Figuring out your ideal weight takes several different factors into account.
Your height, age, and gender all impact how much you should weigh.
You can find your ideal weight by looking on a chart you find online or at your doctor's office.
However, if your ideal weight seems impossible to reach, there is no need to despair.
Some experts today think other factors may be more important than striving for a goal weight you find on a chart.
Studies have shown that losing just ten percent of your weight can have a big health benefit.
This is true even if you are still over your ideal weight.
You could see an improvement in your blood pressure and other health conditions as well as experience more energy.
Losing just ten percent of your body weight can allow you to look and feel much better.
Your body composition and shape is something to consider too.
Weight that is carried around your belly is considered to be the most harmful to your health.
So in addition to weighing yourself on a scale, you should also monitor your waist measurements.
Remember muscle weighs more than fat.
So two people of the same weight can have very different health concerns as far as obesity goes.
It is harder on your health to carry around 20 pounds of fat as opposed to 20 pounds of muscle.
When trying to determine your ideal weight, you'll also want to think about what your normal adult weight has been.
Look back and think about the weight you seemed to naturally maintain throughout your life.
That weight may be more realistic for an ideal weight than some number off of a chart.
In other words, using a height and weight chart just gives you a general idea of what the average weight should be for someone of your gender, age, and height.
Your ideal weight might be a few pounds more than that.
So rather than torturing yourself by trying to reach an unattainable goal weight, realize you have to allow for individuality too.
In fact, it might be better to set your weight loss goal to lose enough weight so you look and feel good.
When you lose the extra pounds and eat a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise on a regular basis, your weight will eventually stabilize at the ideal weight for you.
Trying to go far beyond your ideal weight may be difficult to do, or you might have a hard time keeping your weight down that low.
Your doctor can help you determine a good weight range to aim for based upon your individual medical condition, general health, and age.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, set many small goals rather than one great big one so you can measure your progress and gain confidence in your accomplishments.
After all, the ultimate goal of weight loss is to become healthier and look great, not reach some arbitrary number on a weight chart.