Free tool
Goal weight calculator
Most goal weights are picked from memory: what you weighed at 22, or a round number that sounds good. This gives you a target built from your height and current weight instead: a realistic first goal, the milestones on the way, and the healthy range as an outer boundary.
Updated
How the goal is chosen
If you are above the healthy BMI range, the first goal is 10% below your current weight, unless the top of the healthy range is closer, in which case it is that.
If you are within the range, there is no weight-loss goal to suggest. What changes from here is mostly body composition, which the scale is bad at showing.
Once you have a goal, see the date you would reach it →
Why 10%
Start with a goal you can actually reach.
Losing 5–10% of body weight is where most of the measurable health benefit of weight loss sits for people who are overweight: blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipids all improve meaningfully in that band, well before anyone reaches a “normal” BMI.
It is also a goal that takes two to five months rather than two years. People who hit a first target and then set a second one do better than people who set a single distant one and spend months feeling behind it.
When you reach the first goal, run the calculator again from your new weight. The next milestone will be smaller, which is correct. The later kilograms are genuinely slower.
Healthy weight range by height
The outer boundary, from a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. It is wide on purpose: the range spans 15–20 kg for most adults, and where you belong within it depends on frame and muscle more than on a formula.
| Height | Healthy range (kg) | Healthy range (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 150 cm (4′11″) | 41.6–56.0 | 92–123 |
| 155 cm (5′1″) | 44.4–59.8 | 98–132 |
| 160 cm (5′3″) | 47.4–63.7 | 104–140 |
| 165 cm (5′5″) | 50.4–67.8 | 111–149 |
| 170 cm (5′7″) | 53.5–72.0 | 118–159 |
| 175 cm (5′9″) | 56.7–76.3 | 125–168 |
| 180 cm (5′11″) | 59.9–80.7 | 132–178 |
| 185 cm (6′1″) | 63.3–85.2 | 140–188 |
| 190 cm (6′3″) | 66.8–89.9 | 147–198 |
For South Asian adults, many health bodies use lower cut-offs (overweight from a BMI of 23 rather than 25) because risk of type 2 diabetes rises at lower weights. If that applies to you, the upper end of your range is about 8% lower than shown. Check your BMI →
A better check than the scale
Weight is easy to measure and noisy to interpret. Two other numbers tell you more about whether a goal weight is the right one.
Waist-to-height ratio. Keep your waist under half your height. It predicts health risk as well as or better than BMI and it does not care how much muscle you carry. Waist-to-height ratio calculator.
Body fat percentage. Two people at the same weight can be 10 percentage points apart. If you train, a goal expressed as body fat is often more meaningful than one expressed in kilograms. Body fat calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my goal weight?
Start from your height to get the healthy range (BMI 18.5–24.9), then set a first goal of 5–10% below your current weight if you are above that range. Reach it, reassess, and set the next one. A single final number chosen on day one is usually the least useful goal you can set.
What is a realistic target weight?
One you can reach in three to six months at 0.25–0.75 kg a week, and then hold. For most people above the healthy range, that is 5–10% of their current weight. Reaching it and holding it is worth more than a bigger number you abandon in month two.
Is my ideal weight the same as my goal weight?
Not necessarily. “Ideal weight” formulas give a single number for your height, usually near the middle of the healthy range. A goal weight is a target you are moving toward and can hold, and for many people the first sensible one is well above the “ideal”. See the ideal weight calculator for the formula-based figure.
How long will it take to reach my goal weight?
At 0.5 kg a week, a sustainable pace for most people, 5 kg takes about 10 weeks and 10 kg about 20. Use the weight loss timeline calculator for an exact date and the daily calories it needs.
Nothing is stored, is it?
Nothing. The arithmetic runs in your browser, there is no sign-up, and no values are sent anywhere or saved.
Next step
A goal needs a daily number.
BetterCal turns your goal weight into a daily calorie and protein target, then lets you log meals by typing or speaking them. Free to start on iPhone and Android.
