Anyone else "big boned"?

rml_16

I believe people can be big boned. my cousin and I are almost the same height (shes 4'10 & im 5'0) and she ranges between 90 lbs and 103 lbs. I will NEVER get that small. shes very small. even I was to get to 100 lbs id have big bones lol. I look good about 160 lbs.

You may want to double check that. Unless you are stacked with muscle, 5' and 160 would be considerd obese. Not trying to hurt your fellings or anything, just facts.

If she thinks she looks good at 160, good for her. A lot of people like being larger. I'm 5'3" and at 166 and size 12, I looked awful. The BF liked how I looked. I was miserable. Because of how I carry my weight, I didn't look as big as I was, but I WAS that big.

I need to be somewhere between 100-120.

People are also very skewed about what a healthy weight/size is these days.

I agree, I think it's great to have confidence and feel good about yourself. I was actually just offering some facts to help her out. 5'0" and 160 is not a healthy weight for someone who isn't a body builder. It's just into the obese range of BMI. I'm not saying she should go for 90 pounds and look belemic either nor was I trying to make fun of her or make her feel bad. I weighed 299 pounds when I started on MFP. I am 6'11" and need to be about 235, currently at 255, so trust me I am not here to make people feel bad about themself.

I actually was agreeing with you. lol See my earler post about pain and narcotics. :-)

CoderGal

Hi,

I was wondering, if this big boned story is really true, and if there is anyone out there that has still achieved their goals with a bigger frame? I'm about 1.66m (5'5'') and weight 76.8kg (170), want to go down to 65kg (143), but I have always been told I'm big boned, and honestly I DO have some large shoulders!!
Will I ever get the figure I want??

Any stories/advice/opinions appreciated

Here's a popular image that spreads around
Hopefully that didn't offend anyone. I use to break things a lot and my doctor has mentioned how I have big bones for a girl.

stonel94

Yeah, people have different bone structures, size 0 models actual like space between their bones (so like if they had zero fat and was just skin and bone) is smaller than mine. I have a big rib cage and broad shoulders and stuff like that. But big boned is what it says, having bigger bones (structure), not being fatter. It just means that if you are the same height and weight as someone who is smaller boned you may appear to be a little bit bigger, and conversely, you may be able to hold more weight and look more normal, not chubby or fat because it just fits your bone structure better. You can definitely reach your goals though but be realistic, I wanted to be a size 2 and when I got there in clothes I looked like every other 13 year old girl, just averagely skinny, but without clothes you could see every rib and my spine and everything because I was bigger boned than those girls but had lost more weight to be the same size. So find the size that looks and feels right and best to you even if it wasn't what you orginiallly thought would be ideal.

Also, like the picture above me shows, you can be not big boned and still be very obese and then you think you might be bigger boned until you start losing a lot of weight and you actually become very skinny. And again like the picture shows, you can be bigger boned and be small overall with little fat (because the thin picture's actual bones structure (compare rib cages) are bigger than the fat one but clearly that person is much smaller than the other)

Getawayfromthecake

I'm not sure if being big boned exists or how to determind if you are. I'd say your hands and feet are a good indication, I have huge hands and uk size 9/ 10 feet. I was onces told that your feet match the width of your pelvis and this appears to be true as I have wide hips... I must have big feet for a reason and I can only assume that that is to balance my big old skeleton :P. I'm 5 '7 so tall for a woman but not really that tall.

neandermagnon

People have different builds, wider hips, shoulders etc but the actual weight of the human skeleton varies very little from one person to another of the same height and sex. It's a handy excuse for why you weigh more but is based on little fact. Your bones weigh very little in comparison to the rest of the things that make up your body so I wouldn't place much stock in it being the reason you weigh more.

except that if you have a larger rib cage, larger shoulders and larger pelvis, your entire torso will be larger, and that means larger internal organs and a greater muscle mass (muscles need to be bigger to fit over the wider surface area of the rib cage, wider shoulders, pelvis etc, and the result is actually that a large framed person can be 30lb or more heavier than a small framed person of the same height, at the same body fat percentage. In other words, the extra weight does not come from the skeleton itself, but everything else that's also bigger as a result of the frame size being bigger.

But as has been said, a large frame does not give you rolls of fat. You can still be fit, lean and have muscle definition, just that you will be that little bit bigger (maybe a size 6-8 as opposed to a 0-2) and 20-30lb heavier (possibly a little more) than a small framed person of the same height.

Getting your body fat percentage calculated reasonably accurately and basing your goal weight on that is more straight forward than trying to estimate your frame size. If you have a large frame, you'll weigh more for your height than average at a healthy body fat percentage, so go by body fat percentage and you'll know your frame size when you get there.

AJinBirmingham

ME: I'm not fat, I have big bones!

LITTLE BROTHER: In your *kitten*?

I still remember his high school feedback - honesty is a powerful tool.

(I AM big boned - my wrists are thick and my hands are almost as big as a man's - but that doesn't mean I have to be fat too! Putting in the right effort, I can maintain less than 130 lbs on the scale, anda size 4 in most clothes. I'm 5'5''.)

Hezzietiger1

I used to think I was "big boned" til I got closer to my goal weight. Now I realize, I was just fat all along. Changed my goal from 145 to 135, we will see at 135 how I look and evaluate. Measure your wrist that'll tell you a lot. Mine is only 6 inches.

AJinBirmingham

ME: I'm not fat, I have big bones!

LITTLE BROTHER: In your *kitten*?

I still remember his high school feedback - honesty is a powerful tool.

(I AM big boned - my wrists are thick and my hands are almost as big as a man's - but that doesn't mean I have to be fat too! Putting in the right effort, I can maintain less than 130 lbs on the scale, and size 4 in most clothes. I'm 5'5''.)

MsEndomorph

I have a HUGE two year old. He came out big and he's been big ever since. His rib cage is actually bigger than mine from front to back. And, no, it has nothing to do with his diet or exercise level. He's crazy strong and probably has more muscle than me. My other two kids are built more like me - small.

So I poo at people who constantly try to make it seem like we're all the same - we just have different diets and exercise levels.

rml_16

except that if you have a larger rib cage, larger shoulders and larger pelvis, your entire torso will be larger, and that means larger internal organs and a greater muscle mass (muscles need to be bigger to fit over the wider surface area of the rib cage, wider shoulders, pelvis etc, and the result is actually that a large framed person can be 30lb or more heavier than a small framed person of the same height, at the same body fat percentage. In other words, the extra weight does not come from the skeleton itself, but everything else that's also bigger as a result of the frame size being bigger.

You have given the best explanation of this ever. This is always the point I'm trying to make, but never quite get it out right! LOL

bcattoes

Bone grows and remodels based upon the load put on it. Not the other way around. You get big bones from having big tissue be it adipose or muscular. Big bones do not cause big tissue. Twinkies cause big tissue which causes big bones.

So my best friend who has never been overweight in her life but has very broad shoulders and large wrists doesn't really have very broad shoulders and large wrists?

I'm not saying that it's an excuse to be obese. But the BMI scale (yes, I understand it's an average, yada, yada, yada) gives people a 40-pound range of possible healthy weights.

Bone density and bone size are different issues. The load on your bones bone density, which will have a minimal affect on weight. But it won't do much about how wide your shoulders or wrists are. That's just genetics.

belle_of_the_bar

I used to call myself big boned. It was one of the many lies I told myself about why it was okay to be fat.

This!! And I was never obese, but at a size 16, I told myself it was bone structure. Now Im in a 6. Turns out it was the fat.

murphy612

I've said this before and I'll say it again...there is no such thing as "big boned". I'm an archaeologist, I've seen many skeletons, studied a lot of physical anthropology. There just isn't a whole lot of difference, unless of course you are a Neanderthal.

Whether its real or not has nothing to do with how much fat is on your body. Even still...the average weight of the adult human female skeleton is only around 20 lbs. For a large man its only around 30. It still shouldn't impact scale weight more than a few lbs.

Yea, voices of reason Big boned, lol or the my bones weigh more comment, even bigger lol

sissiluv

Most of the women in my family I'm finding are a little broader than I was expecting. Even my skinniest cousin wears a large and my mom, who's very thin, can't get below a size 12 pant. We're also a pretty tall brood. I'm 5'10 and mom is 5'9. We're both size 11 shoes.
That and considering my father who is a bear and I just got kinda screwed in the pool of genetics. Much to my disappointment I'll never be as tiny as I actually want to be but I can look the best for my size.

My goal weight is my mom's weight, which is around 165 but I think I'd be happy at 170. Only 20 more pounds to go. c:

ETA My wrist width is 7 inches...and that's with my wrist bones clearly visible.

Peachy1962

Good for You Chris!!!!! You give me Hope!!! :flowerforyou:


I am 5'7" and have big feet thought I was big boned all my life but when I was having my son they did a bone density test and the nurse said I had a small bone frame and all the rest was fat and muscle which she stressed the word FAT!!! :blushing: so I know I could get to a really low weight instead of what I had first thought way back in the day!!

On my way to a thinner n leaner ME!!!

confetti_blind

I have big bones and I am (now) thin. I probably look a lot thinner than my healthy BMI suggests.

Wide hips = massive thigh gap

Broad shoulders = very pointy collarbones

Big rib cage = you can count all the ribs and see clearly defined spine bones

Pointy wrists and elbows, sharp knees and ankles, very defined cheekbones.

My point is that big bones actually makes you look thinner, it doesn't need to be an excuse for being pudgy....

SutapaMukherji

I am big boned... it is a family thingy. So, while my healthy weight says, 68kgs, I have decided my GW to be 70.

We shall see when I reach there

BusyRaeNOTBusty

People have different builds, wider hips, shoulders etc but the actual weight of the human skeleton varies very little from one person to another of the same height and sex. It's a handy excuse for why you weigh more but is based on little fact. Your bones weigh very little in comparison to the rest of the things that make up your body so I wouldn't place much stock in it being the reason you weigh more.

except that if you have a larger rib cage, larger shoulders and larger pelvis, your entire torso will be larger, and that means larger internal organs and a greater muscle mass (muscles need to be bigger to fit over the wider surface area of the rib cage, wider shoulders, pelvis etc, and the result is actually that a large framed person can be 30lb or more heavier than a small framed person of the same height, at the same body fat percentage. In other words, the extra weight does not come from the skeleton itself, but everything else that's also bigger as a result of the frame size being bigger.

But as has been said, a large frame does not give you rolls of fat. You can still be fit, lean and have muscle definition, just that you will be that little bit bigger (maybe a size 6-8 as opposed to a 0-2) and 20-30lb heavier (possibly a little more) than a small framed person of the same height.

Getting your body fat percentage calculated reasonably accurately and basing your goal weight on that is more straight forward than trying to estimate your frame size. If you have a large frame, you'll weigh more for your height than average at a healthy body fat percentage, so go by body fat percentage and you'll know your frame size when you get there.

This. I have a large frame. Big head, shoulders, rib cage, hips, feet, hands, etc. I have a body fat percentage in the low 20s right no (perfectly healthy) and am a size 8. The smallest I've ever been is a size 6 at 145lbs. 0-2 is not a possibility for me. I'm 5'9" and 162lbs. I have a friend who is my height and weighs 104lbs but probably has a slightly higher body fat percentage. She has a small frame. I have a large frame.

BinaryPulsar

Yes, people do have different sized bones. That's why some people of the same height can both be healthy, slender and fit with one being 100 pounds and another being 135 pounds (or some other variation). Obviously people have different frame sizes. I have a 26 inch rib cage and other people have a 40 inch rib cage. Obviously a larger frame also means larger organs and more space for muscle and fat (without being fat). Obviously a larger sized person needs bigger bones to support the weight. And obviously a 40 inch rib cage on a short person is going to be longer rib bones than a 26 inch rib cage on a smaller person (as an example). And obviously bones don't only vary in length. They also vary in size in lots of other ways. There is a lot of variation, bones are not exempt from that. Look also at hands and feet. Not all people have the same sized bones in their hands and feet, even if they have the same length.

rml_16

I have a friend who is my height and weighs 104lbs but probably has a slightly higher body fat percentage.

I hope you meant 140 pounds.