The ideal weight for men and women

The weight of a man would differ drastically from that of a woman since a man is made up of more muscle while the woman is made up of more fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, which accounts for why the average man is heavier than the average woman. The most accurate assessment of your ideal weight takes into account the composition of your body - how much of your weight is lean body mass (muscle and bone) and how much is body fat. For optimum health, body fat should be no more than 20% of total body weight for men and 30% for women.

An alternative way of study your ideal weight is to calculate your Body Mass Index. To determine your Body Mass Index is to divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. The normal acceptable range of this measurement is 20.1 to 25.0 for men and 18.7 to 23.8 for women. The only exceptions are athletes and body builders, whose extra muscle may tip their Body Mass Index over the normal range.