Ideal Weight for 5 Feet 5 Inch Male: What the Numbers Mean
The ideal weight for a 5 feet 5 inch male (165 cm) of South Asian background is roughly 50 to 62 kg on the Asian BMI scale, but his waist tells you more than the scale ever will. If the tape says 40 inches, that number deserves your attention first.
The short version
- Healthy Asian BMI range at 165 cm: about 50 to 62 kg (BMI 18.5 to just under 23).
- Waist target: under half your height, so under about 82 cm (32 to 33 inches) at 165 cm.
- Commonly used waist cut-off for South Asian men: about 90 cm (35.5 inches).
- A realistic first goal: lose 5 to 7 percent of your weight and 2 to 3 inches off the waist.
- Rule of thumb: the tape measure beats the bathroom scale after 40.
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What is the ideal weight for a 5 feet 5 inch male?
There isn’t one magic number. Doctors use a range, and for people from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh that range sits lower than the one printed on most Western charts. A WHO expert consultation looked at Asian populations and found that risk of diabetes and heart disease starts climbing at lower BMI levels, so it suggested action points of 23 (overweight) and 27.5 (obesity) for Asians instead of 25 and 30.
Work it out for 165 cm. BMI is weight in kg divided by height in metres squared. 1.65 times 1.65 is about 2.72. Multiply 2.72 by 18.5 and you get about 50 kg. Multiply by 22.9 and you get about 62 kg. That’s the healthy band.
So at 165 cm and 65 kg the BMI is about 23.9: normal on a British chart, just into the overweight zone on the Asian one. Not a crisis. A nudge.
Healthy weight range by height for South Asian men
The same sum for other heights, rounded.
| Height | Healthy range (BMI 18.5 to 22.9) | Overweight from (BMI 23) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 2 (157 cm) | 46 to 57 kg | 57 kg |
| 5 ft 3 (160 cm) | 47 to 59 kg | 59 kg |
| 5 ft 4 (163 cm) | 49 to 60 kg | 61 kg |
| 5 ft 5 (165 cm) | 50 to 62 kg | 63 kg |
| 5 ft 6 (168 cm) | 52 to 64 kg | 65 kg |
| 5 ft 7 (170 cm) | 54 to 66 kg | 67 kg |
| 5 ft 8 (173 cm) | 55 to 68 kg | 69 kg |
| 5 ft 9 (175 cm) | 57 to 70 kg | 71 kg |
| 5 ft 10 (178 cm) | 59 to 72 kg | 73 kg |
| 5 ft 11 (180 cm) | 60 to 74 kg | 75 kg |
| 6 ft (183 cm) | 62 to 76 kg | 77 kg |
For the background on these cut-offs, and why they differ from what your gym poster says, see our guide to BMI and waist size cut-offs for South Asians.
Why does my waist matter more than my weight?
Because BMI can’t see where the weight sits. Two men can both weigh 65 kg at 165 cm, one carrying it in his legs and shoulders after years of manual work, the other carrying a fair share of it under the belt.
That second pattern is the one that worries doctors. Fat packed around the organs inside the belly is closely tied to fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and South Asian men tend to store it there early.
Two quick checks:
- Stand up straight, breathe out normally, and wrap a soft tape measure around your middle halfway between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hip bone. For most men that is roughly level with the belly button. Don’t suck in.
- Waist to height: divide your waist by your height (same units). Under 0.5 is the target in UK guidance. A 102 cm (40 inch) waist at 165 cm gives about 0.62.
- Waist alone: compare with about 90 cm (35.5 inches), the cut-off commonly used for South Asian men.
- Write the number down with the date. Measure again in four weeks, same time of day, before breakfast.
At 165 cm with a 102 cm waist, the BMI is barely over the line, yet the waist is 12 cm past the South Asian cut-off. The scale says “fine”. The tape says “start now”. Believe the tape.
Keep your waist under half your height: it is the one number that works whatever your build.
Does muscle change the picture?
Yes, and that’s the main weakness of BMI: a man who lifts or labours may sit at BMI 25 with a flat stomach and be perfectly healthy, while a man with thin arms and a round belly at BMI 23 carries more risk.
It also matters while you lose weight. If you cut food hard and do no strength work, part of what you lose is muscle, and after 40 muscle is harder to rebuild. Keep protein steady (our page on how much protein you need from desi foods has the details) and do some simple strength moves twice a week.
What is a realistic target weight for a man over 40?
Forget the bottom of the table. The first target is smaller, and it pays off most.
- Losing 5 to 7 percent of body weight is the range most often linked with better blood sugar, blood pressure and liver fat. At 65 kg that’s about 3.5 to 4.5 kg.
- Getting the waist down 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches) matters as much as the kilos.
- A sensible pace is about 0.5 to 1 kg a week after the first week or two. The quick drop at the start is mostly water.
So a man at 65 kg aiming for about 60 to 61 kg over three to four months is doing exactly the right thing. If the waist keeps shrinking after that, carry on gently. If it plateaus near 90 cm and his checkups look good, that’s a fine place to stay.
Our page on belly fat in men over 40 covers the food and movement side in detail, and the whole Desi Weight Loss section has meal ideas built around roti, daal and salan rather than salads you’ll quit by Thursday.
The belt-notch test
No tape at home? Use your belt. Note which hole you use today. Every hole tighter is roughly 2.5 cm (an inch) off the waist. It’s crude, but it’s free, it’s always on you, and it’s often more honest than the scale in the first month.
How much should I eat to reach my ideal weight?
A gap of a few hundred calories a day is enough for most men: one roti less at dinner, sugar out of two cups of chai, no cold drink with lunch, and a walk after the evening meal. Small, boring, repeatable.
Don’t drop below about 1,500 kcal a day without a doctor or dietitian involved. Crash diets cost muscle and rarely last past the next family dawat.
You take medicine for diabetes (especially insulin or sulfonylurea tablets, because eating less can bring on a low sugar), blood pressure or thyroid, or you have kidney disease. Don’t start, stop or change any prescribed medicine on your own. See a doctor soon if you’re losing weight without trying, if your waist is growing fast, or if you feel unusually thirsty, tired or breathless. Chest pain, pain spreading to the arm or jaw, or sudden breathlessness is an emergency: call 1122.
Questions men ask about weight at 5 feet 5
What is the ideal weight for a 5’5 male in kg?
About 50 to 62 kg for South Asian men, using the Asian BMI band of 18.5 to just under 23. On the general international chart it runs to about 68 kg, but that chart underestimates risk for Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi men.
Is 65 kg overweight for a 5 ft 5 man?
On the Asian scale it is just over the line, at a BMI of about 23.9. Whether it matters depends on the waist: with a waist under 90 cm it is close to fine, with a 100 cm waist it is a clear signal to act.
What waist size is healthy for a man who is 5 feet 5?
Under about 82 cm, which is half of 165 cm. That’s roughly 32 to 33 inches. Above 90 cm (35.5 inches) is the point commonly used to flag higher risk in South Asian men.
How do I calculate my BMI at home?
Divide your weight in kg by your height in metres, then divide by your height in metres again. At 165 cm and 65 kg: 65 divided by 1.65 is 39.4, divided by 1.65 again is about 23.9.
Can I be the right weight and still have too much belly fat?
Yes, and it’s common in South Asian men. A normal BMI with a large waist still carries extra risk for diabetes and fatty liver, so measure both.
How fast should a 40 year old man lose weight?
About 0.5 to 1 kg a week once the first week or two of water loss is over. Faster than that usually means muscle is going too, and the weight tends to come back.
Does age change the ideal weight for men?
The BMI bands stay the same for adults, but after 40 keeping muscle matters more, so aim for a steady loss with strength work rather than chasing the lowest number.
Which blood tests should I get if my waist is over 90 cm?
Ask your doctor about fasting sugar or HbA1c, a lipid profile, liver tests and a blood pressure check. These show whether the belly fat is already affecting anything.