Some people may find it enough to judge how much should a teenager weigh by just looking at the physical appearance of a teenager. But the ideal teenage weight is gauged a bit more complicated than that.
There are several factors to consider to accurately know how much should a teenager weigh.
The Age of the Teenager
The age of an adolescent has a lot to do with ideal teenage weight. Not all age brackets follow the same weight standard. For instance, ages 12 to 13 have differing ideal weights from 85 to 100 pounds.
Ages 14 to 15 have 105 to 125 pounds. Ages 16 to 17 have 130 to 150 pounds. While ages 18 to 20 have 150 to 160 pounds. This age and weight bracket are only for boys. Girls have different ideal teenage weight standards.
So, there is more to knowing how much should a teenager weigh than meets the eye.
The Height of the Teenager
The height of the adolescent is also important to consider. In fact, height and weight should be well considered when determining how much should a teenager weigh.
For instance, ages 12 to 13 with heights from 60 to 63 inches have differing ideal weights from 95 to 105 pounds. Ages 14 to 15 from 63 to 64 inches tall should be 105 to 115 pounds heavy.
Adolescents from 16 to 17 years of age 64 inches tall should be 115 to 120 pounds heavy. While those 18 years to 20 standing 64 inches should be 125 to 130 pounds. These height and weight brackets are for girls only.
Body Build of the Adolescent
Charts are good but they are sometimes not enough. The body structure of the adolescent should be considered.
They may sometimes look overweight due to muscle bulk, but this does not mean youths are indeed overweight.
Muscle cells are heavier than fat cells. Hence, using weighing scales alone to see how much should a teenager weigh is not accurate at times.
Similarly, not just because young persons look slim and weigh less, doesn’t necessarily mean they have ideal weights.
They might be underweight. And being underweight doesn’t also mean they have less fat in their bodies.
Body Mass Index
It is suggested that to get an idea of what an ideal teenage weight is, divide the weight by height and multiply the answer by itself once.
Add to this some considerations on the birth date, date of measurement, and sex. Experts call this Body Mass Index or BMI.
If the weight is 165 pounds, the height is 68 inches, the gender is boy, the birth date is March 30, 1996, and the date of measurement is July 03, 2009, the BMI is 25.8, which means the adolescent may be obese.