Women often stress over their weight and worry about their appearance and their health. In fact, as many as 83% of American adults are not happy with their current weight and would like to lose up to about 40 pounds. Your weight can be influenced by your height, lifestyle, diet, genetics, etc., and can affect your health and your quality of life, so taking steps to maintain a healthy weight is essential.
Many women wonder how much the average American woman weighs and if this benchmark has changed over the years. Today, we are going to take a look at the average height of American women and the normal weight for women in relation to their height. We will also talk about the risks of being overweight and provide strategies for maintaining a healthy weight.
How Much Does the Average American Woman Weigh?
According to the CDC, the average height and weight of American women have increased over the years. In the 1960s, 140 pounds was the average weight for a woman in America, but this has increased to around 170 pounds today.
The Average Height of American Women
Your height is used in the calculation that determines your body mass index, or BMI, as it is commonly known. Your BMI is used as a benchmark to determine if your weight is within a healthy range or if you are at increased risk for health complications. A woman who is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds would have a BMI that has just reached the obese range.
The average height of an American woman is about 5 feet 3.5 inches (63.5 inches). This height has remained fairly stable over the years, even though the average weight has increased.
How Does The Average Height Of American Women Compare To Other Countries?
Women in the United States tend to be taller and heavier than women in many other countries. In some parts of the world, the average height is under 5 feet, and the average weight is lower as well. A combination of dietary habits, societal trends, and economic challenges affecting food access can all contribute to these differences. Countries where people eat more whole foods and are more active tend to have lower average weights.
What Is Considered a Normal Weight for Women?
A healthy weight range for a woman can be different depending on her height. According to the BMI scale, a woman who is 5 feet 3 inches, a normal weight range would be between 107 and 135, but a woman who is 5 feet 7 inches would be considered within a healthy range if she weighed between 121 and 153. If the woman who was 5 feet 3 inches weighed 153 pounds, she would fall in the ‘overweight’ range on the BMI scale.
BMI is not an accurate measurement of your body fat percentage because it does not account for muscle mass, gender, or ethnic background. Some women who have more muscle may have a higher BMI but still be in excellent health, or someone of Asian descent who has a BMI that appears healthy may have a great deal of visceral fat. It is always best to look at the overall picture, like how body fat is distributed, percentage of muscle mass, gender, and other indicators of health, instead of relying on weight alone.
What Has Caused The Average Weight Of American Women To Increase?
Many lifestyle and environmental changes have contributed to the rise in the average American woman’s weight. Some of the main reasons include:
Changes In Diet
Over the past 60 years, the American diet has significantly changed. Portion sizes have increased, fewer people consistently eat home-cooked meals, more people eat processed foods that are high in sugar and unhealthy fats and ingredients, and fast food and sugary drinks have become more common. It may be surprising to know that the consumption of sugar-filled drinks has quadrupled since 1965, and the average person consumes an extra 222 calories each day from just these types of beverages.
Changes In Food Quality
The way food is produced and processed has changed dramatically and not for the better. Today, we have many foods that have been genetically modified or contain ingredients that disrupt our natural hormones. Many processed foods also contain artificial ingredients, preservatives, and high levels of refined sugars and unhealthy fats.
Packaged and fast foods are often created to taste good and be addictive, making it easy to overeat and consume more calories than you should in one day. In fact, in January of 1971, the Cigarette Smoking Act went into effect, and ads for tobacco products were no longer allowed to air on television. In an effort to stay in the game, in the 1980s, the tobacco companies (Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds) purchased the major food companies like Kraft, General Foods, and Nabisco and reassigned resources like their chemists into figuring out ways to make foods more addictive. Today, much of our food is high in calories but provides very little of the essential nutrients our bodies need.
Less Physical Activity
50 years ago, it was common for children to play outside with friends for hours on end. They would often return home to grab some lunch and then go back outside until dinner to ride bikes, run through the woods, climb trees, play ball, and engage in other physical activities. Today, less than 30% of American children spend a significant amount of time playing outdoors.
Many people spend more time sitting, both at work and at home, watching TV, or using phones and computers. Children spend a significant amount of time on tablets or playing video games. Americans are now burning fewer calories throughout the day and leading more sedentary lifestyles.
Stress And Lack Of Sleep
Unmanaged stress and not getting enough sleep can lead to weight gain. Stress hormones can inhibit weight loss and cause the body to store more fat. Not getting enough sleep can cause an increase in cravings for unhealthy foods and make it harder to avoid the foods that cause weight gain.
Genetics And Family History
Some people are more likely to gain weight due to their ancestry, and if a person’s family members have a history of being overweight, they may be more likely to gain weight as well. Sometimes this is due to their genetic makeup, and other times it is due to their environment or the lifestyle they have grown up with.
When You Are Overweight, You Have Higher Health Risks
Carrying extra weight can increase the risks of several health problems, including:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Diabetes
- Joint problems
- Certain cancers
- Infertility
How to Maintain a Healthy Weight
If you desire to maintain or reach a healthy weight, here are some strategies you can use:
- Focus on eating foods that provide your body with the nutrition and vitamins it needs to function properly, like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Avoid processed foods, unhealthy choices, and sugar-filled beverages.
- Stay active and try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. A routine that includes cardio and strength training helps you to burn calories and preserve muscle mass. Walking, dancing, swimming, gardening, or a combination of strength training and anything that gets you moving are great options.
- Make sure to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night because sleep helps to regulate hunger hormones and keeps your energy levels up.
- Find ways to manage your stress so it does not lead to emotional eating or weight gain due to excess cortisol. Anything you can do to relax, like deep breathing, yoga, a hobby, or spending time with loved ones, can help lower your stress level.
- Seek professional help to lose weight and learn about nutrition to reach and maintain a healthy weight. A doctor who is trained in obesity management, like those at Reveal Weight Loss, can help identify conditions that may be inhibiting your weight loss and create a plan to help you overcome these challenges. Reveal Weight Loss offers non-surgical weight loss solutions and professional guidance that can help your efforts effectively achieve sustainable weight loss.
Get The Help You Deserve Today
If you are concerned about your weight, contact the experts at Reveal Weight Loss today. Our expert doctors and professional support team will create a personalized plan just for you and your circumstances that will help you overcome past challenges and result in significant weight loss and improved health.
Set up a virtual or in-person consultation to learn more about the many non-surgical weight loss options we can offer to help you improve your health and your quality of life.
