What is your ideal weight?

Age-72 Wght. 123. Hght 5-6. Very little fat. Work out in the gym, 3 times a week. Swim 3 times a week. Ilike all kinds of excerise. I eat a sensible on a diet. Do not wish to be big. D.A.

Gulp, here goes. Age: 45 Sex: F Height: 5'1-1/2" (there's that all-important half-inch) Present weight: 111-113 (BMI=20.7) Ideal weight according to the US Gov.: 100-127 (BMI of 19-24) "My" ideal weight range: 105-108 I got my ideal weight range from where I was at age 32. I didn't lift weights back then, but I do now. I found an interesting BMI calculator. It is "age corrected". I played around with it and figured out that the standard BMI numbers are apparently based on 30-year-olds. When I put in my age today, it said that my "age corrected BMI" is much lower (19.2 instead of 20.7). Here is the calculator: Age-corrected BMI: www.weight.addr.com/yourBMI.html

Speaking of body fat percentage, does anyone have a scale that measures body fat? I have a Tanita brand scale but don't put too much faith in the numbers it provides. I do use it to gauge whether I'm going up or down in percentage. The reason is because it uses a very subjective option when setting the scale. You enter gender, height, and then select whether you're a non-active adult or an athlete. The funny thing is that the scale measures weight in increments of 0.5 lbs so it seems like it's an accurate machine but then there's that completely unscientific setting of non-active versus athlete. Using the same height and gender for myself but varying that option results in the non-active body fat percentage being appx double the athletic body fat percentage.

Originally posted by knelson Skin fold? Are you sure you're not confusing BMI with body fat percentage? BMI is solely based on your weight and your height with no other considerations. BMI = weight (in kg)/ ^2 yeah, my bad! i hadn't yet had my cup o' joe when i had posted that... oops! :D BMI and body fat can be related by mathematical formulas (quite a few different ones have been developed i found). but regardless, i was just trying to express the same thing jane ended up posting, just not as successfully. basically that the numbers lie and that they're not as important as being healthy and happy with your body :)

39 F 5'3 110-112 110-115 115-120 (guessing) I think for overall health, and for my other activities (running and yoga) I'm at a good weight. However, I do open water distance swims and for those, I think some additional buoyancy, insulation, and muscle would help. I'm fine with one or two mile lake/ ocean swims where the water temperature is 70 or higher, but for the longer swims (probably with colder water) that I want to do next season, I think I'll gain five to eight pounds (about half muscle and half fat would be ideal). Hopefully the muscle will come with some weight training, but I have a fast metabolism so the challenge will be to gain a few pounds by eating healthy foods (more lean meat, fruits, veggies, and grains) rather than the junk food I devour now.

48y/o 6’2” 185# average weight, which seems to be my all around ideal. I tend to be about 5# heavier than my average in winter as opposed to about 5# lighter than average in summer (when it is just too hot to eat any, or a lot of, heavy foods). Most weight charts suggests weights for me that I find ludicrously slim. When I graduated from HS I was 6’2” (same as now) and about 175#. I’ve always had a bit of a tummy, but my fly sessions seem to be working on that now. :-o In my 20’s I was a carpenter and the same build as in HS, only a lot stronger, and burning a lot of energy. My carpenter days (which coincided with my hippie daze) were definitely the peak of my health and athletic body type life. Now, despite a chronic and disabling health problem (psoriatic arthritis), as well as the age thingy, I’m actually probably in the best condition of my life. Were it not for the inability to really torque up my shoulders and the nagging constant fatigue brought about by my arthritis I’m sure I’d be a much bigger contender at meets. My personal experience (relative to my condition) with 3 mediocre vs. 5 intense workouts per week is that it does not make a real big difference on my times. But because of my joint problems it is probably not an apples to apples sort of thing (I’m a bit of a lightweight compared to what I see and hear of others my age doing in masters). I agree with the non-official consensus that 3x/wk will maintain, 4x/wk will slowly gain way, 5x/wk will show noticeable results in much less time. I currently swim 4x/wk, 2400yd/day (or almost 5.5mi/wk). This is double the yardage I was doing several years ago, with the double amount now being mostly fly or fly kick drills. I was about the same weight then as now. I’m leaner now, and have more muscle mass (like when I was a carpenter), and my stomach is noticeably flatter now (Hail Butterfly!). I do some Yoga too, and usually go Contra Dancing every week, but other than that I lead a fairly mundane and sedentary life. It seems there are a lot of tall people here, especially (but not limited to) the guys. Thanks for the BMI calculator w/ age correction link... coolbeans. ;-) This has been an interesting post. I was about to blow it off due to the subject line, but the number of replies drew me in for a peek. Body mass definitely seems to be a topic that weighs on people’s minds. I don’t typically focus on my weight, though I’ve definitely noticed that as I get older it is more difficult to peel off. I find that eating well and exercising regularly helps me keep me looking and feeling fit. (I get plenty of attention from the ladies at the dances.) Good food is a big deal for me. If I eat crummy food I feel crummy and don’t perform as well at practice. A right frame of mind is good too. I’m constantly looking for the middle ground in most everything I do. Stress is definitely baddie, and a constant struggle for me. Swimming is by far my best de-stressor. I guess I’m lucky in that I’ve generally had a fairly high metabolism most of my life. No one ever believes me now, but when I was a kid I was called “fatso” and teased unmercifully. Always the last one picked, never got good at sports, which is one of the reasons I’ve always been a swimmer. Swimming was something I could do on my own and enjoy. I think though that bicycling or walking to school from 6th grade on is what really changed me physically. The only regular swimming I did as a kid was some laps on breaks as a lifeguard my last 3 years of HS.

Originally posted by DanSad Speaking of body fat percentage, does anyone have a scale that measures body fat? I have a Tanita brand scale but don't put too much faith in the numbers it provides. I do use it to gauge whether I'm going up or down in percentage. The reason is because it uses a very subjective option when setting the scale. You enter gender, height, and then select whether you're a non-active adult or an athlete. The funny thing is that the scale measures weight in increments of 0.5 lbs so it seems like it's an accurate machine but then there's that completely unscientific setting of non-active versus athlete. I use a Tanita scale as well, and like you use it to notice changes (rather than an absolute value). The weight is probably accurate. The body fat percentage only goes to the one percent level, and they point out in the instruction manual how much body composition can change during a 24 hour period, so its not like they are trying to trick anyone on the accuracy. Oh, the numbers... 36, 6' 5" 225 (being at 239 convinced me to start Master's swimming) 205 195 (high school weight, don't think I'll reach this again) I'll know I'm in good shape once I start gaining weight (muscle) instead of losing it (spare tire).

Originally posted by swimmieAvsFan after reading your post, out of curiosity, i went on to the National Institutes of Health's website to get my "official" BMI- 21.6. last time i had mine checked, by skin fold, which isn't even the most accurate way to have it measured, i was 19.3. so neither the old school height vs weight charts, or the "updated" BMI calculations take into consideration lean muscle mass. Skin fold? Are you sure you're not confusing BMI with body fat percentage? BMI is solely based on your weight and your height with no other considerations. BMI = weight (in kg)/ ^2

46 Male 6'1" 240-245 (not bad considering I was 309 last year,before gettibg serious) 223-228 according to the experts 225 (Dr. told me may wnt to up goal after last physical and he took into cosideration my muscle tone) Keep remembering "Beer is bread, and bread is not our friend!" actually not been that hard, choclate however is another problem:)

age: 35 female height: 5'7 (170 cm) weight: 117 pounds (53 kg) ideal weight : 127 pounds (58 kg) ideal weight for swimming acheivements - unknown (can anybody help me here?) I do nothing. I just like my weight.