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3.1.2: Part A2- Ideal Body Weight (IBW) Guides

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    100861
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    Part A2: Ideal Body Weight (IBW) Guides

    Ideal body weight has the same weakness as body mass index. You have no idea what form the weight comes in or its location. The guides are: A man who stands 5 feet 10 inches would have

    IBW = 106 (for the first 5 ft) + (10 X 6) (6 lbs. per inch after)= 166 pounds

    And for a woman who stands 5 feet 8 inches:

    IBW = 100 (for the first 5 ft)+ (8 X 5) (5 lbs. per inch after)= 140 pounds

    If someone is large framed, they should have an IBW 10% higher than the standard formula. If they are thin framed about 10% lower. Thus, a large-framed man using the above example would be about 182-183 lbs. and a woman with a wide framed would be about 154 lbs.

    There is another easy-to-use formula for ideal body weight that lets you pick the BMI you are shooting for. Some thin people might choose 20, muscular or medium framed may choose 25, and someone who is quite obese and wanting to get to the edge of that category may choose 30. Let use and example for the same 5’10” man who wants to get to 25 BMI (upper normal). The magic number is 5.

    a) For the first 5 feet you will multiply the desired BMI (25) times 5= 125.

    b) For every inch after 5 feet, you will take the desired BMI (25) and divide by 5- thus 5 lbs/inch.

    c) For a 5’ 10” that would be 10 inches * 5= 50, so the total is 125 + 50= 175 as an IBW.

    Body Mass Index - Houston Weightloss Clinic

    Figure 1X: The chart shows height in inches or centimeters (y-axis) vs. the weight in pounds or kilograms (x-axis). The intersection number represents your BMI and the color represents your category. See legend for details.


    This page titled 3.1.2: Part A2- Ideal Body Weight (IBW) Guides is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Mark Kelly.

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