You’re standing in the bathroom, staring down at a piece of plastic and glass that’s currently judging your entire existence. We’ve all been there. You probably just Googled normal weight for my height because you want a definitive answer—a single, solitary number that tells you if you’re "okay" or if you need to cancel your dinner plans and live on kale for a month.
Honestly? That number doesn't really exist. Not in the way you think it does.
The truth is that the medical community has spent decades trying to put humans into neat little boxes based on how tall they are. It’s a bit messy. For years, the Body Mass Index (BMI) has been the gold standard for determining what you "should" weigh. It’s a simple calculation: your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters. But if you ask a sports scientist or a cardiologist today, they’ll likely tell you that BMI is a blunt instrument. It's like trying to fix a watch with a sledgehammer.
The BMI Myth and Why Your Doctor Still Uses It
Let’s talk about the 1830s. A Belgian polymath named Adolphe Quetelet came up with the BMI formula. He wasn't even a doctor. He was a mathematician and an astronomer who wanted to find the "average man." He specifically said his formula shouldn't be used to judge the health of individuals, yet here we are, nearly 200 years later, using it as a primary health metric in every clinic from New York to Tokyo.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a normal weight for my height falls within a BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9.
If you’re 5'9", that means your "normal" range is anywhere from 125 to 168 pounds. That is a massive 43-pound gap. You could look like a marathon runner at the bottom of that range or a linebacker at the top. This is the first big problem. The scale cannot tell the difference between five pounds of visceral fat—the dangerous stuff around your organs—and five pounds of dense, metabolic-boosting muscle.
Think about a professional rugby player. Someone like Saia Fainga'a might stand 5'10" and weigh 220 pounds. By standard BMI charts, he is "obese." Does he look obese? No. Is his heart health likely better than a sedentary person who fits the "normal" range but never leaves their couch? Almost certainly. This is what experts call "skinny fat" or metabolically obese normal weight (MONW). You can be within your "normal" weight and still have high cholesterol, insulin resistance, and a high risk of heart disease.
🔗 Read more: Why Having Sex in Bed Naked Might Be the Best Health Hack You Aren't Using
The Factors That Actually Dictate Your Weight
Your body isn't just a collection of mass. It's a complex system of bone, water, muscle, and organ tissue.
Bone density matters. Some people really do have "big bones." Frame size is a legitimate physiological variable. A person with a large frame might naturally weigh 10% more than someone of the same height with a small frame, even if they have the exact same body fat percentage. You can check this by measuring your wrist circumference. If your wrist is over 7 inches and you’re a 5'10" male, you’ve got a large frame. A BMI chart doesn't care about your wrists.
Muscle is the great disruptor. Muscle is about 15% denser than fat. If you start lifting weights, the scale might stay exactly where it is, or even go up, while your waistline shrinks. This is why the obsession with a normal weight for my height can be so demoralizing. You’re doing the work, your clothes fit better, you feel amazing, but the scale says you haven't made "progress."
Age and Hormones. As we get older, our body composition shifts. Post-menopausal women often see a shift in weight distribution toward the midsection due to dropping estrogen levels. Sarcopenia, which is the natural loss of muscle mass as we age, can make someone's weight look "normal" even as their body fat percentage climbs to unhealthy levels.
What about Waist-to-Height Ratio?
If you want a metric that actually correlates with health, many experts, including those at the Mayo Clinic, suggest looking at your waist circumference.
Specifically, look at your waist-to-height ratio (WHtR).
💡 You might also like: Why PMS Food Cravings Are So Intense and What You Can Actually Do About Them
The rule of thumb is simple: keep your waist circumference to less than half of your height. If you are 70 inches tall (5'10"), your waist should be 35 inches or less. This is often a much better predictor of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes than BMI because it measures central adiposity—the fat that actually causes metabolic trouble.
The "Normal" Weight for Different Heights
While we've established that the scale isn't everything, people still want the charts. It's human nature. We want a target. If we look at the standard NIH (National Institutes of Health) guidelines, here is how the "normal" range breaks down for common heights.
- 5'0" (152 cm): 95 to 127 lbs
- 5'4" (163 cm): 108 to 145 lbs
- 5'8" (173 cm): 122 to 164 lbs
- 6'0" (183 cm): 136 to 184 lbs
- 6'4" (193 cm): 152 to 205 lbs
Notice the huge overlap. A 6'0" person weighing 180 pounds is "normal," but if they gain five pounds, they are suddenly "overweight." Does five pounds change your fundamental health status overnight? Of course not. Health is a spectrum, not a binary switch.
Why "Normal" is a Moving Target
We have to talk about ethnicity. Most BMI data was originally based on populations of European descent. Research has shown that these standards don't always apply globally. For example, many health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), suggest that for people of Asian descent, the threshold for "overweight" should be lower—around 23 instead of 25—because this population tends to accumulate more visceral fat at lower total body weights.
Conversely, some studies suggest that for older populations (over 65), being in the "overweight" BMI category (25–29.9) might actually be protective. It's called the "obesity paradox." Having a little extra reserve can help the body recover from serious illnesses or surgeries. If an 80-year-old is at the bottom of the "normal weight" range, they might actually be at higher risk of frailty and bone fractures.
Beyond the Scale: What to Actually Track
If you stop obsessing over normal weight for my height, what should you look at instead?
📖 Related: 100 percent power of will: Why Most People Fail to Find It
- Resting Heart Rate. This is a direct window into your cardiovascular fitness.
- Blood Pressure. 120/80 is the goal. It doesn't matter what you weigh; if your BP is 150/95, you have a health issue that needs addressing.
- Blood Sugar (HbA1c). This measures your average blood sugar over three months. It’s the ultimate "truth-teller" for metabolic health.
- Functional Strength. Can you carry your groceries? Can you get up off the floor without using your hands? These are better indicators of longevity than a number on a scale.
- Sleep Quality. If your weight is "normal" but you have sleep apnea because of how your body carries tissue, you aren't healthy.
The Role of Genetics
It’s not an excuse, but it is a factor. Some people are genetically predisposed to carry more weight. Dr. Giles Yeo, a leading geneticist at the University of Cambridge, has done fascinating work on how our brains control our hunger and satiety. Some people have to work twice as hard to stay within a "normal" weight range because their biology is constantly fighting to maintain a higher set point.
This doesn't mean you can't be healthy; it just means that "normal" for you might look different than "normal" for your neighbor who eats pizza every day and stays thin.
How to Find Your Own "Healthy" Weight
Instead of looking at a generic chart, look at your lifestyle. Are you eating mostly whole foods? Do you move your body daily? Is your stress managed? If the answer is yes, and your blood markers (cholesterol, glucose, etc.) are in a good range, then your current weight is likely your "normal."
Many people find that their body has a "happy place"—a weight it returns to when they aren't dieting but aren't overindulging. If you have to starve yourself to stay at 130 pounds, then 130 pounds is not your normal weight. It's a weight you are holding onto through sheer force of will, and it’s usually unsustainable.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your Health (Regardless of Weight)
Forget the "perfect" number for a second. If you want to actually feel better and move toward a healthier version of yourself, focus on these shifts:
- Measure your waist, not just your weight. Take a piece of string, measure your height, fold the string in half, and see if it fits around your waist. If it doesn't, that's a better sign to take action than a BMI score.
- Prioritize protein and fiber. Instead of "cutting calories," try to get 30 grams of protein at every meal. It keeps you full and protects your muscle mass, which is what actually keeps your metabolism running.
- Focus on "Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis" (NEAT). This is a fancy way of saying "move more during the day." Fidget, take the stairs, walk while you're on the phone. This often burns more calories over a week than three 30-minute gym sessions.
- Get a full blood panel. Ask your doctor for a fasted insulin test and a lipid panel. These numbers tell the story that the scale hides.
- Stop the "All or Nothing" mindset. If you're five pounds over your "ideal" weight, you haven't failed. Your body is a dynamic organism, not a math equation.
The quest for the perfect normal weight for my height is often a distraction from the habits that actually create a long, vibrant life. Your height is fixed. Your weight is fluid. Your health is a daily practice. Focus on the inputs—what you eat, how you move, how you sleep—and let the output (your weight) take care of itself.
Health isn't a destination you reach when the scale hits a specific number. It’s the ability to live your life without being limited by your body. If you can do that, you're already winning.