A healthy weight for a 5’6″ female generally falls between 118 and 154 pounds, based on the standard BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9. That said, the “right” number on the scale depends on your body frame, age, muscle mass, and where you carry your weight. Here’s how to figure out where you personally fit.
The Standard Healthy Range: 118 to 154 Pounds
The CDC defines a healthy BMI as 18.5 to just under 25. For a woman who is 5 feet 6 inches tall, that translates to roughly 118 to 154 pounds. Below 118 falls into the underweight category, 155 to 185 is considered overweight, and above 186 crosses into the obesity range.
These cutoffs are population-level guidelines, not personalized targets. A muscular woman at 160 pounds may be healthier than a sedentary woman at 140. BMI doesn’t distinguish between fat and lean tissue, which is why health organizations increasingly recommend combining it with other measurements.
How Body Frame Shifts Your Target
One of the most practical ways to narrow down your ideal weight is the Hamwi formula, which has been used in clinical nutrition for decades. For women, it starts at 100 pounds for the first 5 feet of height and adds 5 pounds for each additional inch. At 5’6″, that gives a baseline of 130 pounds.
From there, you adjust by 10 percent based on your frame size, which puts the range at 117 to 143 pounds. You can determine your frame size with a tape measure around your wrist. For women over 5’5″, a wrist smaller than 6.25 inches indicates a small frame, 6.25 to 6.5 inches is medium, and over 6.5 inches is large. A small-framed woman would aim closer to 117, while a large-framed woman could be perfectly healthy closer to 143 or above.
Why Age Changes the Picture
If you’re over 65, the standard BMI thresholds may not apply to you. Research in geriatric medicine suggests that older adults actually do better at higher weights than younger adults. One study of over 1,000 patients aged 65 and older found that the optimal BMI for older women was around 31 to 32, which at 5’6″ would be roughly 192 to 198 pounds. That’s well above what’s considered “healthy” for younger women.
The reason: older adults with BMIs below 25 showed higher risks of decreased functional capacity, balance problems, reduced muscle strength, and malnutrition. The study concluded that a BMI between 25 and 35 (155 to 217 pounds at 5’6″) may be optimal for health in older populations. This doesn’t mean gaining weight is the goal, but it does mean a number that looks “overweight” on a standard chart can be protective as you age.
Measurements That Matter More Than Weight
Your waist circumference is a stronger predictor of heart disease and diabetes risk than the number on your scale. The American Heart Association identifies a waist size greater than 35 inches as a threshold for increased risk in women, regardless of total body weight. A woman at 145 pounds with a 37-inch waist may face more health risks than a woman at 160 pounds with a 32-inch waist.
The NHS recommends tracking your waist-to-height ratio as well. The guideline is simple: your waist should measure less than half your height. At 5’6″ (66 inches), that means keeping your waist under 33 inches. This measurement captures abdominal fat specifically, which is the type most closely linked to metabolic problems like insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.
Body fat percentage adds another layer. A 2025 study using national survey data defined overweight for women as body fat of 36% or higher, and obesity as 42% or higher. There’s no universally agreed-upon “ideal” body fat percentage, but these thresholds give a useful benchmark. Body fat tends to increase naturally with age, even when scale weight stays the same, because muscle mass gradually declines.
How to Track Your Weight Accurately
If you’re monitoring your weight, consistency matters more than the specific number on any single day. Your weight can fluctuate by several pounds within 24 hours based on hydration, meals, and hormonal changes. The Cleveland Clinic recommends weighing yourself first thing in the morning, after using the restroom but before eating or drinking anything. Wear minimal clothing (or the same outfit each time) and use the same scale placed on a hard, flat surface.
Whether you weigh daily or weekly is a personal choice, but pick a consistent schedule. If you weigh weekly, do it on the same day each week. If you weigh daily, look at the trend over a week or two rather than reacting to any single reading. Standing still with your weight evenly distributed on both feet, barefoot, gives the most reliable number.
Putting It All Together
For a 5’6″ woman in her 20s through 50s, a weight between 118 and 154 pounds aligns with standard guidelines, with 130 pounds as a clinical midpoint that shifts up or down based on frame size. But the scale is only one data point. A waist under 33 inches, a body fat percentage below 36%, and the ability to move through daily life without physical limitation all paint a more complete picture of health than any single number.