You're standing in the doctor's office. You're 5'7". The nurse slides that silver weight across the scale, and suddenly, a single number defines your entire morning. Or your month. It’s a weird height to be, honestly. You’re tall enough that you can carry an extra ten pounds without anyone noticing, but you're also at that threshold where the BMI charts start acting a bit strange because they don't always account for the sheer length of your limbs.
Calculating the ideal weight for 5'7 female isn't about hitting one specific "magic" digit. It's more of a range, a spectrum that shifts depending on whether you've got a narrow frame or you’re built like an athlete. If you look at the standard CDC or NHS charts, they're going to tell you that for a woman who is five-foot-seven, the "healthy" range sits between 118 and 159 pounds. That is a massive 41-pound gap.
Why is it so wide? Because bodies are complicated.
The BMI Problem and Your 5'7 Frame
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool, but it's a blunt one. It was actually invented in the 1830s by a Belgian mathematician named Adolphe Quetelet, who wasn't even a doctor. He was just looking for a way to measure the "average man." When we apply that to a modern woman, especially someone on the taller side of average like you, things get messy.
If you weigh 160 pounds at 5'7", your BMI is 25.1. Technically, that puts you in the "overweight" category by a hair. But if you’re a 5'7" woman who lifts weights three times a week and has a decent amount of muscle mass, you probably look—and feel—incredible. Muscle is significantly denser than fat. You could be 165 pounds and have a smaller waist than someone who weighs 140 pounds but has very little muscle tone. This is the "skinny fat" phenomenon that the charts never talk about.
Health experts like those at the Mayo Clinic are increasingly looking at waist-to-hip ratio rather than just the scale. For a 5'7" woman, having a waist measurement under 31.5 inches is generally a better indicator of cardiovascular health than whatever the scale says on a Tuesday morning after a salty dinner.
Let's Talk Frame Size
Everyone forgets about bone structure. You've probably heard someone say they are "big-boned" and rolled your eyes, but it’s a real medical metric. There’s a simple way to check this: wrap your thumb and middle finger around your wrist.
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If your fingers overlap, you have a small frame. If they just touch, you’re medium. If they don’t meet, you have a large frame.
A 5'7" woman with a large frame might feel malnourished at 125 pounds, whereas a small-framed woman of the same height might feel perfectly comfortable there. You have to account for the weight of the skeleton itself and the muscle required to move it.
What Real 5'7 Women Actually Weigh
Forget the Instagram models for a second. Let's look at real-world data and athletic standards.
In the world of professional sports, weight for 5'7 female athletes varies wildly. Look at a championship-level cross-country runner; she might sit at 120-125 pounds because any extra weight is a burden over ten miles. Contrast that with a 5'7" CrossFit athlete or a heptathlete. These women often weigh between 150 and 170 pounds. They are lean, they are powerful, and by "traditional" medical standards, they might be labeled as overweight. It’s absurd when you see them in person.
Age also plays a massive role that the standard charts ignore. As we get older, we naturally lose muscle mass—a process called sarcopenia. Research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that for women over 65, carrying a little "extra" weight (a BMI of 25 to 27) might actually be protective against osteoporosis and provide a vital reserve if they get sick.
So, if you're 50 and frustrated that you can't get back down to your 22-year-old weight of 130 pounds, give yourself a break. Your body is literally changing its biological priorities.
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The Impact of Hormones and Water
Your weight is not a static number. It is a fluctuating data point.
For women, the menstrual cycle can cause water retention that swings the scale by 3 to 5 pounds in a single 24-hour period. If you’re 5'7", your body has more surface area and more "space" to hold that water. Weighing yourself every day is a recipe for mental exhaustion. It’s much more effective to look at a weekly average or, better yet, how your favorite pair of jeans fits.
Beyond the Scale: Bio-Markers That Matter
If we aren't obsessing over the number, what should we look at?
- Resting Heart Rate: A lower resting heart rate (usually between 60-80 bpm) is a great sign of heart health, regardless of your weight.
- Energy Levels: Do you crash at 2 PM? Can you walk up three flights of stairs without gasping?
- Blood Pressure: This is a non-negotiable metric. 120/80 is the goal.
- Sleep Quality: Believe it or not, your weight and your sleep are in a constant feedback loop. Poor sleep spikes cortisol, which makes your body hang onto belly fat.
I’ve talked to women who are 145 pounds and miserable because they are constantly dieting to stay there. I’ve also talked to women who are 165 pounds, eating whole foods, moving their bodies, and feel like they’ve found their "sweet spot." Health is a feeling, not just a calculation.
How to Find Your Personal Healthy Weight
Stop looking for a universal answer. It doesn't exist. Instead, try a "functional" approach to your weight.
Ask yourself: "What weight allows me to live the life I want without being obsessed with food?"
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If your "ideal" weight requires you to turn down every dinner invitation and spend two hours on a treadmill every day, it isn't your ideal weight. It's a prison. For most 5'7" women, a weight that is sustainable—meaning you can maintain it while eating normally and exercising moderately—is usually somewhere in the 140 to 155 range.
Nutrition Over Numbers
You've got to prioritize protein. As a taller woman, you have more muscle potential than someone 5'2". Aiming for about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your target weight can change your body composition even if the scale doesn't move. This is how you lose "inches" while staying the same "weight."
Also, watch the ultra-processed foods. Recent studies have shown that these foods actually bypass our body’s natural fullness signals. It’s not that you lack willpower; it’s that the food is literally engineered to make you overeat.
Actionable Steps for the 5'7 Woman
Don't just walk away from this with more "information." Do something with it.
- Ditch the daily weigh-in. Switch to once a week, or once a month. The daily fluctuations are just noise and they'll mess with your head.
- Measure your waist. Take a tape measure and find the narrowest part of your torso. If you’re under 33 inches, you’re likely in a good place metabolically, even if the scale seems high.
- Focus on "Non-Scale Victories." Can you do a push-up? Did you sleep through the night? Is your skin clearer? These are the real indicators of health.
- Strength train. Since you’re 5'7", you have longer levers (arms and legs). Building muscle on a longer frame takes work, but it pays off massively in metabolic rate.
- Consult a Pro. If you’re genuinely concerned, get a DEXA scan. It’s the gold standard for measuring body fat versus muscle. It will tell you exactly what that 150 or 170 pounds is actually made of.
The reality of weight for 5'7 female is that the "perfect" number is the one where your blood work is clean, your joints don't hurt, and you have the energy to actually enjoy your life. Everything else is just math from the 1800s.