You’re 5'9". In a world where the average American woman stands around 5'4", you’re basically a skyscraper. Being tall is great for reaching the top shelf at the grocery store or seeing over the crowd at a concert, but it makes figuring out your "ideal" weight a total headache. Most of the generic health advice out there is written for someone five inches shorter than you.
When you’re looking at weight for 5 9 woman, the standard charts often feel like they’re pulling numbers out of thin air. You might see a range and think, "There is no way I’d look healthy at that lower end," or conversely, you might feel like you're carrying "too much" weight despite feeling strong and energetic. Honestly, the scale is a terrible narrator. It tells you a story, but it leaves out all the best plot points—like muscle density, bone structure, and where you actually carry your fat.
The BMI Trap and Why 5'9" Changes the Math
Let’s talk about the Body Mass Index (BMI). It’s that formula—weight divided by height squared—that doctors love to use. For a 5'9" woman, the "normal" BMI range is typically cited between 129 and 169 pounds.
But here’s the kicker.
BMI was invented in the 1830s by a Belgian mathematician named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He wasn't even a doctor. He was a statistician trying to find the "average man." He explicitly stated that BMI shouldn't be used to judge an individual's health, yet here we are, nearly 200 years later, still letting it dictate how we feel about our bodies.
For taller women, BMI often fails because it doesn't account for the fact that as height increases, weight naturally increases in a non-linear way. A 5'9" woman has a larger frame, longer bones, and more blood volume than a 5'2" woman. If you have an athletic build—maybe you grew up swimming or you’ve been hitting the squat rack—you can easily weigh 175 or 180 pounds and have a lower body fat percentage than someone who weighs 140 pounds but has very little muscle.
Real Numbers from Real Experts
Dr. Nick Trefethen, a mathematician at Oxford University, actually proposed a "New BMI" formula a few years ago. He argued that the traditional formula under-credits tall people for their height. Under his math, the healthy weight range for someone who is 5'9" actually shifts upward.
It makes sense.
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Think about the sheer weight of your skeleton. Tall people have longer femurs and a wider pelvis. That’s heavy stuff. If you’re trying to force yourself into the 130s just because a chart said so, you might find yourself feeling lethargic, losing your period (amenorrhea), or dealing with hair thinning. It’s just not sustainable for every frame.
Body Composition Over Everything
You've probably heard the phrase "muscle weighs more than fat." That's technically wrong. A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of lead. The difference is density. Muscle is much denser and takes up less space.
Imagine two different 5'9" women.
Woman A weighs 160 pounds. She doesn't exercise much, has a higher body fat percentage, and carries most of her weight in her midsection.
Woman B weighs 185 pounds. She lifts weights three times a week, has broad shoulders, and a high amount of lean muscle mass.
If you saw them on the street, Woman B might actually look "slimmer" or more "toned" despite being 25 pounds heavier. This is why fixating on a specific weight for 5 9 woman is a trap. You have to look at body composition.
Ways to measure what actually matters:
- Waist-to-Hip Ratio: This is a much better predictor of cardiovascular health than the scale. Take a tape measure. Measure the smallest part of your waist and the widest part of your hips. For women, a ratio of 0.85 or lower is generally considered healthy.
- The "Jeans Test": How do your clothes fit? Are you gaining strength in the gym while your pants stay the same size? That’s a sign you’re losing fat and gaining muscle—the "holy grail" of body recomposition.
- DEXA Scans: If you want the gold standard, get a Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. It’s a 10-minute test that tells you exactly how much of your weight is bone, fat, and muscle. It's eye-opening. You might find out that your "heavy" weight is actually due to an incredibly high bone density, which is great for preventing osteoporosis later in life.
The Role of Genetics and Bone Structure
You can’t change your "build." Some of us are "small-boned" (ectomorphs), and some are "large-boned" (endomorphs or mesomorphs).
Wrap your thumb and middle finger around your opposite wrist.
Do they overlap? You probably have a smaller frame.
Do they just touch? Medium frame.
Is there a gap? You’ve got a larger frame.
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A 5'9" woman with a large frame is naturally going to weigh more than a 5'9" woman with a tiny frame, even if they have the same amount of body fat. Trying to fight your genetics is a losing battle that usually ends in burnout and metabolic damage.
Let’s Talk About "Maintenance"
One thing people often forget is that being 5'9" means you have a higher Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) than shorter women. Your body requires more energy just to keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing.
A 5'4" woman might only need 1,400 calories to maintain her weight.
You? You might need 1,800 or 2,000 just to function.
When tall women try to follow "standard" 1,200-calorie diets, they often crash hard. Their bodies go into a sort of "famine mode," where cortisol levels spike, and the body stubbornly clings to fat stores. If you're 5'9" and trying to lose weight, you actually need to eat more than you think. Starving yourself will just lead to "skinny fat" syndrome, where you lose muscle but keep the fat, leaving you feeling weak and soft.
What Most People Get Wrong About Weight Loss at 5'9"
The biggest mistake? Comparing yourself to influencers who are 5'2".
When a short woman loses five pounds, it’s a whole dress size. When a 5'9" woman loses five pounds, nobody even notices. It’s frustrating, right? But the flip side is that you can also gain five pounds and your jeans still fit perfectly.
You have more "vertical real estate" to distribute your weight.
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Instead of chasing a number, chase a feeling. Are you sleeping well? Do you have the energy to get through your day without three cups of coffee? Is your skin clear? These are the real markers of a "healthy weight."
Actionable Steps for the 5'9" Woman
If you’re currently stressing over the scale, here’s a better way to approach your health. Stop looking at the 140s as the "goal" just because it sounds thin.
1. Focus on Protein Intake
To maintain that long, lean frame, you need protein. Aim for about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. This keeps your muscles fueled and prevents that "gaunt" look that sometimes happens to tall women when they lose weight too quickly.
2. Resistance Training is Your Best Friend
Because you have long limbs, you have a mechanical advantage in some lifts and a disadvantage in others. But building muscle is what gives a 5'9" frame that "statuesque" look. It also raises your metabolism, making weight maintenance effortless.
3. Throw Away the "Goal Weight" Idea
Instead, set a "Goal Range." A 10-to-15-pound window is much more realistic. Your weight will fluctuate based on your menstrual cycle, sodium intake, and hydration. A 5'9" woman can easily swing 4 pounds in a single day just from water retention. Don't let a morning weigh-in ruin your mood.
4. Check Your Micronutrients
Tall women often need more Vitamin D and Calcium to support those long bones. If you're dieting too hard, these are the first things to slip. Make sure you're getting enough greens, dairy (or fortified alternatives), and sunshine.
5. Listen to Your Body, Not the Chart
If the BMI chart says you're "overweight" at 175 pounds, but you feel fantastic, your blood pressure is perfect, and your cholesterol levels are optimal, then you are not overweight. You are just a person who doesn't fit into a 200-year-old math equation.
At the end of the day, being 5'9" is a superpower. Your body is a high-performance machine that requires more fuel and a different perspective than the "average" woman. Focus on strength, energy, and how you feel in your own skin. The number on the scale is just data—it’s not a grade on your value as a human.
Start by tracking your measurements or your strength gains in the gym for the next 30 days. You’ll likely find that as you get stronger and feel better, that "ideal" weight number starts to matter a whole lot less. Focus on adding more movement and whole foods into your routine rather than subtracting calories until you're miserable. High-quality sleep and managing your stress levels will do more for your waistline than a crash diet ever could. Your 5'9" frame is unique; treat it like the individual masterpiece it actually is.