You've probably stood in front of the mirror, or maybe at the doctor's office, and wondered if that number on the scale actually means anything. It's a weirdly specific obsession we have. If you’re a 5'6" woman, you’ve likely seen those charts that give you a "perfect" range, but honestly, those numbers often feel like they were pulled out of a hat from 1950.
They kinda were.
Standard charts usually suggest an ideal weight 5 6 woman should fall somewhere between 117 and 155 pounds. That is a massive 38-pound gap. It’s the difference between fitting into a size 4 and a size 12. So, which one is "ideal"? The answer is annoying: it depends on your bones, your gym habits, and your DNA.
The BMI trap and why it fails 5'6" women
Most of us grew up with Body Mass Index (BMI). It’s that quick math where you divide your weight by your height squared. For a woman standing 5 feet 6 inches, a "normal" BMI is 18.5 to 24.9.
But here’s the kicker. Adolphe Quetelet, the guy who invented BMI in the 1830s, wasn't a doctor. He was a mathematician. He explicitly said BMI shouldn't be used to judge the health of an individual. He was looking at populations, not a woman trying to figure out if she should skip dessert.
If you have a lot of muscle, BMI will tell you that you're overweight. I've seen athletes who are 5'6" and weigh 165 pounds—pure muscle—get flagged as "overweight" by an automated medical portal. It's ridiculous. Muscle is much denser than fat. A gallon of muscle weighs more than a gallon of fat, but it takes up way less space.
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Frames matter more than you think
Scientists often talk about "frame size." You can actually test this yourself by wrapping your thumb and middle finger around your wrist. If they overlap, you have a small frame. If they just touch, you're medium. If there's a gap? Large frame.
A medium-framed ideal weight 5 6 woman is generally cited by the Metropolitan Life Insurance tables as being between 130 and 144 pounds. But if you have a large frame, that "ideal" jumps up to 140–159 pounds.
What the medical community actually looks at now
Doctors are finally moving away from just the scale. They're looking at Waist-to-Height Ratio (WtHR). This is arguably way more important than your total weight.
For a woman who is 66 inches tall (5'6"), your waist should ideally be less than 33 inches. Research from the International Journal of Obesity suggests that carrying weight around your midsection—visceral fat—is a much higher predictor of heart disease and type 2 diabetes than just having a high BMI.
You could weigh 130 pounds and have a 34-inch waist (what some call "skinny fat") and actually be at higher health risk than a 160-pound woman with a 29-inch waist who lifts weights three times a week.
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Bone density and aging
As we age, the "ideal" number shifts. After menopause, bone density often drops, but the body also tends to store a bit more fat for hormonal protection. Some studies, like those published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, have found that for older adults, being on the slightly "heavier" side of the BMI scale is actually linked to a longer life. It provides a reserve if you get sick.
Real world examples: 5'6" across the spectrum
Let’s look at how this plays out in real life.
- Example A: A 5'6" marathon runner. She weighs 122 pounds. She’s lean, has a small frame, and high cardiovascular endurance. Her "ideal" is on the low end.
- Example B: A 5'6" CrossFit athlete. She weighs 162 pounds. According to the charts, she’s "overweight." But her body fat percentage is 20%, which is incredibly fit. Her "ideal" is high because of her lean mass.
- Example C: A 5'6" office worker who doesn't exercise. She weighs 140 pounds. She’s in the "perfect" range, but her blood pressure is high and she has low muscle tone.
The number is just a data point. It isn't the whole story.
Beyond the scale: Bioelectrical Impedance and DEXA
If you really want to know where you stand, look into body composition.
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) is what those "smart scales" use. They send a tiny, unfelt electric current through your body. Fat slows the current down; water and muscle let it zip through. They aren't 100% accurate, but they give you a better trend than just the total pounds.
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The gold standard? A DEXA scan. It’s an X-ray that measures bone density, fat mass, and muscle mass. It will tell a 5'6" woman exactly how many pounds of her is actual fat and how much is everything else.
The psychological "ideal"
We can't talk about weight without talking about how we feel. Sometimes the "medical" ideal weight 5 6 woman is not the "happiness" weight. If maintaining a weight of 125 pounds means you can never go out to dinner with friends or you feel dizzy at the gym, then 125 pounds isn't your ideal weight. It's a prison.
Most health practitioners are now leaning toward the "Set Point Theory." This is the weight your body naturally tries to maintain when you are eating intuitively and staying active. For many 5'6" women, that naturally falls between 140 and 150 pounds.
Actionable steps to find your own healthy range
Instead of chasing a 1950s insurance chart, try these specific metrics:
- Measure your waist. Keep it under 33 inches for optimal heart health.
- Check your strength. Can you carry your own groceries? Can you do a few pushups? Muscle mass is the best predictor of metabolic health as you age.
- Get bloodwork done. Your fasting glucose, A1C, and lipid panel tell a much deeper story than the scale ever will.
- Track your energy. If you're at your "goal weight" but you're exhausted and your hair is thinning, your body is telling you that the weight is too low for your biology.
- Ignore the "perfect" number. Focus on a 5-to-10-pound range where you feel strong and your clothes fit comfortably.
Stop letting a metal box on the bathroom floor dictate your mood. For a 5'6" woman, "ideal" is a moving target that involves your heart, your muscles, and your mental peace—not just a digit. Focus on adding more movement and whole foods rather than subtracting pounds, and the "ideal" weight for your specific DNA will usually find you.