Ideal Weight and Height for Boys

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Edited by: admin on October 12, 2007


A boy can be considered obese only when his weight exceeds the ideal weight for his height. For every height there will be an ideal weight-range. If the weight of a boy is above his suitable or ideal weight, then he is obese. Here we give you the ideal weight-height chart for boys to help you get an exact and correct idea on how obese your boy is.

Child Age Average Height(cms) Height Range(cms) Average Weight(kgs) Weight Range(kgs)
6 Months 67 63 – 72 8 6 – 11
1 75 69 – 82 10 8 – 12
2 87 79 – 95 12 10 – 17
3 95 85 – 105 15 11 – 20
4 102 91- 104 117 13 – 24
5 110 98 – 122 19 14 – 28
6 116 102 – 128 21 15 – 30
7 122 108 – 135 23 17 – 35
8 128 112 – 142 26 18 – 42
9 133 117 – 148 28 20 – 50
10 138 123 – 155 32 22 – 56
11 144 125 – 160 35 24 – 64
12 147 129 – 167 38 26 – 70
13 155 134 – 175 43 28 – 75
14 162 140 – 185 50 31 – 85
15 169 147 – 190 55 35 – 92
16 172 154 – 194 60 40 – 98
17 176 156 – 195 64 45 – 99



You can also have a look at the height- weight charts for men, women and children.

Body Mass Index

BMI is the formula which physicians use for determining the fat of the body based on the height and weight ratios of the body. The BMI of the body determines whether the person is underweight, overweight or obese. The BMI is arrived at by dividing the weight of a person (in pounds) by the square of the height in inches and multiplying the result with 703. The resulting number will give an indication whether the person is obese or not.

The World Health Organisation regards a BMI below 18.5 as underweight indicating malnutrition, eating disorder or illness and a BMI upto 25 is taken to reflect a healthy weight range. A BMI above 25 indicates one is overweight and above 25 indicates obesity.

The BMI parameters vary with age and sex. The BMI number is plotted in a graph for age. These growth charts help to categorize it in percentiles. Percentiles are very popular in assessing growth rates in individuals and are a widely accepted measure in the United States. An individual with BMI below the 5th percentile, will be considered underweight as compared to others in the same age group and sex. Similarly, if the percentile of the person is between 5th and 85th, then it is considered as normal weight for the same age group and sex of the person. Between 85th and 95th percentile is overweight and being obese would be equal or greater than 95th percentile.

To understand more about Body Mass Index, watch the video below:

Primary Reasons for Obesity in Young People:

  • Children follow the foot steps of the parents in food habits too. If frequently food is ordered from outside, children lack the nourishment provided by homely food.
  • If parents are not physically active themselves, their children also grow up without learning about any fitness regime.
  • Erratic work life of parents especially working in corporate sectors is also a culprit.
  • It is a fashion to present gifts and goodies to children in the form of chocolates, cakes and other sugary products.
  • Parents hardly get time to spend some quality time with their kids and encourage them to eat outside. Or they are deprieved enough to become emotional eaters.
  • It is hard to lead an active life after getting used to leading a sedentary life style for years.
  • As teenage commences, these children spend their pocket money in the eating junk food, soda and shy away from physical activities.
  • Moreover, it is hard to convince teenagers to follow a disciplined and strict life style different from the way of living of their peer group.

Reasons to prevent Obesity in Young Boys

Obesity is a physical condition which helps causing or worsens a lot of existing bodily disorders. It is one of the main reasons behind decreased lifespan caused by the early onset of diseases like Type II Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers etc. In fact, research ahs proved that obesity during the youinger years increases the risk of asthma and dementia. Around 350, 000 people die in the United States annually due to obesity realted problems.

Apart from the physiologoical aspects, obesity also has psychological implications. Lowered self esteem is a common occurence in obese children and teenagers. Societal norms places a lot of emphasis on physical appearance. Hence, overweight and obese people has to face a lot of discrimination. This could cause depression and can tend towards infliction of self injury. Depression encourages emotional eating and can further worsen the existing obesity situation.

What can Parents do to Prevent Obesity in Boys?

  • It is very important to start early and lead by example. Parents should try and maintain a healthy weight so that children could look upto them and take a cue.
  • Establish healthy eating habits. Refrain ordering from outside.
  • Children love to indulge in fast food and sugary treats. Limit the sugary treats to a day in the week. Allow occassional indulgence of fast foods.
  • Encourage the eating of healthy snacks like nuts, fruits and the like.
  • Make your child get involved in a sport like soccer or football. Insist on some sort of physical activity every day.
  • Make sure that the emotional needs of the child or young teenager is attended to so that he does not resort emotional eating. Increase awareness about the dangers of obesity is essential. Keep your children informed and motivated.

You may also be interested in reading our articles on:

1. How to Increase Height by Hanging?
2. Great Ways to Increase Height