Stepping on the scales at your doctor’s office is often the first thing you do during any appointment. Why? One main reason is to determine whether your weight is within the parameters of what’s known as “ideal body weight” (IBW). Note that this is not “ideal” in in terms of a healthy weight range for your stature. For that information, check these National Institutes of Health standards. IBW in the context of this calculator refers to a formula that helps doctors know the correct dosing for new medications you might need.
If you have obesity, though, a different calculation is needed to avoid over- or underdosing. This is called adjusted body weight for adults—a number that represents your metabolically active lean body tissue and can also be used in obese patients to prevent over- or underestimation of nutritional requirements. If you’d like to run the numbers yourself, our calculator will do the hard math for you. Simply input your sex, height, and actual weight.
Calculate My Ideal Body Weight
What Do My Ideal Body Weight Results Mean?
If you’re male, your ideal body weight will be 110 pounds plus 5 pounds for every inch you are above five feet. So a man who is 5’10” will have a medically ideal body weight of 110 + 50 = 160 pounds.
If you’re female, your ideal body weight will be 100 pounds plus 5 pounds for every inch you are above five feet. So a woman who is 5’6” will have a medically ideal body weight of 100 + 30 = 130 pounds
Your doctor may use these numbers to figure out how much medication to give you. Please note that this calculator should be used as a tool for information only, not for determining medication dosing on your own. Your doctor will use this calculator along with many other diagnostic tools to guide that process.
