Dear Dr. Jen, What is a healthy weight for my body?
Answer: There are a lot of different parameters you can measure- waist circumference, body fat percentage, body mass index, etc. Body mass index is the most commonly used gauge for assessing whether or not your weight falls in a healthy range. It is based on a height to weight ratio. Below is a picture of a BMI chart. You can look up your height and weight, see what your BMI is, then see what range it falls into.
Keep in mind BMI may not give the complete picture. It doesn’t totally take into account bone structure or your muscle mass, both of which can contribute to your overall weight. Please note, however, that each weight category has a wide range, which does take into account variables like bone structure, etc. So, for example, if you are eighty pounds over the healthy weight range, and you don’t have an exceptional amount of muscle (like a NFL football player), it’s likely that losing some weight would be beneficial for your health.
