At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

They say 130 is average..Is 150 considered overweight?

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

I'm 5'4 and according to weight watchers my recommended maximum for my age range (25-45) is 140lbs. I think the range is something like 117-140lbs, depending on your frame.

I think a better indicator is what your BMI is - for that height and weight the BMI is 25.7.

Normal BMI is 18.5-24.9
Overweight BMI is 25-29.9

So 5'4 at 150lbs is slightly overweight.

ETA - I was around 150lbs in February. I made some drastic changes to my lifestyle and 4 months later and I'm about 130lbs. I wouldn't say I was uncomfortable at 150, but I definitely feel healthier, more energetic and better at 130.

Message edited 7/10/2008 10:47:30 AM.

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

there are really so many different considerations.

an athlete at 5'4 could possibly weigh considerably more than that b/c of muscle.

more than weight, I try to look at bmi like Beth said.

if you are a curvy hour glass woman, you will most likely weigh more than women of other shapes.

also if you are muscular.

at 5'6 with my shape, I feel pretty comfortable at 150 pounds...though it may sound like a lot.

at 5'4, I'd probably feel more comfortable a little less.

I am currently looking to get back down to around 150...I have gained a few pounds in the last few months.

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

What's the difference between looking at weight & looking at BMI? Isn't BMI just based on height/weight anyway? It just gives ranges, instead of exact numbers.


The recommended #s always seemed low to me. I am 5'4" & my lowest ever was 130, when I was in HS. I wore about a size 6. I can't imagine being smaller that eventhgouth the charts say 115,, but that's just my build. I've always had muscular legs (even when out of shape) & a large chest.

I'd love to weigh 150 right now. I think that would put me at about a size 10, which would be excellent, but I think eventually I'd want to try for a little less.

Message edited 7/10/2008 11:03:18 AM.

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

I use diet power to track food, nutrition and training - this is what it says when I plugged in 5'4" and 150

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

I agree that body type and build has so much more to do with it and yes - BMI is just a formula/ratio combining weight and height - I am, I think, about 5'4" and a half - lol - the lowest weight I've ever been in my adult life is 158 and I was a size 8 - I could barely maintain that. I have a very large chest, am muscular, and not small-framed. I could barely maintain the 158 weight. My body could never ever get much lower than that and maintain it.

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

that calculator is just one way of measuring bmi, but it doesn't take muscle mass into consideration.

I've been tested with the bioelectrical impedance and my BMI was lower with this than it was with the traditional calculator, b/c of the amount of muscle I have, especially in my legs.

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

I know that for me.. I feel comfortable being around 120-125. I am 5'4" and have a small frame however, pretty large on top.. which annoys me and probably adds about 2 pounds each..

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

I am 5'4" and 122, medium build, muscular.
If I go less than 120, like 118 even, I look "too" thin. If I get to 125...that's where I feel like I need to make sure I don't go any higher. That's just me....I think 130 is probably very average/the norm. 135 even.

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

I'm 5'4...I am currently 169 pds and want to lose weight...I feel best at 145-150 - and that's a size 8 even 6 for me. Anything lower and I look like my head is bigger than my body

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

I always say that it depends on bone structure and build. I am just under 5'4" and definitely overweight. I have a small build (narrow shoulders, thin wrists, thin fingers, long legs for my height). I realize that not everyone who has these features is meant to be tiny but I think that I can go down to a lower weight than other people who are 5'4" even though I'm not trying for that at all. That only means that I am now even more overweight than someone else of my height and weight. I will prob. never get back to 120 but I know that it looks good on me and not too thin.

By the way---If I had to guess people's weight I would have been way off about some of the people I've met who have posted on this thread. You all look like you weigh LESS than what you have said. I obviously have weight to lose but some people think I weigh 15-20 lbs less than I do and they are shocked when they find out what size clothing I need (petite cut but a big size).

Message edited 7/25/2008 12:20:48 AM.

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

I'm 5'3" and am currently looking to lose a bunch of weight. I was comfortably in a size 6/8 depending on the store at 140 lbs. I have a large/muscular frame and don't think I would ever look healthy at 120. I previously lost 50 lbs in 2001 and went down to 135 but my body tapered off at 140, which I was very comfortable at.

Life and a baby later has brought me back to that point and then some.

My goal is to get back to at least 150 if not 140. I just want to be able to wear the entire wardrobe I have in a size 8. GL

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

As the other ladies said body shape is a factor. I'm 4'11 but hour glass shaped and medium/large framed.I always weigh more then I look. Right now I'm 113lbs and a size 2.

Re: At 5'4" what should someone's weight be?

Remember though that true BMI is not a weight/height ratio, it's measured with a BMI skinfold edvice, which helps especially if person works out a lot and has good muscle tone.

When I was a regular at the gym, which I need to get back to, my trainer said it was impossible for me to have such a high BMI (forget what it was) and that it was likely being thrown off by my muscle tone, because muscle weighs more than fat.
No one believes me when they find out how much I weigh, that's why I don't tell anyone anymore!

Everyone feels good at different areas in their range, and you need to take into consideration many factors, not just the scale.

Message edited 7/25/2008 2:18:35 PM.