On the other end, carrying too much visceral fat—the stuff that sits deep in your abdomen around your organs—increases your risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, regardless of what the scale says.
Instead of obsessing over the 122-164 range, look at your waist-to-hip ratio. Take a tape measure and wrap it around the narrowest part of your waist and the widest part of your hips. Divide the waist number by the hip number. For women, a ratio of 0.85 or lower is generally a sign that your weight distribution is healthy, even if the scale is higher than you’d like.
The Athlete Exception
If you lift weights, toss the scale out the window. Seriously.
I’ve seen women who are 5'8" and 175 pounds who look absolutely incredible and have perfect blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Why? Because they are composed of lean tissue. Muscle takes up about 15-20% less space than fat by volume. This is why "toning up" often leads to clothes fitting better even if the weight doesn't move or even goes up.
If you are active, your normal weight for 5 8 female is going to be higher. You need the mass to support your activity levels.
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Real Numbers from Real Life
Let’s look at some examples of how this weight distributes on a 5'8" frame:
- 125-135 lbs: This is often a "model" weight. It’s very lean. For many women this height, it requires a very strict diet and may be difficult to maintain long-term without sacrificing energy levels.
- 140-155 lbs: This is the "sweet spot" for a huge percentage of 5'8" women. It allows for a balance of muscle and a healthy amount of body fat for hormonal health.
- 160-175 lbs: This is often where athletic women or those with larger frames land. If you have a high muscle mass, you can be in this range and still have a flat stomach and high energy.
What Most People Get Wrong About 5 8
People often forget that height isn't linear when it comes to weight. A 5'8" woman isn't just a "stretched out" 5'4" woman. You have longer levers (your arms and legs), which means your caloric needs are naturally higher. Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)—the calories you burn just by existing—is likely around 1,400 to 1,500 calories. That’s before you even get out of bed.
When people try to stick to generic 1,200-calorie diets, 5'8" women usually crash and burn because it’s a massive deficit for their size.
Actionable Steps for Finding Your Number
Stop chasing a number you found on a 1990s blog. If you want to find your actual healthy weight, do these things instead:
- Get a DEXA scan or a BodPod test. If you really want to know what’s going on, ignore the scale and look at your body fat percentage. For women, a range of 21% to 32% is generally considered healthy.
- Check your fasting blood work. Your "normal" weight is the weight where your blood sugar, A1C, and lipid panels are all in the green. If your numbers are great at 160 pounds, don't kill yourself trying to get to 130.
- Monitor your energy and cycle. If you're tired all the time, cold constantly, or your period is irregular, you’re likely below your body’s functional weight.
- Focus on functional strength. Can you carry your groceries? Can you hike a hill? Can you do a push-up? If you can move your body effectively, you’re likely in a good spot.
The quest for a normal weight for 5 8 female shouldn't be about hitting a specific mark on a metal box in your bathroom. It’s about finding the point where your body functions at its peak, your hormones are balanced, and you actually have the energy to enjoy your life.
Go by how your jeans fit. Go by how you feel during a workout.
If you’re 5'8" and 155 pounds but you feel strong and healthy, you’ve already won. Don't let a chart from the 1800s tell you otherwise.
Next Steps for Your Health Journey
- Measure your frame size using the wrist method to see where you naturally land on the spectrum.
- Schedule a basic metabolic panel with your doctor to ensure your internal health markers align with your current weight.
- Prioritize protein intake (aiming for roughly 0.8g to 1g per pound of lean body mass) to support the muscle that keeps your metabolism high at this height.