What is an ideal weight?

I'm daring to answer this question.

Last year I put on a few pounds so I had to get them off again, and did. Compared to most others who start diets and fail, I don't. If I start falling off the wagon, I get right back on. When I am determined to lose weight, I get the job done.

Part of the reason I'm successful at keeping a proper weight is I know when to stop.

Yeah, there's a question you never hear asked. If you're actually successful at losing weight, when do you stop?

This is the reason I show the BMI table above (BMI means Body Mass Index). The table is correct, but trying to determine the stopping point for losing weight in the "normal" range is challenging.

Traditional BMI charts consider 18.5 to 24.9 to be within the normal range, but there's a problem with that. If my BMI was 18.5, I'd be a sickly looking twig teetering on being underweight. If my BMI was 24.9, I'd be teetering on being overweight again.

So what's the correct BMI number to go for? Right in the middle of the normal range?

Almost.

The ideal weight for the vast majority of people is a BMI of 22, which is slightly ahead of the middle.

If you want to know what your weight would be at a BMI of 22, just look at the table, it's right there. Find your height on the left column, match that up with 22 column, and there you have it. Note that the table shows height in inches on the left, starting at 58" (4'10") and ending at 76" (6'4").

I had to figure this out by myself because I could not get a solid answer for the question of "What weight should I be so I know when to stop?" It's whatever the table says your weight for your height should be for BMI 22. That's the answer.

Does this mean to stay EXACTLY at BMI 22? No, because that would be unreasonable. Most people fluctuate in weight +/- three pounds depending on what they eat and drink that day. You're not going to weigh exactly the same in the morning as you would in the evening and vice versa. If you dip down into 21, you're not going to go to hell for it, nor will you suffer eternal damnation for fluctuating above 22.

How did I arrive at BMI 22 being the goal number? It's because that number is almost in the middle of the normal range and is on just about every BMI chart and table. Most charts/tables don't use the decimal points, so I just went with what they all have.

Again, for those of you actually successful with weight loss (and good for you if you are, I mean that sincerely) where you need a solid number to know where the finish line is, now you have it. BMI 22.

Published 2024 Mar 5