Optimum weight for women. Norms for height and age, body mass index, calculation formula

Recently, active promotion of healthy lifestyle is being conducted in USA. According to statistics, the state of human health is more than 50% dependent on lifestyle and only 10% on the quality of medical services. One of the main problems of our time is obesity, caused by a craze for fast food and a violation of diet.

Maintaining optimal weight for women is especially important, because extra pounds negatively affect not only the appearance, but also health.

Body definition

Despite the fact that the standards of beauty have changed a long time ago and plus size women are in fashion again, the majority of girls who dream of modeling business are still exhausting themselves with diets in an effort to achieve anorexic thinness.

However, attempts to achieve the ideal do not always end in success, because there are factors that cannot be adjusted, for example, the type of constitution that is laid down at the genetic level.

The proportions of the body, the nature of the formation of the figure, as well as the development of musculoskeletal and adipose tissue, are called the constitution or physique. The size and shape of the human body are programmed in an individual genetic code, and they can be corrected only with the help of surgical intervention.

In medical practice, there are 3 types of physique, for the classification of which several systems are used.

Classification by the Soloviev method

In accordance with the classification of Soloviev, all types of constitution can be divided into 3 types, each of which has a number of distinctive features: asthenic, normosthenic, and hypersthenic.

Asthenic or fine-boned (ectomorphs)

This type of physique is characteristic of fashion models. Female ectomorphs are distinguished by subtle facial features, pale skin, elongated limbs, long fingers and poorly developed muscles. They are prone to fatigue, have a low hemoglobin level, and are prone to frequent colds and gastrointestinal problems.

Normostenic or normal (mesomorphs)

Female athletes. They are distinguished by the proportionality of the figure, well-developed muscles, broad shoulders, a narrow waist and hips. They are hardy, can quickly gain weight and easily get rid of it. They have a tendency to hypertension, diseases of the digestive system and upper respiratory tract.

Hypersthenic or broad-bones (endomorphs)

This type includes women collective farmers. They are stocky, have a powerful torso and well-developed limbs. They tend to be overweight. Endomorphs can be both tall and stately, and undersized, and squat.

Such a physique is characterized by the shape of the figure “apple” or “pear”. As a rule, they suffer from hypertension, high cholesterol in the blood, diabetes and problems with the liver and respiratory system.

You can determine the type of physique by the Soloviev index, which is equal to the length of the girth of the wrist of the working hand.

Soloviev index indicators:

Body type	Indicator, inch
Asthenic	Less than 15
Normosthenic	15 to 17
Hypersthenic	From 17

Weight and height tables

The optimal weight for a woman, as well as for a man, depends not only on the type of physique, but also on the balance of adipose and musculoskeletal tissue.

For women with an ideal ratio of weight to height, the following parameters are characteristic:

• waist circumference is less than hip circumference by 9’8 inch;
• the waist volume corresponds to the formula P-100, where P is the growth value in inch;
• with a growth range of 5’4 – 5’7 foot, the waist circumference is approximately equal to the weight in pounds.

Thus, for an ideal, you can take a girl with a height of 5’6 – 5’7 foot, with a hip volume from 37’4 – 38’2 inch and a waist of 28’3 inch, with 48 clothing sizes.

Table of the proportional ratio of weight and height, taking into account the type of physique:

Height, inch	Weight by body type, pounds
	Ectomorphs	Mesomorphs	Endomorphs
151-155	45-47	48.05-50.2	52.6-54.7
156-160	48.35-49.15	51.25-52.3	55.8-56.90
161-165	50.25-52.45	55.1-56.2	58.1-60.9
166-170	53.7-55.1	57.75-59.15	62.3-63.7
171-175	56.5-59.45	60.4-63.45	65.1-68
176-180	61-65.1	64.85-70.1	69.65-75.9

To assess the ratio of weight to height, it is necessary to correctly measure the parameters. Almost everyone has floor scales in the house, so measuring body weight will not be a problem, but even here there are some nuances.

Weighing Rules:

• the measuring device must be placed on a horizontal solid surface, the presence of carpet or incline may affect the result;
• feet should be placed on the platform in parallel, trying to evenly distribute the center of gravity;
• it is recommended to take measurements in the morning on an empty stomach.

Measuring growth on your own is a little more difficult. To do this, you need a tape measure, a pencil, a long clerical ruler, preferably a wooden and a small mirror.

In order to correctly measure growth, it is necessary to carry out the following actions:

1. Prepare for measurement: remove shoes, loose hair or remove hair clips from the hairstyle that can affect the result.
2. Stand with your back to the wall, and fix the position in which the heels, buttocks, shoulders and back of the head will be in contact with it. Legs should be together, not shoulder width apart.
3. Attach a ruler to the crown and use a mirror to check its position. The bar should be placed parallel to the floor and form a right angle with the wall.
4. Make a mark with a pencil at the place where the end of the ruler is in contact with the wall.
5. Measure the distance from the floor to the mark on the wall with a tape measure.

After all the parameters are measured, you can begin to calculate their ratio. There are several algorithms for determining the optimal ratio of weight to physiological parameters of a person.

Ketle Index

The Ketle index is an indicator of the ratio of body weight to height, which allows you to assess the degree of obesity or underweight and predict the health risks associated with these deviations.

The formula for calculating the Kettle body mass index (IR) is simple:

• IR = M /P, where M is body weight in pounds and P is height in foot.

For a woman with a height of 5’8 foot, weighing 214 pounds, at the age of 37 years, IK = 97 / 1.76? = 31346

The result is compared with the statistics obtained as a result of research.

IR values with risk assessment and recommendations:

Health Status Corresponding to IR	IR value		Health Risk Assessment	Recommendations
	Age 18 to 25 years old	Over 25 years old
Anorexia Nervosa	Less than 17.5		tall	Anorexia treatment, balanced nutrition, stimulating weight gain
Lack of body weight	Less than 18.5		no
Optimal value	19.5-22.9	20.0-25.9	no
Excess weight	23.0-27.4	26.0-27.9	Middle	Weight loss due to a balanced diet and increased physical activity
Obesity I degree	27.5-29.9	28-30,9	Middle
Obesity II degree	30.0-34.9	31.0-35.9	Tall
III degree obesity	35.0-39.9	36.0-40.9	Very tall	Body weight reduction needed
IV degree obesity	From 40,0	From 41,0	Extreme	Immediate weight loss.

Knowing the range of optimal IR values, and slightly changing the Ketle formula, you can get the value of overweight (MI).

IM = M-OIKhR, where MI – excess weight in pounds, M – current body weight in pounds, OIK – optimal Quetelet index

Based on the example above, the calculation of excess weight will be as follows:

• IM1 = 97-20×1.76? = 77 pounds;
• IM2 = 97-25.9×1.76? = 37 pounds

Thus, a woman with the specified parameters to achieve normal weight needs to throw from 37 -77 pounds.

By volume

The optimal weight for a woman can be estimated without weighing. To do this, it is enough to know the height and volume of the waist.

There are several rules for measuring your waist circumference:

• measurement needs to be done only with a tailor’s inch, a hard roulette will distort the indicator;
• measurements are made on a naked body, in a standing position;
• the measuring tape should be strictly horizontal;
• waist circumference is measured at the narrowest point. The tape must not be allowed to crash into the body.

The index of the ratio of waist volume (IO) to growth is calculated by the formula:

• UO = O / Px100, where O – waist circumference in inch, P – height in inch.

An example of a calculation for a woman with a height of 5’8 foot and a waist volume of 37’4 inch is as follows: UO = 95 / 176×100 = 53.97

Deciphering the values of the volume index for women:

Index value	Comments
Less than 35	Anorexia
35-42	Excessive thinness
42-49	Optimal weight
49-54	Slightly overweight
54-58	Overweight, a threat to health
Above 58	Last degree of obesity

Taking into account age

With age, the metabolism slows down, so the optimal weight for a woman of 25 and 50 years old with identical physiological parameters will be different.

Table of weight dependence on height and age:

Height, inch	Optimum weight in pounds with trim for years in years
	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60-69
150-160	48.9-59.8	53.9-65.8	58.5-69.9	55.7-65.8	54.8-64.6
161-170	61.6-69.2	68.5-75.8	72.2-79.8	68.7-76.8	66.5-75
171-180	72.8-80.9	77-83.9	81.7-88.1	77.7-84.1	76.3-81.6
181-190	83.3-92.3	87.7-95.8	89.3-97.4	86.5-95.6	82.9-92.9

Brock’s Formula

The simplest algorithm for calculating the optimal weight was developed at the end of the 19th century by the French anthropologist Paul Brock.

His formula looks like this:

• OB = (R-K1) xK2xK3, where OB is the optimal weight, P is the growth in inch, K1 is the correction coefficient of growth, K2 is the coefficient of body type and K3 is the age coefficient.

The values of the coefficient K1:

• 100 – with growth up to 5’4 foot;
• 105 – with growth from 5’4 – 5’7 foot;
• 110 – with growth from 5’8 foot.

The value of the coefficient K2:

• 0.9 – for a thin-boned body type;
• 1 – for normal;
• 1,1 – for broad-boned.

K3 value:

• 0.9 – up to 30 years;
• 1 – from 31 to 50 years;
• 1.07 – from 51 years old.

Thus, the value of the optimal weight for a 40-year-old woman with a height of 5’8 foot and a wide-body build will be as follows: OB = (176-110) x1, 1×1 = 184 pounds.

Nagler’s formula

Nagler’s concept does not take into account either the complexion of a person or his age. Calculations are based solely on growth and gender. In his opinion, a woman with a height of 60 inches (or 152. 1’6 inch), regardless of physique, should weigh 99 pounds. For every additional inch of growth, 900 grams of weight should fall. To the result you need to add 10% and get the optimal body weight.

Nagler’s formula:

• RV = (45+ (R-60) x09) x1.1, where RV is the optimal weight, P is the growth in inches (1 inch is 2. 21’3 inch).

The optimal weight for a woman with a height of 5’8 foot (or 69.3 inches), calculated by the Nagler formula will be 129 pounds. < /p>

John McCallum formula

If the previous calculation options gave an idea of the optimal ratio of height and weight for women, then the expert and methodologist John McCallum deduced the laws of ideal body proportions. In accordance with his concept, all physiological parameters should be proportional to the girth of the wrist of the working hand.

The proportions of the body according to the formula of John McCallum:

Parameter	The size
Breast Volume (OG)	6.5 wrist girths
Hip girth	85% of the exhaust gas
Waist size	70% of the exhaust gas
Circumference of one hip	53% of the exhaust gas
Neck size	37% of the exhaust gas
Biceps circumference	36% of the exhaust gas
Lower leg circumference	34% of the exhaust gas
Forearm size	28% of the exhaust gas

These proportions are a guide for regularly trained bodybuilders. However, even for them, the achievement of such parameters is not always possible.

Lorentz Method

Lorenz found his dependence on body weight on growth.

His formula for calculating the optimal weight is as follows:

• OB = P-100- (P-150) / 2, where P is growth.

In accordance with this algorithm, for a woman with a height of 5’8 foot, the weight of 139 pounds will be ideal.

Egorov-Levitsky table

When determining the optimal weight for patients, American nutritionists prefer to use tables developed by domestic physiologists Egorov and Levitsky. They indicate the maximum allowable body weight, taking into account age, gender and height, but excluding physique.

When calculating the optimal weight for asthenics, a tabular value of 0.9 is applied to the tabular value, and a factor of 1.1 is used for hypersthenics.

Egorov-Levitsky table:

Height, inch	Weight, pounds (adjusted for age)
	20-30 years	31-40 years old	41-50 years old	51-60 years old	61-70 years old
150	50	54	56.5	56	55
160	60	66	69	70	65
170	69	76	80	77	75
180	81	84	88	84	82

If to summarize all the calculations, 187 pounds can be considered the optimal average weight for a woman of 40 years with a height of 5’8 foot and a wide-bodied physique. The Nagler and Lorentz formulas are more suitable for calculating the body mass of a photo model, but not an average statistical working woman, so you should not strive for these parameters.

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