How much should I weigh for my age and height? A simple guide

The reason for being over weight is simple

You may not want to hear it, or you may believe there is a variety of other reasons for you being overweight, but I am going to put it in black and white here so that there is no misunderstanding.

Being overweight is because you eat too much, and exercise too little. How your body's weight changes is a calculation, and a simple one at that.

You ask what should I weigh one day and the scales tell you X amount, for arguments sake let's say this is your ideal body weight. But from each day forward this weight can fluctuate, here is why:

1. You eat foods that contain calories.
2. Your body needs so many calories for it to work.
3. You eat too many calories and you gain weight as your body will only use so many and then store whatever is left over as fat, it won't eject them as left over waste.
4. Exercising can combat the calories by burning them, or the fat that they have become. Doing this regularly can ensure that extra calories are burned before they are stored. Exercising when the fat is already there will help to reduce the total fat.
5. No exercise means all of the excess calories are stored as fat on your body. This store gets added to all the time, and will only get bigger as you are doing nothing to either burn the extra calories, or just stopping them coming into your body.
6. This is why after asking the question, 'how much should I weight for my height and age?' you have discovered that you are overweight.

You can say you don't eat that much, or think that this is wrong, but it isn't. A calorie calculator on this site, or various other sites online will allow you to work out how many calories you should be eating per day so as not to gain weight. If you were to count all of the calories you eat each day for a week, I can assure you that the total you count will be over this number. Again, this is why you are overweight.

Time to make some real changes to get a healthy weight

Looking up the answer to any question online these days is the easy way out, you don't have to have any embarrassing conversations with friends, relatives, or the doctor who is basically a complete stranger. You search for information and it is there in front of you, and in confidence between you and the computer. The flaw here is that the only thing that can really encourage you to do anything is the words that you are reading right now, and your own willpower to make some positive changes. This can quite easily make sense right at this moment, but be forgotten by tomorrow. The harsh truth is that in 99% of cases you are overweight because you choose to be, and it is just as easy to choose to change that. If you don't do it, it is not because you can't, it is because you won't.

You may look at the chart on this page, and then look at the scales and think 'hell I am a long way away from my ideal body weight, it's impossible to get down to that', but it is not impossible at all. You just think it is, but you are not a dietician or an expert, so get that negative thought out of your mind and concentrate on what you have to do.

Every marathon starts with one step, and the more steps the runner takes, the closer they get to the finish line. It is no different when it comes to weight loss, you have a goal and the first steps are so hard because you think the distance can't be overcome, but those steps are necessary to get you started, and then each one edges you closer to a healthy weight.

Nobody is happy, or satisfied when they decide to do something, this comes at the end when they have done it. When you cross the finish line and the hard work you have put in has all been worthwhile to achieve your goal. Keep this in mind the whole time and you can make any changes that you want in life, especially something as straight forward as losing weight.

What are the first steps to losing weight?

These can be any number of things, but only you know what you have to do. Here a few hints and tips

• It's all in the mind - You have to want to lose weight, and be determined to do whatever it takes to achieve this. If you don't have the willpower, or think you can cheat, or slip back into bad habits you will fail. It's all in your mind and you make the choice every time you don't do any exercise, or decide to eat a take out, nobody forces you. Just getting into a habit of thinking twice before you can do anything can be a good start to getting you on your way to losing weight.
• Work out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight - Find out how many calories you should be eating each day to lose weight. This is another simple calculation that can be found by clicking here. If you consistently consume the right amount of calories you will lose weight, there is no doubt about that. This site is full of information on calories in foods, so take a look around and see which low calorie foods you should start eating, and which high calorie foods you should be cutting out. Remember though if you cheat then you are only cheating yourself and you won't see results.
• Routine - Routine is key, as forging a habit is the best thing possible when it comes to making positive changes in your life. This can be from doing more exercise such as going for a walk, or a run each day, to eating the same meals that are good for you regularly. A habit is formed if you do something repetitively over time, a month or more, not a couple of days. Obtaining a healthy weight must involve routine.
• Find easy way to exercise - When you think of exercising the obvious ideas that come to mind are the gym or playing sport. Understandably this is not ideal for everyone, which is why you have to think closer to home. The best exercise that you can do discreetly and for free is walking. Go for a walk around the block, walk up and down the stairs a few dozen times. Nobody need see you do this if you are exercising in the privacy of your own home. To find out how many calories you burn by walking, click here.
• Muscle weighs more than fat - If you are going to go exercise crazy with weights or a gym program, remember that muscle weighs more than fat. You will end up with a better physique but will not necessarily be losing the weight that you would if you were just walking or jogging as exercise.
• Speak to your doctor - As I have already mentioned, the doctor to most of us can be a complete stranger, and therefore not the ideal person that you want to talk to about a sensitive subject such as your weight. However, they are paid (a good salary) to offer advice on such topics and you should never be afraid to speak to them in confidence. The doctor will be able to give you all the advice that you need on weight loss and weight gain, and may even be able to help bring to light if there is an underlying medical reason for weight fluctuation. He can tell you the foods to eat and things you need to do to obtain a healthy weight.
  Trust me you will feel a million times better and focused once you have spoken to a doctor or health professional, and have a plan set in place.

What you choose to do with the information on this page is down to you, but I really do hope that you take it all into consideration and decide to do something about working towards your ideal body weight.

If you are going to make a change you have to start now, saying you will next week means you will forever put it off, thinking it is too difficult is an excuse to not put the effort in, and feeling sorry for yourself never got anybody anywhere in life. You always end up asking yourself what should I weigh, not liking the answer and then failing to do anything about it.

You can become the person and the body weight that you want to be, but you have to push yourself and put the effort in, right now!

The fact that you are online and asking the question, 'how much should I weigh for my age and height?' at least shows that you are interested in finding out whether or not you have issues with your weight. You are in a much better position seeking the right information than those sat on the couch munching pizza and watching tv, for them there is no hope. That is a big step in the right direction, but the real test is what you decide to do with the information that you have found.

I would say good luck, but there is no element of luck about it, your fate is in your own hands. Checking out an ideal weight chart and seeing something is wrong is a good start, but you have more wise choices to make ahead if you are to achieve a healthy weight.