If you’re a woman standing 5'10", you already know the world isn’t exactly built for your proportions. Finding jeans that hit your ankles is a chore. Airplane seats feel like a cruel joke. But when it comes to figuring out a normal weight for 5'10 woman, things get even weirder because most generic health advice is tailored toward people significantly shorter than you. You aren't "average" in height, so "average" weight metrics often feel like they’re missing the point.
Let’s get the standard clinical answer out of the way first. According to the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is basically a math equation developed in the 19th century by a Belgian statistician named Adolphe Quetelet, the "normal" range for your height is roughly 129 to 174 pounds. That’s a huge gap. A 45-pound range! It’s the difference between feeling light on your feet and feeling like you’re carrying a heavy backpack everywhere you go.
But honestly? BMI is kind of a blunt instrument. It doesn't know if you’re a collegiate volleyball player with legs made of granite or someone who prefers a cozy afternoon with a book and has a smaller frame. It doesn't care about your bone density or where you carry your fat. It’s just a ratio.
Breaking Down the BMI Myth for Tall Women
The CDC and the World Health Organization still lean on BMI because it’s easy to calculate. For a woman who is 70 inches tall, the formula looks like this: $BMI = \frac{weight(lb) \times 703}{height(in)^2}$. If you land between 18.5 and 24.9, you’re technically in the "healthy" zone.
But there’s a catch.
Tall people often find that BMI "underestimates" their health. Some researchers, like Oxford mathematician Nick Trefethen, argue that the standard BMI formula is flawed because it doesn't account for how volume increases in three dimensions as height increases. He proposed a "New BMI" formula that might be more accurate for taller individuals. Under this revised math, a normal weight for 5'10 woman might actually lean slightly higher than the old school charts suggest.
Think about your frame. Are you "fine-boned"? You might feel your best at 135 or 140 pounds. Do you have wide shoulders and a sturdy build? You might look lean and athletic at 170 pounds. I’ve seen women at this height who weigh 175 and have visible abs because their muscle mass is so high. If they followed the standard chart blindly, they’d think they were on the verge of being "overweight." That's just silly.
The Role of Body Composition and Muscle
Muscle is dense. It’s heavy. It also takes up way less space than fat. This is why two women can both be 5'10" and weigh 160 pounds, but look completely different. One might wear a size 6, while the other wears a size 12.
If you’re lifting weights or doing heavy resistance training, forget the scale for a minute. Your "normal" is going to be higher. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a functional medicine expert who focuses on "muscle-centric medicine," often points out that muscle is our organ of longevity. For a tall woman, having that extra lean mass is crucial for metabolic health and protecting your joints—which, let's face it, take a bit of a beating when you're tall.
Why Bone Density Matters
Tall women often have larger skeletons. It sounds obvious, but your bones actually weigh something. If you have a "large frame"—which you can check by wrapping your thumb and middle finger around your wrist (if they don't touch, you likely have a larger frame)—your baseline weight will naturally be higher.
A 5'10" woman with a large frame might find that dipping below 145 pounds makes her look gaunt or feel exhausted. Her body needs more mass just to support the structural integrity of her skeleton. It’s about biological reality, not a chart in a doctor’s office.
Distribution and Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Where you carry the weight is arguably more important than the total number. This is where the Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) comes in. Health experts at Harvard Health suggest that for women, a ratio of 0.85 or lower is a much better indicator of cardiovascular health than BMI.
Basically, take a measuring tape. Measure your waist at its narrowest point. Then measure your hips at their widest. Divide the waist by the hip.
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If you’re 5'10" and weigh 180 pounds (which is "overweight" by BMI standards) but your waist is 28 inches and your hips are 40, your metabolic risk is likely very low. You're carrying that weight in a way that doesn't crowd your internal organs. Conversely, someone who weighs 130 pounds but carries all of it in their midsection might actually be at higher risk for Type 2 diabetes. We call this "thin on the outside, fat on the inside" (TOFI).
Real-World Examples: The Tall Woman's Experience
Let’s look at some athletes. Professional tennis players often stand around 5'10" or 5'11". Look at someone like Maria Sharapova (who is actually 6'2", but the principle applies). In her prime, her "playing weight" was often cited around 175 pounds. She was lean, fast, and incredibly powerful. If she were 5'10", that weight might drop to 160-165, which is still at the higher end of the "normal" range.
Then you have high-fashion models. In that industry, a 5'10" woman is often pressured to weigh 120-125 pounds. Clinically, that is underweight. It’s a BMI of about 17.2. While some women are naturally very thin and can maintain this healthily, for many, it leads to hormonal disruptions, loss of periods (amenorrhea), and bone density issues.
Just because a weight is "possible" doesn't mean it's "normal" or sustainable for your specific biology.
The Impact of Age on Your Target Weight
As we get older, our "normal" shifts. Sarcopenia—the natural loss of muscle mass as we age—starts creeping in after 30. If you’re a 5'10" woman in your 50s or 60s, carrying a few extra pounds might actually be protective.
Research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that for older adults, being in the "overweight" BMI category (25–29.9) is associated with a lower risk of mortality compared to being in the "normal" category. It provides a "nutritional reserve" if you get sick. It protects your hips if you fall.
So, if you’re 55 and the scale says 178, don't panic. If your energy is good and your bloodwork is clean, you might be exactly where you need to be.
How to Find Your Personal "Normal" Weight
Stop looking at the 1950s height-weight charts. They are relics. Instead, look at these functional markers:
- Energy levels: Do you have the stamina to get through your day without three cups of coffee in the afternoon?
- Sleep quality: Are you sleeping through the night, or is your body waking you up because your blood sugar is crashing?
- Menstrual cycle: If you’re pre-menopausal, is your cycle regular? Extreme weight—either too high or too low—will mess this up fast.
- Strength: Can you carry your own groceries, lift a suitcase, or do a few pushups?
- Blood markers: What do your A1C, fasting insulin, and lipid panels say? These tell a much deeper story than the scale ever will.
Common Misconceptions About 5'10" Proportions
People often assume tall women can "eat whatever they want" because they have more "room." While it’s true your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is higher than someone who is 5'2", it’s not a free pass.
A 5'10" woman’s BMR is usually around 1,500 to 1,700 calories. That’s what you burn just existing. Once you add in walking, working, and exercising, you might need 2,200 to 2,500 calories just to maintain a stable weight. But because you’re tall, weight gain can be "sneaky." You might gain 10 pounds and not notice it in your clothes because it’s spread out over a longer frame. Then, one day, the scale shows a number that shocks you.
On the flip side, weight loss can feel excruciatingly slow. When a 5'2" woman loses 5 pounds, everyone notices. When you lose 5 pounds, it's like taking a cup of water out of a bathtub. You have to be patient. Your "normal" isn't a static destination; it’s a moving target.
Practical Next Steps for Navigating the Scale
Instead of obsessing over hitting exactly 145 pounds because a website told you to, try a more nuanced approach.
First, get a DEXA scan if you can. It’s the gold standard for body composition. It will tell you exactly how many pounds of bone, fat, and muscle you’re carrying. It’s a game-changer for tall women because it validates that "heavy" doesn't mean "unhealthy."
Second, focus on protein intake. Aim for roughly 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your ideal weight. If you want to be 160 pounds, aim for 130-160 grams of protein a day. This helps maintain the muscle that keeps your metabolism firing.
Third, monitor your waist circumference. For a woman, staying under 35 inches is the general recommendation to keep metabolic diseases at bay. For someone 5'10", you might even have a bit more leeway, but 35 is a solid, safe ceiling.
Lastly, pay attention to your joints. Being 5'10" puts more leverage on your knees and lower back. If you’re at a weight where your joints ache constantly, it might be a sign that your body is carrying more than its structural "normal."
Don't let a generic chart dictate your self-worth. Your "normal" is the weight where you feel strong, capable, and vibrant. If that’s 155, great. If it’s 172, that’s great too. Listen to your body, not the 19th-century math.
Summary of Actionable Insights
- Ignore the "Ideal" Weight: Use the 129–174 lbs range only as a very loose starting point, not a strict rule.
- Measure Your Waist: Keep it under 35 inches to ensure your internal health is on track, regardless of the scale number.
- Prioritize Muscle: Focus on strength training to support your tall frame and boost your metabolic rate.
- Check Your Stats: Get a blood panel to look at insulin and cholesterol levels, which provide a more accurate health picture than BMI.
- Adjust for Age: Allow yourself grace and a slightly higher "cushion" as you move into your 50s and beyond for better long-term resilience.