Healthy Weight Range
Four classical ideal-weight formulas, the healthy-BMI band, and waist-to-height ratio — which predicts risk better than BMI.
- 01Enter height, weight and waist circumference measured at the narrowest point.
- 02Compare the healthy-BMI band against the classical formulas.
What the terms mean
- BMI
- Body mass index: weight divided by height squared. A population screening tool.
- WHtR
- Waist-to-height ratio. Below 0.5 is the commonly cited threshold.
- Ideal weight formulas
- Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi — all derived for clinical drug dosing.
Measured at the narrowest point, usually just above the navel.
The healthy-BMI band for your height. You are at 80 kg — outside that range.
Category labels come from population averages and can't tell muscle from fat — a muscular person often lands in a higher band despite low body fat. There is a further limitation worth knowing: the American Medical Association's 2023 position is that BMI correlates with fat mass across a population but loses predictive power when applied to one individual, that its cut-offs derive largely from earlier generations of non-Hispanic white populations, and that it should not be used as a sole measure. Treat this as a rough screening band, not a verdict on your health.
Note how much the four classical formulas disagree — a spread of 5 kg for the same person. That disagreement is the honest answer to "what should I weigh": there is no single correct number.
Method & sources
The Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi formulas were derived for clinical drug dosing, not for aesthetics or athletic performance. None accounts for muscularity, frame size or body composition, which is why a muscular person will read as above their "ideal" weight while being nothing of the sort.
Waist-to-height ratio is the more useful indicator here. It needs one measurement, has no estimation error to speak of, and predicts cardiometabolic risk better than BMI. Below 0.5 is the commonly cited threshold.
Devine BJ 1974 · Robinson JD et al. 1983 · Miller DR et al. 1983 · Hamwi GJ 1964 · Ashwell M & Gibson S, BMJ Open 2016
What these numbers
actually tell you.
There is no single correct weight
Note how much the four formulas disagree for the same person. That spread is the honest answer. All four were derived for clinical dosing rather than health or aesthetics, and none accounts for muscularity, frame size or body composition.
Waist-to-height is the more useful number here
It needs one measurement, has essentially no estimation error, and predicts cardiometabolic risk better than BMI. If you take one figure from this page, take this one.
Why BMI misclassifies some people
It cannot distinguish muscle from fat, so it reads high for muscular people and low for the sarcopenic. It remains reasonable as a population screening tool — the failures are concentrated at the extremes, which is exactly where individuals notice them. If your BMI says overweight and your waist-to-height says healthy, the second is more informative.
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