Reading a scale in a doctor's office should be simple, but it is not. In addition to measuring weight, you can also measure height. Normally, that should be a simple procedure, but do you stand facing the wall or with your back to the wall? Are your shoes on or off? Are your socks on or off?

Fifty-year-old women have the same ideal body weights as younger -- and older -- women because ideal weights are based on a woman’s height and frame size, not age. Since metabolism tends to decrease with age, it may be more difficult for 50-year-old women to maintain desirable body weights.

Losing weight is a difficult and long process for most people, but if your clothes feel a little tight when you even look at a cheeseburger combo, it can feel especially discouraging. Gaining weight easily might mean you have a slower-than-average metabolism, you need to readjust your perception of calories eaten vs.

You might aspire to have chiseled abs or perfect glutes, but staying fit and maintaining a healthy weight will benefit your health, too. Being overweight can increase your risk of chronic diseases, including some types of cancer, while being underweight can affect your hormone balance and immune function.

Defining "normal" in a man's height and weight is not easy; age, body composition and physical type all affect what's normal. "Normal" can sometimes mean "average,"

Based on average U.S. women’s body weights and heights, women in the United States weigh more than they should. An estimated 64 percent of American women are overweight or obese, according to Weight-Control Information Network. A woman’s height, frame size and amount of lean body mass determine her ideal body weight.

Exactly how much you weigh is a matter of genetics and your body composition. Instead of aiming for a particular number on the scale, make feeling fit and fabulous your goal. Your body type influences how your weight distributes, what exercises best suit you and what you should eat to fuel activity.

Your strength-to-weight ratio is simply your strength divided by your body weight. The ideal ratio depends on your gender and what lift you're performing. Competitive athletes' goals for the strength-to-weight ratio differ from those for the average gym-goer.

Bodybuilders cannot use normal height-to-weight ratio charts because they are designed for people with less muscle mass.

As a 25-year-old woman, your concerns with weight may be more about aesthetics than your health. But you might be surprised to learn that a healthy weight is not one that requires a starvation diet. A couple of methods are available that you can use to determine your healthy weight, based on your height.

Teenagers develop at different rates and can have widely differing heights by the age of 18, so you won't find an ideal weight for every 18-year-old. It's possible, however, to determine a range of healthy weights for those at this age based on height and gender.

The average weight for men of different heights varies by country, and the average isn't necessarily a healthy weight. Two men of the same weight and height may also look very different, depending on how much of their weight comes from muscle versus from fat.