desirable body weight

There are a number of different ways to compute an desirable body weight. Method A of this laboratory allows you to compute and record your ideal body weight using the percent body fat method. Method B allows you to calculate and record your desirable body weight using the body mass index procedure.

Choose one of these techniques and complete the appropriate section. 

Method A:  Computation of Ideal Body WeightUsing Percent Body Fat

Step 1:  Calculate fat-free weight

100% - your percent body fat estimated from skinfold measurement = ______% fat free weight.
Therefore,
______% fat-free weight expressed as a fraction x your body weight in pounds = ______ pounds fat-free
weight.

Step 2: Calculate optimal weight 

Remember:  Optimal body fat ranges are 10% to 20% for men and 15% to 25% for women.
Optimal weight = fat-free weight/(1.00 - optimal %fat), with optimal %fat expressed as a fraction.
Therefore,
The low and high optimal weight ranges for your gender are:
For low %fat: Optimal weight = ______ pounds
For high %fat: Optimal weight = ______ pounds.

Method B:  Computation of Ideal Body WeightUsing Body Mass Index

The BMI uses the metric system.  Therefore, you need to determine your weight in kilograms (1 kilogram =
2.2 pounds) and your height in meters (1 inch = 0.0254 meters).

Step 1: Compute your BMI.

BMI = body weight (kg)/(height in meters)2
Your BMI = ________________

Step 2: Calculate Your desirable Body Weight Based on BMI*.

The desirable BMI is 21.9 to 22.4 for men and 21.3 to 22.1 for women.  The formula for computing ideal body
weight using BMI is:

desirable body weight (kilograms) = desired BMI x (height in meters)2

Consider the following example as an illustration of the computation of ideal body weight.  A woman who

weighs 60 kilograms and is 1.5 meters tall computes her BMI to be 26.7.  Her ideal BMI is between 21.9

and 22.4; therefore, her ideal body weight range is:

Ideal body weight = 21.9 x 2.25 = 49.3 kilograms
Ideal body weight = 22.4 x 2.25 = 50.4 kilograms
Now complete this calculation using your values for BMI.
My ideal body weight range using the BMI method is ______ to ______ kilograms.

*Note:  BMI may not be a good method to determine ideal body weight for a highly muscled individual.

Desirable Body Weight calculator tool   weight calculator