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What's a healthy weight range for someone my height? What weight is neither too thin nor too fat, but just right? It seems like a simple question, but for teens it is not always an easy one to answer.
Defining a normal weight is hard because people have different body types, so there is no single number that is the right weight for everyone. Even among people who are the same height and age, some of them are more muscular or more developed than others. That is because not all teens have the same body type or develop at the same time. It is possible to find out if you are in a healthy weight range for your height, though it just takes a little effort. You are also able to put your measurements into a BMI calculator and get an idea of how you are doing.
Weight during growth and puberty: What's normal?
Not everyone grows and develops on the same schedule. However, teens do go through a period of faster growth called a growth spurt. During puberty, the body begins making hormones that spark physical changes like faster muscle growth especially in guys, and spurts in height and weight gain in both guys and girls.
Once these changes start, they continue for several years, where the average person can expect to grow as much as 10 inches or 25 centimeters during puberty before he or she reaches their full adult height. Most girls and guys gain weight more rapidly during this time as the amounts of muscle, fat, and bone in their bodies changes. All that new weight gain can be perfectly fine as long as body fat, muscle, and bone are in the right proportion. Because some kids start developing as early as age 8 and some do not enter puberty until age 14 or so, it can be normal for two people who are the same height and age to have very different weights and heights. It can feel quite strange to adjust to suddenly feeling heavier or taller, so it is perfectly normal to feel self-conscious about your weight during adolescence. A lot of people do this, and are worried about their looks and health.