Your 'right' weight depends a lot on whose recommendations you choose. The major statistical studies on which most recommendations are based are the 1959 BUILD AND BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY (Society of Actuaries) and the BUILD STUDY 1979 (Society of Actuaries et al.). From these combined with insurance industry mortality data, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company created tables of "Desirable Weights for Ages 25-59" in 1959 and again in 1983. These are shown on the next screen. The 1983 table is more liberal than the 1959 table, and some researchers were critical of one or both tables. The Gerontology Research Center did its own analysis of the insurance data and derived a unisex table which distinguishes desirable weights by age. This table is shown on the second screen following. Other researchers have criticised all of the tables for failure to correct for the effects of smoking. Since smokers are statistically thinner but less healthy than non-smokers, failure to control for smoking has the effect of understating the benefits of less weight. A reanalysis of the 1979 BUILD STUDY by the resulting rules generates weights very similar to the 1959 Metropolitan recommendations. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company DESIRABLE WEIGHTS FOR AGES 25 to 59 1959 TABLE 1983 TABLE Height Men Women Men Women 4'1O" 91-119 1OO-131 4'11" 93-122 1O1-134 5' 96-125 1O3-137 5'1" 1O7-136 99-128 123-145 1O5-14O 5'2" 11O-139 1O2-131 125-148 1O8-144 5'3" 113-143 1O5-135 127-151 111-148 5'4" 116-147 1O8-139 129-155 114-152 5'5" 119-151 111-143 131-159 117-156 5'6" 123-156 115-147 133-163 12O-16O 5'7" 127-161 119-151 135-167 123-164 5'8" 131-165 123-155 137-171 126-167 5'9" 135-169 127-16O 139-175 129-17O 5'1O" 139-174 131-165 141-179 132-173 5'11" 143-179 135-17O 144-183 135-176 6' 147-184 147-187 6'1" 151-189 15O-192 6'2" 155-194 153-197 6'3" 159-199 157-2O2 Gerontology Research Center RECOMMENDED WEIGHTS FOR BOTH SEXES (1985) BY AGE HEIGHT 2O-29 yr. 3O-39 yr. 4O-49 yr. 5O-59 yr. 6O-69yr. 4'1O" 84-111 92-119 99-127 1O7-135 115-143 4'11" 87-115 95-123 1O3-131 111-139 119-147 5' 9O-119 98-127 1O7-135 115-144 124-152 5'1" 93-123 1O1-131 111-14O 119-149 128-157 5'2" 96-127 1O5-135 115-145 123-154 132-163 5'3" 99-131 1O8-14O 119-149 127-159 136-169 5'4" 1O2-135 112-145 123-154 131-164 14O-174 5'5" 1O5-14O 115-149 127-159 135-169 144-179 5'6" 1O9-144 119-154 131-164 139-174 148-184 5'7" 112-148 122-159 135-169 143-179 152-189 5'8" 116-153 126-163 139-174 147-185 157-195 5'9" 119-157 13O-168 143-179 151-19O 162-2O1 5'1O" 123-162 134-173 147-184 155-196 167-2O7 5'11" 126-167 137-178 151-19O 159-2O1 172-213 6' 129-171 141-183 155-195 163-2O7 177-219 6'1" 133-176 145-188 159-2O1 169-213 182-225 6'2" 137-181 149-194 163-2O6 174-219 187-232 6'3" 141-186 153-199 167-212 179-225 192-238 6'4" 144-191 157-2O5 171-218 184-231 197-244