What is the ideal weight and what factors influence it?

A healthy weight promotes well-being

When considering your own health, you may wonder what your ideal weight is and whether it is at an optimal level for your health. In the context of lifestyle changes and weight loss projects, for example, many people also stop to think about what their ideal weight is and how to achieve it.

It is important to think of weighted targets as health targets. We are constantly exposed to unrealistic beauty and body ideals through the media. These can lead to unhealthy comparisons and body image goals that focus on appearance alone.

However, the body or ideal weight of someone in the media who is perceived as “perfect” may not be realistic or even healthy for their body type.

It is wise to approach the ideal weight from a health perspective and find out what your individual situation really is, for example through body composition measurement. Your age, height, body type and many other factors will influence the answer.

What can be considered an ideal weight?

So what is the ideal human weight? There is no straightforward definition of ideal weight, as weight varies according to the individual factors of each person’s body. Individual factors that influence weight include age, gender, height, body proportions and fat distribution in the body.  

However, taking these factors into account, it is possible to determine whether weight is at a level that supports physical and mental health. At a healthy body weight, you should feel strong, energetic and confident. Maintaining a healthy weight also helps to prevent the risk of developing diseases caused by being underweight or overweight.

The ideal weight is therefore a weight that promotes health and reduces the risk of disease. This may be the goal, for example, in weight loss. In this case, the aim of a person’s weight loss may be to reach a certain weight target, the so-called Ideal Weight, in order to reduce the risk of developing diseases caused by being overweight.

It’s also not a good idea to monitor weight alone, as, for example, as muscle mass increases and fat percentage decreases, weight may remain the same. When weight remains the same, it may be thought that the effort spent on weight loss has been wasted. As this example shows, it is more important to look at the ratio of muscle to fat mass rather than weight alone. The big picture matters!

How can I find out my ideal weight and whether it is at a healthy level?

There are indicators that can give you an indication of whether your weight is at a healthy level. One of these indicators is to calculate your own body mass index.

The body mass index is a traditional measure of health status that assesses the relationship between a person’s weight and height. The figure from the BMI calculator is compared with the BMI table, which shows whether the person is of normal weight or underweight or overweight.

However, it is important to remember that the body mass index does not give a complete picture of a person’s health and the factors that affect it. It is therefore important to look at other health determinants as well.

Ideal weight given by the InBody meter

The Bodymaja body composition measurement report provides a suggestion for modifying weight, fat and muscle mass to achieve an ideal body composition.

The ideal weight used by InBody is determined from the midpoint of the normal range of the body mass index, with the exception that a larger than normal muscle mass will increase the ideal weight accordingly. Thus, the result is personal and depends on the body composition, unlike the ideal weight calculated from the body mass index alone. The report will tell you whether you need to increase or decrease your weight.

If you are within 0-5 kg of your ideal weight in the report, you can consider yourself normal weight. Control targets are calculated at 15 % body fat for men and 23 % body fat for women.

Control values are calculated on the basis of an ideal body composition for health. However, for athletes and elderly people, for example, personal goals may differ from the device report.

This is because, for example, if the muscle mass is above the reference value, the target for muscle mass gain is always 0, unlike, for example, if the muscle mass is below the reference value. In the case of an athlete, the target may be.

For questions about weight, it is often a good idea to consult a body composition measurement. It provides a comprehensive and individual overview of your health. For example, it helps you to understand the relationship between muscle and fat mass in the body.