"big boned"
Aleluya17
Posts: 205 Member
Does it bother anyone else when someone says they aren't overweight they are just "big boned"? Yes, your skeleton may be longer then mine if you are taller, but I don't think the bones grow bigger if you are heavier >.-
edited to fix photo link
0
Replies
-
There's a way to determine the size of your frame by measuring your elbow when it's bent and yes the height can play a factor in how much one consumes in a day.
The taller you are the more you eat in a day. I just don't let it bother me. It's their life and you should focus on getting yourself healthy.0 -
When most people refer to it, they refer to the "girth" of their bones. Unfortunately people of the same height and frame have relatively the same bone diameter when born. As one gains weight rapidly, the bones adjust by becoming more "dense" and adapt to the stress. People who are obese/overweight have a different gait when they walk compared to someone at an average weight with the same frame. This change in gait, can cause the skeletal structure to adapt the extra stress.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I do think it is nonsense that people blame it on being big boned, however my wrists and ankles are tiny. Looking at my mate who weighs 100kg, his wrists are at least 4 inches bigger in circumference to mine and he has a visible larger bone structure. So there is some truth to it.0
-
frame size makes a difference, two people of the same height would not necessarily look good at the same weight.
i like this calculator
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz0 -
huh?frame size makes a difference, two people of the same height would not necessarily look good at the same weight.
i like this calculator
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz
Please explain the term frame? Being big boned is nonsense.0 -
When most people refer to it, they refer to the "girth" of their bones. Unfortunately people of the same height and frame have relatively the same bone diameter when born. As one gains weight rapidly, the bones adjust by becoming more "dense" and adapt to the stress. People who are obese/overweight have a different gait when they walk compared to someone at an average weight with the same frame. This change in gait, can cause the skeletal structure to adapt the extra stress.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
based on what theory did you come to this conclusion?
That makes no sense0 -
huh?frame size makes a difference, two people of the same height would not necessarily look good at the same weight.
i like this calculator
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz
Please explain the term frame? Being big boned is nonsense.
I happen to be fat and big-boned, however being big-boned, has nothing to do with me being fat.0 -
I was "big-boned" too. In reality I was just fat.
huh?frame size makes a difference, two people of the same height would not necessarily look good at the same weight.
i like this calculator
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz
Please explain the term frame? Being big boned is nonsense.
I happen to be fat and big-boned, however being big-boned, has nothing to do with me being fat.0 -
huh?frame size makes a difference, two people of the same height would not necessarily look good at the same weight.
i like this calculator
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz
Please explain the term frame? Being big boned is nonsense.
frame size is how big your skeleton is width wise, as in how wide your actual bones are, and/or how big your rib cage, pelvis and shoulder bones are compared to other people's. This has nothing to do with whether someone is obese, however it can make a difference to what dress size you are when you're at a healthy body fat percentage, and for women, what strap size your bra is (i.e. the number) when you're at a healthy body fat percentage. If you take two women who have the same body fat percentage and one of them is a 38 bra strap size and the other is 32, the first has a large frame the second has a small frame. Also you can tell by the width of your joints, e.g. wrist, elbow etc. This is measuring the width of the bones, not any excess fat.
If you look at the pics on the OP, the thinner woman actually has a larger frame than the fatter one.
This is yet another reason why it's more important to look at body fat percentage than weight. Larger framed people will be heavier at a healthy body fat percentage than a smaller framed person, and it can affect dress size (larger rib cage and pelvis than average = larger size. However none of it explains obesity, it might make a difference between whether you'are a USA size 8 or size 2 when you're at a healthy body fat percentage, but it does not explain being a size 20.0 -
A larger frame or is just the picture of the bigger women zoomed out to show her whole body. I am not saying they're not differences. What I am saying is, that it's used a crunch.
huh?frame size makes a difference, two people of the same height would not necessarily look good at the same weight.
i like this calculator
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz
Please explain the term frame? Being big boned is nonsense.
frame size is how big your skeleton is width wise, as in how wide your actual bones are, and/or how big your rib cage, pelvis and shoulder bones are compared to other people's. This has nothing to do with whether someone is obese, however it can make a difference to what dress size you are when you're at a healthy body fat percentage, and for women, what strap size your bra is (i.e. the number) when you're at a healthy body fat percentage. If you take two women who have the same body fat percentage and one of them is a 38 bra strap size and the other is 32, the first has a large frame the second has a small frame. Also you can tell by the width of your joints, e.g. wrist, elbow etc. This is measuring the width of the bones, not any excess fat.
If you look at the pics on the OP, the thinner woman actually has a larger frame than the fatter one.
This is yet another reason why it's more important to look at body fat percentage than weight. Larger framed people will be heavier at a healthy body fat percentage than a smaller framed person, and it can affect dress size (larger rib cage and pelvis than average = larger size. However none of it explains obesity, it might make a difference between whether you'are a USA size 8 or size 2 when you're at a healthy body fat percentage, but it does not explain being a size 20.0 -
I do think there is a bit of truth to differences in frame size, but I emphasize "bit"; I don't think that it's anywhere near enough to justify the "I'm only going to get down to a soft and fleshy 50 lbs over a medically recommended weight for my height" mentality. An adult human skeleton doesn't weigh a whole lot. I've read that it's in the range of 20-30 lbs. I myself probably have a medium to heavy skeletal frame, due in part to my ethnic background, but it's the difference between having a rough ultimate goal weight , at 5' 7.5", of 135-140 lbs, as opposed to, say, 120 lbs. I'm quite sure I would look ill at 120 lbs. I've seen people who are probably perfectly healthy at even less than that; I lived in Toronto for a few years, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, and I have seen some very tall, extremely narrowly built people there (narrow shoulders, waist, extremely narrow hips. Many of the African immigrants and their recent descendants have body types I never knew existed).0
-
I believed that
Always said to myself, I am quite broad person, heavy set, knew I was lying,
I ain't, I was fat0 -
Before, I always thought I'm big boned until I went to a gym 8 years ago & from there they assessed my body type. It turned out taht I'm just a medium frame. While there is such a thing as large framed people however the difference in healthy weight between a small, medium & large frame is only 5 pounds & not 50 or 100 pounds.0
-
A larger frame or is just the picture of the bigger women zoomed out to show her whole body. I am not saying they're not differences. What I am saying is, that it's used a crunch.
huh?frame size makes a difference, two people of the same height would not necessarily look good at the same weight.
i like this calculator
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz
Please explain the term frame? Being big boned is nonsense.
frame size is how big your skeleton is width wise, as in how wide your actual bones are, and/or how big your rib cage, pelvis and shoulder bones are compared to other people's. This has nothing to do with whether someone is obese, however it can make a difference to what dress size you are when you're at a healthy body fat percentage, and for women, what strap size your bra is (i.e. the number) when you're at a healthy body fat percentage. If you take two women who have the same body fat percentage and one of them is a 38 bra strap size and the other is 32, the first has a large frame the second has a small frame. Also you can tell by the width of your joints, e.g. wrist, elbow etc. This is measuring the width of the bones, not any excess fat.
If you look at the pics on the OP, the thinner woman actually has a larger frame than the fatter one.
This is yet another reason why it's more important to look at body fat percentage than weight. Larger framed people will be heavier at a healthy body fat percentage than a smaller framed person, and it can affect dress size (larger rib cage and pelvis than average = larger size. However none of it explains obesity, it might make a difference between whether you'are a USA size 8 or size 2 when you're at a healthy body fat percentage, but it does not explain being a size 20.
It's hard to tell in those pics because they're scaled down and there's no way to tell if they've been scaled down by the same amount, but there are differences in size of bones between different people. Everyone does not have the exact same width skeleton (or perfectly scaled down for shorter people) - there's variation in pretty much everything. Some people have bigger pelvises, rib cages etc than others, and wider joints than others etc, and shorter people are not usually perfectly scaled down models of bigger people, they may have shorter limbs and a larger torso, they may be shorter but just as wide (skeletally) as a taller person, and of course both tall and short people can have larger or smaller frames. But these variations are not that much, you're looking at a few extra inches around the chest or pelvis, maybe 2-3 dress/clothing sizes. No-one's skeleton is *that* much bigger or smaller than average.
I totally agree that it's used as an excuse by many people, large frame does not explain having too much body fat or being several sizes bigger than average.
My opinion though is that people should just forget about frame size and weight, and simply aim to have a body fat percentage that's in the healthy range. If you have a large frame and also lift weights a lot, you could end up in the overweight (or, rarely, obese) category while having a healthy body fat percentage. If you know that your body fat percentage is in the healthy range, then go with that. If you don't know your body fat percentage then how can you really say that you're in the overweight/obese range because of your frame size, muscle, or simply excess body fat? IMO body fat % is far more reliable and that's what people should aim for.
I have a large frame (short + big rib cage runs in my family) and a healthy body fat percentage, and I'm in the higher end of the normal range for BMI. I'd like to gain more muscle (my current goal), so I may end up in the borderline or overweight range while my body fat percentage is still in the healthy range if I work really, really hard at weight training. Though I'm aiming to lose more fat as well (not concurrently) i.e. be in the lower end of the healthy body fat percentage range, so I'm not expecting to be heavier than I am now when I reach my goal body composition. But my focus is on body fat percentage, not weight.0 -
some people do have thicker bones than others. Just like people have brittle thin bones.0
-
the first pic looks like a man anyway, 2nd looks female.0
-
When most people refer to it, they refer to the "girth" of their bones. Unfortunately people of the same height and frame have relatively the same bone diameter when born. As one gains weight rapidly, the bones adjust by becoming more "dense" and adapt to the stress. People who are obese/overweight have a different gait when they walk compared to someone at an average weight with the same frame. This change in gait, can cause the skeletal structure to adapt the extra stress.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
based on what theory did you come to this conclusion?
That makes no sense
it does make sense actually. ever wonder why older people hobble and hunch over?0 -
I know that I personally do have a larger frame.
My wrists ever since I was a kid have been wider... Plus I have wide shoulders and hips as well.
I have never used that as an excuse to my weight though, that just seems ridiculous.
My weight is due to fat, not due to my bone structure.
EDIT : Just tried that frame calculator too, and it did in fact tell me I have a large frame.0 -
I too get frustrated by people's attitudes when it comes to 'bone structure' and they insist they can never get to 'x' weight because of their bone size/frame etc.
It's RUBBISH!
I used to be one of those people! So I KNOW it's balony!
I'm 5'10" tall and have big bones and easily got down to a BMI of 19. Which puts me in the 130lb range.
Other women of my height INSIST they can't go below 200lbs as they'll be skeletal due to their bones.
Drives me nuts.
LOL! But so do a lot of other things, so I need to take a deep breath and apply some tolerance.....0 -
I do have a large frame, and I've never used that as an excuse. I know I'm fat. I do get sad thinking that no matter what I'll never look as good as my stick friends who for sure have small frames, but I can get close and that's a good enough reason for me.
My friend doesn't think he can make it to a healthy BMI because he's just 'shaped that way' and doesn't REALLY have that much to lose. I'm not sure how he can tell himself that when he was tiny in his youth.0 -
When most people refer to it, they refer to the "girth" of their bones. Unfortunately people of the same height and frame have relatively the same bone diameter when born. As one gains weight rapidly, the bones adjust by becoming more "dense" and adapt to the stress. People who are obese/overweight have a different gait when they walk compared to someone at an average weight with the same frame. This change in gait, can cause the skeletal structure to adapt the extra stress.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
based on what theory did you come to this conclusion?
That makes no sense
it does make sense actually. ever wonder why older people hobble and hunch over?
That we have the same size bones as a baby? When someone is pregnant, bones develop and grow. That's the way it works.0 -
Ah now to be fair there is some truth to this. It's not necessarily that the person is "big" boned but what they mean is that their skeletal frame is wider. Like my sister would have a very small and petite frame. No matter how much weight I lose, I could NEVER look like her because my frame is bigger - I have broader shoulders and a bigger rib cage (I am taller too though).
I agree there are people who use this as a cop out and they are just fat and making excuses but everyone is not working off the same page - people are different and diverse in their shapes so it depends on the person really!0 -
What bothers me is that people and indicator's such as BMI don't take frame into consideration. I'm 5'3, my sister is 5'2. She has a petite frame, I have a large frame. If you measure the distance between our hipbones, mine is 2 inches wider, as is my ribcage (I'm taking bones here not the extra padding). Surely 2 extra inches in all my major bones is going to add more weight because of the bones themselves, but I also need more skin, fat, muscle to cover the extra surface area. You would consider that for 2 extra inches of height, why would you not for two extra inches of bone width?
This is not an excuse for fat but surely you can't think we have all our bits loaded onto the exact same frame?
I were the same weight as my sister, I would be a bag of bones which is not the look I am after. When I get to my goal weight, I will still be in the overweight category for BMI, but having been that weight before, know that it's a good weight for my frame and I look athletic and healthy.0 -
LOL azwethinkweiz- you beat me to the punch!0
-
I'm shocked! Just did the calculator to see what frame I am, I always thought I was a medium at the most. Don't know if I am doing it wrong but it says I am a large frame :huh:.
People never believe that I am nearly 10 stone and only 5' 2" so maybe the big bones help hide it :laugh:0 -
I too have a bigger frame, however I am also a little over weight. I know I have a bigger frame as when I have previously slimmed down, exercised to the point of having a six pack and toned all over, my hips would still never fit into a size 10. Since having a problematic pregnancy and being unable to exercise for a long time my weight has piled on and I look a lot bigger, but I would say its only the same as a small framed person slipping up to a size 12. Frame size matters in clothes size, I think it can make a lot of young girls feel fat when they compare themselves, I know as I have been there aswell. It's all well and good telling people not to go by clothes size, but to many women we still will regardless. However it won't stop me from reaching my personal goal again.0
-
I can admit that I'm fat, but I can also say no matter how much I lose I'll never be a size 2, 4, or 6. These are some child bearing hips I got here! And with these breasts, I'll never fit into a top smaller than a medium-large.0
-
Guess What, Big Boned is just a term your friends use to make you feel better. In their mind they are thinking.. You're fat.
I use to hear it all the time. You're just big boned. I went back to my friends and co workers and said "hey, thanks for not telling me I was fat" LOL
I'm not Big Boned anymore.0 -
Some people's bones genuinely are thicker and/or denser than others, but if it was their bones making them as big as they are you would see aforementioned bones.0
-
Geez, those pics scared me - I know I am more like the one on the right for now. Big boned? Nah, thats a myth AND an excuse0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions