Chances are if you're searching for your ideal weight, you might be one of the many overweight or perhaps you're just curious. But for the sake of the majority, we'll assume you're overweight in this article and discuss what exactly an ideal body weight is for those who are fatter than desirable!
First of all, it is possible to be healthy and still have some noticable fat. Actually, it's quite unhealthy to look like one of those frail fatless models. Fat plays an important role in the body, but obviously to a limited extent. So the most popular method for determining what an ideal weight would be for men is:
Men : IBW = 50 kg + 2.3 kg for each inch over 5 feet.
For women the formula changes slightly:
Women: IBW = 45.5 kg + 2.3 kg for each inch over 5 feet.
Using the first formula, let's assume you're a male and you're 5'10. Your ideal weight would be around 160 (give or take 20 lbs depending on what your body type is). Which leads us to the next section.
Because of the fact that the formula is very simple for ideal weight and the estimate is very general, it's important to understand that the number given is going to change depending on your body type. There are three main body types, endomorphs, ectormophs, and mesomorphs. An ectomorph is a person who has a naturally small frame, a skinnier person, a mesomorph is the "inbetween" bodytype, the muscular yet medium body type, and the endomorph is the big boned large body type.
Most people who are overweight and suffer with weight loss issues are endomorphs. So if you're an endomorph, your ideal bodyweight will be slightly higher than the calculation suggests. For an mesomorph it'll be near the prescribed number, and if you're an ectomorph it'll be slightly lower than the prescribed number.
So now you know your ideal weight, you might be interested in what it takes to get there. If you have weight to lose to reach your ideal weight, then you need a diet program which is geared towards fat loss, and an exercise program also geared towards fat loss. The opposite will obviously apply if you need to add on some weight (prefereably in the form of muscle). Simply click the two links just listed and you will gain a solid understand of what it takes diet-wise and exercise-wise to reach your ideal body weight.
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