How Much Should a 13 Year Old Weigh?

During their teenage years, it is not unusual for your child’s body to change quite dramatically and in a number of ways also. You want to make sure that your child’s body is developing as well as it should do but at the same time, you don’t want to put your child at risk of all the complications that come hand in hand with being obese.

There are problems with trying to work our whether or not your 13 year old is in a bracket considered to be ‘normal’. There are so many hormones rushing through their body that it can be changing at quite a dramatic rate and because of that, there isn’t one thing generally considered to be ‘normal’. Two people could be the same height but completely different in weight and still be classed as ‘normal’.

There are ways that you can work out whether or not your child is healthy. Let’s take a look:

How much should a 13 year old weigh?

In order to work out how much a 13 year old should weigh, you need to know a few other measurements in order to figure out their BMI or Body Mass Index.

During puberty, there is a wide ratio of what is considered to be a normal height or weight for a 13 year old and it can range from 4 ft 7 to over 6 ft. Some of this will be down to genetics and other factors will include lifestyle and upbringing, diet, exercise, and more.

Girls tend to mature earlier than boys so they will go through their growth spurts at an earlier age. In 2002, studies showed that the average 13 year old girl was 62.6 inches tall – 5 ft 3 inches. Just one year later, at aged 14, the average height for a 13 year old girl was 63.7 inches or 5 ft 4 inches. A lot of change can happen during this time and for some kids, it might take longer than others.

The average weight of a 13 year old girl is between 82 to 137 pounds. The average seems to sit somewhere between 120-125 pounds.

The average weight of a 13 year old boy is between 80 to 135 pounds. The average seems to sit somewhere between 120-125 pounds.

The average height of a 13 year old now is considered to be 58 to 62 inches for boys and 60 to 63 inches for girls.

Weight will depend very much on a large amount of factors especially at this age. The BMI will be based on their height and weight but things like age will need to be taken into account as well as overall health, the body type or build, and even the percentage of body fat. Not one thing can be used to determine ‘normal’ weight.

Adult averages should never be used to measure teenagers because they are likely to be going through a growth spurt and the measurements could prove to be wrong. This could prove dangerous, either putting them into an overweight category when they shouldn’t be, or in an underweight one. This can affect a number of things and these are the years that correct information about food and eating should be learned, as should correct eating habits. If eating healthy isn’t educated, your 13 year old runs the risk of suffering at the hands of being overweight.

Ensuring Your 13 Year Old Is Fit & Healthy 

If you want to make sure that your 13 year old weighs what they should do, it is important to ensure they are eating healthy and getting the right amount of exercise. It is not advisable to put teenagers on a diet when there is no need because this can affect the way they think about their own body image, causing great emotional and mental problems later on in life. At the same time, it is unwise to leave an obese teenager to carry on with their own habits because it will cause them failures and problems with their health later on in life. There are a number of medical conditions linked with obesity – diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and even bone and circulation problems included.

At 13 years of age, a boy should be eating approximately 2414 calories per day. A girl should be eating slightly less – 2223 calories per day.

These figures are considered to be a guide and the amount of calories may need to be changed to allow for weight gain or weight loss where appropriate.

You should encourage your teenager to be eating healthily and this will include at least five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables per day. With smoothies and other drinks now offering at least one portion of this, there is no excuse. Making your own smoothies for breakfast is one of the easiest ways to increase your healthy food intake.

Low-fat options should be considered at all times, not to restrict food but to give a healthy way of eating foods. Learning what to have in moderation is also important so you should educate your child on this. Sugary, high-fat and calorific foods should only be eating in moderation and the younger you start teaching this lesson, the healthier your child is likely to grow up.

When it comes to exercise, you are advised to encourage your 13 year old to participate in an hour’s worth of exercise most, if not all, days of the week. This could be playing with friends in the park or a lesson of physical activity at school. It could also include walking to and from school as long as there is no dilly-dallying. The more exercise is forgotten about during the younger years, the more it will be forgotten about in the older ones too.