Average Weight
Question:
I just would like to know the average weight for a 17 year old
5'8 girl, I woud also like to know what the healthiest weight to
be is. Thank you for your time
Answer:
This is a question I cannot answer for you, but I do want to share
my response to it with the hope that you will think about your question
and it’s purpose and meaning for you.
There is so much emphasis in our culture on weight and weight-management,
you would think that determining a good weight for an average or
healthy girl was some kind of exact science but it isn’t. Physicians
have developed charts which describe what the range of weights are
for people of various ages and heights. Next time you see your doctor,
you may want to ask about what is the average weight of a 17 year
old girl at a particular height.
The healthiest weight to be is another question. Even experts don’t
agree on this. The majority of people and doctors believe that being
in the average weight range or slightly underweight for age and
height is healthy. As a therapist specializing in the treatment
of eating disorders, I have come to question this assumption. Time
and time again, I have seen people who struggle with terrible feelings
of inadequacy, self-rejection and worthlessness based on the idea
that their weight is unhealthy. Often, people respond to these feelings
with various eating disorder symptoms, becoming more and more unhealthy
in the process. When this happens, it seems to me that the worrying
about weight is more unhealthy than the weight itself.
The weight of a healthy 17 year old female will vary naturally
during her menstrual cycle. Other factors including build and family
history are also important contributors to what her natural weight
will be. There is no one weight that is healthiest for anyone.
I hope you are not too concerned about your weight, and that you
are able to explore other dimensions such as the mental, emotional,
social and spiritual aspects of life, as you develop your understanding
of health.
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