Note that the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Height-Weight Tables are available in a spreadsheet. Ideal Body Weight Calculators using the formulas by Dr. Steven B. Halls, Dr. G.J. Hamwi, and Dr. J.D. Robinson are located in Tools.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the median height and weight for males ages 20-29 years are 5 feet 10 inches and 180 pounds. Also, the median height and weight for females ages 20-29 years are 5 feet 5 inches and 160 pounds. Use the median heights for males and females and substitute them into the formulas by Steven B. Halls and Dr. G.J. Hamwi. Remember to substitute 10 for the male because the median height is 10 inches above 5 feet and substitute 5 for the female because the median height is 5 inches above 5 feet.

Notice that the formulas by Steven B. Halls give weights that are closer to the median weight for both males and females.

Your body mass index (BMI) is calculated using your height and weight. The higher the BMI, the higher the risk for certain diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. To calculate your BMI, visit the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Graph the Hamwi formula for men in the same window as the average weights of men. Graph the Hamwi formula for women in the same window as the average weights of women. You can use the graphs on page 452 to approximate the graphs of the average weights of men and women.

The graphs show that the Hamwi formulas for men and women consistently give weights that are below the average weights of men and women. The Hamwi formula provides weights that are fairly close to the average weights of men, but the Hamwi formula for women provides weights that are considerably lower than the average weights of women.