?? Big bones and BMI ??

taco_tap

I thought "big bones" was a fallacy. The doctor had me wrap my hand around my wrist and said i had a big bone structure. He also said my BMI would be higher bc of it. So.. the question here is.. what does "big bones" actually mean? Why will you weigh more bc of it (are they more dense, are they actually larger than normal?) and most important, what will this mean when I'm old? I'm totally not freaking out, but ignorance is not bliss to me.

SoDamnHungry

Big bones means you literally have a large bone structure. Thicker bones, wider shoulders or rib cage, things like that. I would know, as I'm big boned. You can be skinny and be big boned. Some people have very thin frames, which is small boned. They can still be very overweight.

erickirb

If you are large framed your ideal weight would be 10% higher than a medium framed person, a small framed would be 10% lower than the medium framed person.

As an example if at your height the ideal weight was 140, that would refer to medium framed, a large framed person's ideal weight at that height would then be 154 (140*1.10), while a small framed person would ideally weigh 126 (140*.9), so the one with the smaller frame may be on the low end of BMI, while the medium framed would be in the middle of the healthy range, and the large framed person would be at the high end of normal on the BMI range, and all of them could have the same body fat %.

spicypepper

I have been classified as big boned by 2 physicians. My bone density is near the top of the charts for a woman of my height (5'8") and because of that I can weigh more and look good. Supposed to be somewhere around 145-150 and I can pull off 175-180 and look fabulous!

As for the BMI, I was told that because of my build the "standard" would not really apply to me because they're based on someone of average structure. I'm far from average (on many other levels too :bigsmile: ) and after getting my second opinion that also said not to go by those numbers, but rather weight and/or clothing size I started to listen.

So, I'll never be a size 0 or a size 6...just glad to be healthy again!

tross0924

The average human skeleton weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 lbs. If you have 150% of the average you will weigh about 12 lbs more than someone with an average bone structure. 12 will effect your bmi but not much.

And for the record I was big boned until I lost weight and then I became average boned. The wrist thing doesn't really work all that well.

meeperoon

I'm big boned, I'm never going to be tiny whatever weight I am, and being a weight that a small framed person might look great at I might look anorexic at, so I may have to stop at 150 instead of 140 if I'm looking too skinny. Just a bigger frame so naturally your body is going to hang differently and a weigh that might seem unhealthy and pushing the bmi up might not be... It's why body builders often have issues with bmi because their muscle makes them seem overweight because of the number on the scale.

rodneyderrick

Big bone girls, such as yourself, still shouldn't have any unnecessary flab hanging over their waistlines. Even if your BMI is a little higher, you shouldn't be frumpy. I've seen girls with wider frames who were in fantastic shape, and they looked good, real good. They normally sit on the top end of their optimum BMI range.

Huskeryogi

And for the record I was big boned until I lost weight and then I became average boned. The wrist thing doesn't really work all that well.

^ agreed. When I set my goal weight I picked the middle of the BMI range for my height thinking there wasn't really anyway I could weight that, but it was better to have an aggressive goal. Now that I'm closer to the goal I can see myself getting there - and staying there.

One of the first things I noticed as I was losing weight was that my wrists were smaller - so they are not a good indication of bone size.

taco_tap

Big bone girls, such as yourself, still shouldn't have any unnecessary flab hanging over their waistlines. Even if your BMI is a little higher, you shouldn't be frumpy. I've seen girls with wider frames who were in fantastic shape, and they looked good, real good. They normally sit on the top end of their optimum BMI range.

I completely agree and WILL be that. The trainer gave me a 15 pound fat loss goal, (now its 12 pounds) and the doctor agreed. That will still put me at 175. Although, I do have some muscles going on.. guess that should be thrown is a factor as well. Anywho, how I feel will be the deciding factor in how much I lose and how much I tone. I think my only major concern health wise is if it puts me "at risk" for those bone problems when I get older..

1FitMomof4Girls

How do you know if you're big boned?

taco_tap

And for the record I was big boned until I lost weight and then I became average boned. The wrist thing doesn't really work all that well.

^ agreed. When I set my goal weight I picked the middle of the BMI range for my height thinking there wasn't really anyway I could weight that, but it was better to have an aggressive goal. Now that I'm closer to the goal I can see myself getting there - and staying there.

One of the first things I noticed as I was losing weight was that my wrists were smaller - so they are not a good indication of bone size.

I broke my scaphoid bone (in my wrist) pretending to be superman on a fourwheeler. I was in a cast for six months and got out of it 7 months ago. For me, I am close to my goal and the atrophy from the cast made it pretty easy to see my bone structure. I used this wrist to measure.

SoDamnHungry

And for the record I was big boned until I lost weight and then I became average boned. The wrist thing doesn't really work all that well.

^ agreed. When I set my goal weight I picked the middle of the BMI range for my height thinking there wasn't really anyway I could weight that, but it was better to have an aggressive goal. Now that I'm closer to the goal I can see myself getting there - and staying there.

One of the first things I noticed as I was losing weight was that my wrists were smaller - so they are not a good indication of bone size.

Well, if a person isn't overweight, wrists are a great indication of bone size. If they're overweight, their wrists will be bigger and not accurate.

maidentl

And for the record I was big boned until I lost weight and then I became average boned. The wrist thing doesn't really work all that well.

See, I wonder about this, too. I have never thought of myself as big-boned. When I was normal weight and I would do the "wrap your fingers around your wrist" test, they'd overlap. Now they don't. I'm assuming because I am fatter. And I know for a fact that I am losing in my wrists (of all places LOL) because a wristwatch I received for Christmas, when I was my biggest, is looser now.

It's just one more thing to confuse me. :laugh:

taco_tap

How do you know if you're big boned?

So, if you take one hand and wrap your fingers around the other wrist, depending on how much your thumb and middle finger over lap tells you your bone structure size.. I assume.. From what everyone else says, this only works if you are close or at a healthy bmi..?

kneeki

Pretty much sums it up.

taco_tap

I literally tilted my head.. thats soo interesting... in an odd way.

jg627

You're probably not going to win any gold medals in any olympic sprinting events, but the good news is, people with large bone structure tend to be stronger. I'm 5' 9" with 9" inch wrists, so I feel your pain. Find yourself a good 5x5 strength training program and capitalize on your genetics.

lorenacoy9

Im overweight right now but my wrist r boney no fat on it bs u not so i think for boney ppl it does apply for accurate frame i was also told now and when i was thin that i was built like an amazon lol i have big hands im 5'8 n big foot like peggy hill jk but my bones r huge

CherylP67

Pretty much sums it up.

I know this is an old post but the X-rays appear to be a man on the left and a woman on the right.

SteelySunshine

I am 5'4 and I wear the same shoe size as people who are 5'10. Sometimes I get men's tennis shoes because my feet are also very wide. I wear a size 10 ring, but that will go down a bit when I lose weight. My wrist size isn't likely to go down though. It's the same as when I was 20 and I have gained a whole lot of weight since then. I assume I am large boned. I also assume I will never ever be skinny looking. I am hoping to get down to a size 14 though, maybe a 12. I will be happy with that even though years ago I cried when I got up to a size 14.

lillith1991

I tend to say thick or structurally sound instead of big boned. Even when at my smallest of 121lbs my ribs alone were 32 inches and my wrist are 6inches. I literally can lose weight with no change in my wrists. And to top it off I'm a tiny 58inches(4 feet 10inches). So I do consider myself "big bonned" and my dr does to.

lithezebra

Ask your doctor! In the meantime, having a larger bone structure means that you have more lean body mass, and that your ideal weight will be higher than that of a person with lighter bones. You should take care of your bones anyway, but you're also at a lower risk for osteoporosis...take care of your bones anyway.

P.S. You look very pretty.

Nikoruo

For the wrist thing I would say it only works really when you don't really carry fat around them. However, i find that a lot of smaller bone structured people who weigh a lot do actually carry around quite a bit of it on their wrists which when this test is done, gives the falsity that they are big bone structure. Usually you can tell by looking at someone if they are on the higher or lower spectrum of the bone structure. Myself, on the other hand, have very skinny wrists and therefore I can properly assume that at 6.69291 inches around my wrist I am a large bone structure. I know my wrists are skinny because my bones practically show under the skin lol. though I always have assumed I was bigger in structure because i also never looked as heavy as i was due to my structure carrying me well. It's good to know because I wont be setting any unrealistic expectations now haha.

Loralrose

There is such a thing as big-boned, but I think the wrist measurement method is baloney. I have small wrists, a huge ribcage, broad shoulders/pelvis, and a lot of muscle for a woman. In high school I was "overweight" according to BMI charts and could still see my abs and ribs. I think it's awesome -especially since I look a lot slimmer than someone my size with a smaller frame. Not to mention the health bonus of extra strength and bone density!

I'd say focus on body fat percentage instead of weight. That way whatever your bone structure is you'll still have an achievable, healthy goal in mind.

Azdak

I agree the "wrist measurement" is not valid. "Big boned" is more of a euphemism for someone with a higher than average fat free mass (FFM). FFM includes everything that is not fat--bones, muscles, organs, etc.

The range of FFM levels for females at any given height can range over 30-35 pounds, which means the range of what can be considered an "ideal" weight is even larger.

The best way to determine an "ideal weight" is to assess body fat. From that number you can estimate FFM. With FFM, you determine your target BF% and add that to FFM and you have a decent target weight goal.

Francl27

The wrist thing is dumb as obviously your wrist will be fatter if you're overweight. There are better calculators out there that use your elbows too. But yes, there's definitely such a thing as large frames. Mine is medium/large, I think, however I personally find it worse for us to be overweight, as we look even bigger than we already are with extra pounds.

DeguelloTex

I'm overweight -- technically still obese -- and my wrists aren't fat or fatter. I can barely pinch anything away from the bone. So, I don't know that this is "obvious" at all.

Madame_Goldbricker

I've always had "skinny" wrists regardless. Now my ankles they're another story!

Even when I've been on the thin end of the spectrum before I've always had a wide set ribcage. Maybe that's a better indication?

Iwishyouwell

I'm overweight -- technically still obese -- and my wrists aren't fat or fatter. I can barely pinch anything away from the bone. So, I don't know that this is "obvious" at all.

Yep, that's me too. The fingers-around-the-wrist test actually was very accurate for me, even at larger size. I grew up fat assuming that I was a larger framed man, because even while obese I carried my weight "well". When I lost a lot of weight and got down to the higher end of the large frame BMI I was shocked to see myself still fat. The wrist test told me that I was wrong, that I'm actually a medium framed guy. Other frame measurement tests have since backed that up.

It's not a bad test for everyone.

meshashesha2012

the wrist thing doesnt really make sense because it doesnt take finger length in account.

i think big bones is more determined by things like being broad shouldered, wide pelvis and wide ribcage.

and i recently had someone tell me i was big boned and that i shouldnt lose as much weight as i thought. granted i have a fair amount of muscle from weight training over the past 20 years, but i also have a teeny ribcage and small pelvis, so i dont think there's anything particularly big abount my bones except the amount of fat on top of them

Iwishyouwell

so i dont think there's anything particularly big abount my bones except the amount of fat on top of them