Ideal Weight Calculator
Get a healthy weight range using BMI plus the classic Devine and Robinson formulas. Useful as a sanity check, not a verdict.
Your healthy weight range
- Devine
- 160.9 lb
- Robinson
- 156.5 lb
- BMI low
- 128.9 lb
- BMI high
- 173.5 lb
Worked examples
How "ideal weight" is calculated
There is no single ideal weight number. This calculator gives you three lenses, and the truth lives somewhere among them:
- Healthy BMI range (18.5-24.9): the broadest population-level bracket recommended by the WHO.
weight(kg) = BMI × height(m)² - Devine formula (1974): originally created for calculating medication dosages. Men:
50 + 2.3 kg × inches over 5 ft. Women:45.5 + 2.3 kg × inches over 5 ft. - Robinson formula (1983): a tighter, more modern variant. Men:
52 + 1.9 kg × inches over 5 ft. Women:49 + 1.7 kg × inches over 5 ft.
How to use the result
Treat the BMI range as your bracket and the Devine / Robinson numbers as anchor points within it. If you carry significant muscle, you'll naturally sit toward the top of the range or even above , that's expected and not unhealthy. If your weight is well outside the bracket in either direction, that's worth a conversation with a doctor or dietitian.
Combine this with the body fat calculator and the lean body mass calculator for a more complete picture than weight alone can give you.
Worked examples
Example 1. 178 cm man. BMI range: 58.6-78.9 kg. Devine: 75 kg. Robinson: 68.5 kg. A reasonable target is somewhere in the middle of that range, adjusted up if he carries muscle.
Example 2. 165 cm woman. BMI range: 50.4-67.8 kg. Devine: 56.95 kg. Robinson: 54.4 kg. Athletic women routinely sit at the top of this range.
Example 3. 190 cm man. BMI range: 66.8-89.9 kg. Devine: 86 kg. Robinson: 74.7 kg. A 190 cm lifter at 95 kg / 12% body fat is healthier than the BMI label suggests.
Common mistakes
- Treating it as a verdict. It's a bracket, not a target.
- Ignoring body composition. Muscle, fat distribution and ethnicity all matter.
- Aiming for the low end without good reason. Lower isn't better past a point.
- Applying it to athletes, kids, pregnant women, or the elderly. BMI doesn't fit any of those well.
FAQ
Is there one 'ideal' weight?+
No. 'Ideal weight' is a useful range, not a single number. Body composition, frame size, training status and ethnicity all shift what's healthy for you personally.
Which formula is most accurate?+
None is definitive. The healthy BMI range (18.5-24.9) is the broadest evidence-based bracket. Devine and Robinson are older clinical formulas mostly used for medication dosing.
Why does my muscular build show as 'overweight'?+
BMI doesn't account for muscle mass. A 200 lb lifter at 12% body fat is technically 'overweight' by BMI but obviously not unhealthy. Use body fat percentage instead for athletes.
Is BMI useful at all?+
For the average sedentary adult, yes. For trained athletes, pregnant women, the elderly, and children, no. Use it as one signal, not the only one.
Should I aim for the low or high end of the range?+
Most people feel and perform best near the middle. Going under the low end usually requires sustained underfeeding that hurts hormones, sleep and lifts.
What about ethnicity?+
Population studies show that healthy BMI ranges are slightly lower for some Asian populations and slightly higher for some Pacific Islander populations. Treat the global numbers as a starting bracket.
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