It depends on many things - including your family history, your genes, whether you smoke, the type of food you eat, and how active you are. It is therefore difficult to set an exact healthy weight that applies to everyone. Today many people have a distorted perception of a healthy body weight. We are surrounded by images of glamorous people, many of whom are in fact underweight. Looking at yourself in the mirror is not a very useful way to assess whether you are a healthy weight.
Most people compare themselves with others rather than by objective standards.
Doctors check your body size by measuring your weight and height. Research has shown that people within a certain range of body size tend to live the longest, and enjoy the best health during their lives. You can check whether you have a healthy weight for your height using our Body Mass Index Calculator - available in both metric and imperial versions. Another method is to take a tape measure and put it around your waist. If your BMI or your waist is above the healthy range you are at increased risk of a number of serious medical conditions, especially heart disease and diabetes.