Until recently, height/weight charts were the most widely used way to determine your ideal weight. The height/weight charts, however, fail to take into account how much of your weight is body fat. One new method frequently used by researchers is body mass index, or BMI. BMI is an estimate of whether your weight and body fat is high enough to put you at risk for many chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and several types of cancer. This new method focuses more on "healthy weight range", the weight range at which you are at lowest risk for these diseases. While this calculation still depends on your height and weight, it takes body fat percentage into account.

Remember, this is only one estimate of a healthy weight range; there are many other factors. Some people who score high on the BMI chart may not be at high risk; for example, a bodybuilder, whose high percentage of muscle may falsely register a high BMI. Also keep in mind that individuals who primarily carry their body fat around their abdomen, an "apple" shape, are at higher risk for health conditions than those who carry their weight around the hips and thighs, a "pear" shape.