So, you’re 5'7". In the world of height, that’s a pretty sweet spot. You’re tall enough to reach the top shelf at the grocery store but not so tall that finding jeans becomes a soul-crushing quest. But then there's the question that everyone eventually types into a search bar: what should the weight of a 5 7 female actually be?
The internet loves to give you a single number. It wants to tell you that if you hit 140 pounds, you’ve "won" at health. But bodies don't work in binary.
If you look at the standard Body Mass Index (BMI) charts—the ones doctors still use because they’re fast, even if they’re kind of flawed—the "normal" range for a 5'7" woman is roughly between 118 and 159 pounds. That’s a 41-pound gap. It’s huge. You could fit a whole medium-sized dog in that gap. And that’s exactly why looking at a single number is usually a recipe for a headache.
The BMI Problem and Why Muscle Changes Everything
Let's get real about the BMI. It was invented in the 1830s by a Belgian mathematician named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He wasn't a doctor. He was a statistician trying to find the "average man." He never intended for it to be a diagnostic tool for individual health, yet here we are, nearly 200 years later, still letting his math dictate how we feel about our morning weigh-in.
When we talk about the weight of a 5 7 female, muscle mass is the ultimate wild card. Muscle is much denser than fat. If you take two women who are both 5'7" and 150 pounds, one might wear a size 6 and have visible muscle definition because she spends her weekends powerlifting. The other might wear a size 12 and have a much higher body fat percentage. Their weight is identical. Their health profiles? Totally different.
- The Athletic Build: If you have a high bone density and significant muscle, you might naturally sit at 160 or 165 pounds. According to a strict BMI chart, you’re "overweight." But if your waist-to-hip ratio is low and your blood pressure is perfect, that number on the scale is basically irrelevant.
- The "Skinny Fat" Phenomenon: On the flip side, you could weigh 120 pounds—well within the "healthy" range—but have very little muscle and high visceral fat. This is actually sometimes more dangerous for long-term metabolic health than being "overweight" but active.
What Do the Real Health Organizations Say?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses a formula where BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. For a 5'7" (170 cm) woman, the breakdown usually looks like this:
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- Underweight: Below 118 lbs
- Healthy Weight: 118 lbs to 159 lbs
- Overweight: 160 lbs to 191 lbs
- Obese: 192 lbs or higher
But even the CDC acknowledges that BMI is just a screening tool. It doesn’t account for where you carry your fat. Research from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that "apple-shaped" individuals (those who carry weight around their midsection) face higher risks of heart disease than "pear-shaped" individuals, regardless of what the total weight of a 5 7 female happens to be.
Frame Size Matters Way More Than You Think
Have you ever tried on a friend's bracelet and realized your wrists are just... different? That’s frame size. To find yours, wrap your thumb and middle finger around your opposite wrist. If they overlap, you have a small frame. If they just touch, you’re medium. If there’s a gap, you’re large-framed.
A large-framed woman who is 5'7" is going to feel—and look—sickly if she tries to force her body down to 120 pounds. Her skeleton literally weighs more. Her organs might be slightly larger. Her "set point" is naturally higher. Expecting a large-framed woman to weigh the same as a small-framed woman is like expecting a SUV to weigh the same as a sedan just because they're the same length.
Age and the Metabolic Shift
Life happens. You aren't going to weigh what you weighed at nineteen when you're forty-five. And honestly? You shouldn't.
As women age, especially heading into perimenopause and menopause, the body naturally shifts. Estrogen drops. The body starts to prioritize holding onto some fat because fat cells can actually produce a small amount of estrogen. This often leads to the "middle-age spread." While it's frustrating, some research suggests that carrying a few extra pounds as you age can actually be protective against osteoporosis and bone fractures.
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If the weight of a 5 7 female increases by 10 or 15 pounds between the ages of 25 and 55, it isn't necessarily a failure of willpower. It’s biology. The goal should be metabolic flexibility—how well your body processes fuel—rather than hitting a number you saw in a magazine in 2004.
Beyond the Scale: What Should You Actually Track?
If the scale is a liar (or at least a very biased storyteller), what should you actually look at? Doctors like Dr. Peter Attia, author of Outlive, often point toward markers that actually correlate with longevity.
- Waist-to-Height Ratio: This is a big one. Ideally, your waist circumference should be less than half your height. For a 5'7" woman (67 inches), that means your waist should ideally be under 33.5 inches. This is a much better predictor of cardiovascular health than total weight.
- Body Composition: If you can get a DEXA scan, do it. It’ll tell you exactly how much of your weight is bone, muscle, and fat. It even tells you where the fat is.
- Strength Levels: Can you carry your own groceries? Can you do a push-up? Strength is one of the highest predictors of how long you’ll live. If you weigh 170 pounds but can deadlift your body weight, you are likely in better health than a sedentary 130-pounder.
- Energy and Sleep: If you’re at your "goal weight" but you’re exhausted, irritable, and losing your hair, that weight isn't healthy for you.
The Psychological Weight of the Number
We need to talk about the mental tax.
Constantly chasing a specific weight of a 5 7 female can lead to a cycle of restriction and bingeing. This wreaks havoc on your cortisol levels. High cortisol leads to... you guessed it... more belly fat. It’s a vicious, annoying circle.
Sometimes, the healthiest thing you can do for your body is to stop weighing yourself every day. Your weight fluctuates by 3-5 pounds in a single day anyway, based on salt intake, hormones, hydration, and whether or not you've had a bowel movement. Why let a liter of water retention ruin your Tuesday?
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How to Find Your Personal "Healthy" Weight
Finding your "set point"—the weight where your body naturally wants to settle when you're eating well and moving—takes time. It’s not a destination you reach by starving.
Start by focusing on protein. Aim for about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your ideal weight. This helps maintain that crucial muscle mass we talked about. Pair that with resistance training. You don't have to become a bodybuilder, but picking up heavy things twice a week tells your body "Keep the muscle, lose the fat."
Check your labs. Instead of obsessing over the weight of a 5 7 female, obsess over your fasting insulin, your HbA1c, and your lipid panel. If those numbers are in the green, your weight is likely exactly where it needs to be.
Actionable Steps for the 5'7" Woman
- Ditch the "Standard" Chart: Use the waist-to-height ratio instead. It's more accurate for your actual risk of chronic disease.
- Prioritize Protein and Fiber: Aim for 30g of protein at breakfast to stabilize your blood sugar for the rest of the day.
- Measure Your Progress Differently: Use a pair of "goal pants" or a measuring tape. The scale cannot distinguish between a gallon of water and five pounds of fat.
- Lift Something Heavy: Whether it’s dumbbells, kettlebells, or a heavy bag of mulch, resistance is the key to a healthy metabolism as you age.
- Consult a Pro: If you’re genuinely concerned, see a functional medicine practitioner who looks at body composition and hormones, not just a BMI table.
The "perfect" weight doesn't exist in a vacuum. It exists in the context of your genetics, your activity level, and your stage of life. If you feel strong, your labs are clean, and you have the energy to live your life, you've already found the right number.