"big boned"
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Someone define "Big Bone" please. Having "dense" bones or brittle bones, is not a matter of size but weight. If I went around and observed all the skeletons I could find, human skeletons, am I going to see bones that are bigger in circumference depth and breadth, or am I going to have to get out my scales and get the weight?0
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I don't know if the term can be linked to frame size, but I have a large frame.
I've met some guys who were the same height as me, if not taller, and weighed 150 lbs. Me? 150 lbs is how much lean mass i have right now, with very little muscles (compared to what I would like to have). My shoulders were a good 2" wider than his. Once in shape, I would be surprised to see my weight under 175, if not under 185.0 -
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.
I wouldn't put it that way.
There IS a difference in frame size and it can be measured (usually measuring the wrist), however, this fact is very often used either as an excuse to avoid admitting that a person is fat, or as a way, as you said, to make people feel better.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/17182.htm
I have a small frame, with tiny wrists and I am rather short. That means that "big boned" doesn't work for me either as an excuse or a way to feel better.
Usually, you can tell if any "ideal weight" online calculator is serious, if it asks you to measure your wrists.0 -
Someone define "Big Bone" please. Having "dense" bones or brittle bones, is not a matter of size but weight. If I went around and observed all the skeletons I could find, human skeletons, am I going to see bones that are bigger in circumference depth and breadth, or am I going to have to get out my scales and get the weight?
It's already been defined on the thread a few times. Yes you will get people with bigger pelvises and rib cages than others, and also people where the girth of the bones are wider. If two women have the same healthy body fat percentage but one is 4 inches bigger around the chest (as in the rib cage, not the breasts) then she has a larger frame size (at a healthy bf% there is not very much fat around the ribs). Wrist and elbow size (as in the size of the bones, not any fat on top of them, there's a specific measurement you can do on the elbow for example, to measure the distance between the bony bits on each side when the elbow is bent, which you need a caliper for, but people with wider bones will have a wider measurement here. So large frame is a combination of the two, and someone could have either of these things going on, i.e. wider bones and/or bigger pelvis, rib cage etc.
These things do not make a huge difference in someone's weight or dress size though. They make a small difference. Someone with a large frame size would not be able to be size zero without being and looking starved, however someone with a small frame size may be a size 0 while also being a healthy body fat percentage and having a fair amount of muscle. Frame size does not explain someone being a size 20, no-one's skeleton is that big.
The density of bones is an entirely different thing, and that can change, i.e. you can make your bones denser by getting enough calcium and vitamin D and doing weight bearing exercise). Some of the weight that people put on from starting exercise programs, which is assumed to be muscle, includes an increase in bone density. Some people have naturally more dense bones than others, but everyone can increase their bone density by doing more exercise and eating a healthy diet. Denser bones = healthier = less risk of osteoporosis. When it comes to bone and muscle, heavier = healthier, which is yet another reason to focus on body fat percentage rather than weight, and what's a healthy body fat percentage is the same regardless of frame size.0 -
I was "big-boned" too. In reality I was just fat.I happen to be fat and big-boned, however being big-boned, has nothing to do with me being fat.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/fsz
I have a large frame, so I guess I am big boned. :laugh:0 -
I have been down to 174 and looked like a crackwhore, so ya'll can call it what you like. I call it big boned.0
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I have been down to 174 and looked like a crackwhore, so ya'll can call it what you like. I call it big boned.
I hear you! I have a large frame and when I was 205 my doctor told me she would no longer consider me overweight but if I wanted to continue to lose weight I should only plan on losing another 20 pounds.0 -
Actually study done on the femur bone of individuals.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.
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based on what theory did you come to this conclusion?
That makes no sense
Gina M. Agostini, Ann H. Ross. The Effect of Weight on the Femur: A Cross-Sectional Analysis*. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2011; 56 (2): 339 DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01648.x
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Lol, reread the statement I made. When 2 people with the same size and frame are BORN, the bone diameter (barring any other issues such as being a preemy or disease) is relatively the same. As one AGES from that point, weight can change how bones adapt.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.
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I was hugely obese, no doubt. But I'm also big boned - it's a frame thing. I have wide hips, bigger than average hands, feet, wrists...There are such a thing as frame differences.
I'm 5'8" tall and not extremely muscular, but when I weighed 146 lbs (BMI 22) a BodPod said I had 18.6% body fat. I look scrawny at 143 (trying to regain about 5 lbs). My ribs stick out, my shoulder bones stick out, my spine sticks out. I have a friend an inch taller than me who weighs 15 lbs less and none of her bones stick out. She has a small frame, I have a big frame.
Just because many obese people say they're big boned doesn't mean smaller or larger frames aren't real.0 -
I suppose it's a definition thing. As someone who is large, I am 6'5" and even when I was a teenager and not obese, I was not skinny.
With that being said, saying your big boned can be used as an excuse to be fat. Part of the mind game people play with themselves is having any excuse to justify their current condition. At least that's the way it was with me. I never used i'm big boned, but some people would say that. Some people will still say when I give them my goal weight, "that's too small, I think you'd be too thin."
If you want to call yourself big boned fine, but don't let it be an excuse to be over weight. Be big boned and a normal weight range.0 -
some people do have thicker bones than others. Just like people have brittle thin bones.
Agreed. It's actually a proven genetic condition in my family. Nearly everyone on my mom's side has dense bones. No one in that family has ever had osteoporosis (we're kind of lucky in that sense). We're not quite sure why it's like that, it just is.
I mean, I know I'm fat, too. I look at the scale and I don't do that whole "I'm just big boned" thing. I can't, not at my size.
If I was all odd-shaped at 110 pounds? Maybe. Then I'd be just skin and bones.
Some use it as a crutch, others don't.0 -
yeah i think two people can be the same height and weight and if one has very broad shoulder or wide hips they will look very different so in that sense " big boned " WOULD be a legit thing..but in the sense of " i weigh 500 pounds cause im big boned " is just a stupid excuse "0
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Frame size is a factor. My niece is a good 3 inches taller than me, but she has the tiniest little dainty hands and wrists. I have giant man hands next to her.0
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It doesn't bother me if other people say it about themselves - only when they suggest I am big-boned and therefore don't need to lose weight. A friend of mine says this to me if i bring up the topic. Whatever "big-boned" means, it coudn't possible account for 217 pounds on a 5',6" female/
I have been very slim in the past and the only real difference I noted between myself and other women was I have fairly broad shoulders for a woman, compared to most. My mom and I are the same height but she has very narrow shoulders. When I was wearing a US size 4-6 in the past, I would have to buy a 10-12 in a long sleeved blouse or blazer to accomodate my shoulders; otherwise, the sleeves were way too short. I think of big bones as meaning a wider frame in general.0 -
Weird... every since I started reducing my caloric intake my bones have gotten smaller. Either that or I've lost fat.0
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Funny, cos I've always claimed the opposite: "I'm fatter than I look cos I'm small boned!" People tell me I look so skinny but the truth is, I could lose another 20 pounds and still be in the acceptable weight range for my height and bone structure.0
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While I'm not sure anyone has said that to me, I am a big frame. To me, that's a good thing. I'm not fragile with small arms and legs like some people of both sexes. I don't know if you consider it a putdown or not. But I would consider it a compliment if I were you. Big boned people can handle more weight. Indeed, should have more weight. It's not a bad thing at all.0
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I AM large framed, have a decent amount of muscle mass and might have denser than average bones. I have broad shoulders, big hips, a big rib cage. I'm 5'9" and 158lbs. I wear a size 8 and my bra strap is a 36. I'm a "big" woman. I stand next to smaller frame women, even my own height and there's a definite difference.0
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I hate when people say this. I really am big boned lol. It's nothing to do with weight. I'm really tall and broad and have a big build for a girl0
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I have a large frame covered in large muscle mass. Used to use the excuse that I am a "big girl" as an excuse for why i was heavy. People don't have big bones, but they can have large frames which is completely different, in my opinion. Still is no excuse to be covered in pounds of excess fat.0
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I just don't let it bother me. It's their life and you should focus on getting yourself healthy.
This is a great response.
(It's also what I ought to do when people post judgmental threads wherein they broadly attack people for behaviors they disagree with. It's just so hard, though, when people are being busy bodies and jerks. What does it matter to you if someone has a different frame, or just uses it as an excuse in the face of CONSTANT SOCIETAL JUDGMENT which drives them to feel like they need to make excuses for themselves when, in fact, their body is their business and staying fat is as much their right as getting fit.)0 -
Yeah, it's a silly thing for someone with too much fat on their body to say. I don't care how big or heavy your bones are, those bones do not look like fat.
I only see this as being a reasonable remark if it were someone that weighed a lot but had little fat and <= average muscle mass, but since this person wouldn't look overweight it's unlikely they'd need to explain.0 -
I happen to be fat and big-boned, however being big-boned, has nothing to do with me being fat.
^^^ This!! Me too!!0 -
I am very surprised how different the response are regarding this. A lot of emotional charge behind this one.0
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I get annoyed when people use it as an excuse to be overweight since I'm literally big-boned. But not overweight.0
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If being overweight means that we are just "big-boned," then I must have a HUGE bone in my *kitten*!! :drinker:0
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I totally agree with you. I do have to say though, that some peoples skeletons are bigger than others. My friend weighs 135 and looks fat. She wears only size 6 shoe, and has size 4 fingers (rings). I am same height, weigh 156 and look the same in clothes (I know I need to looser weight) but my finger size is 8 (even when I was 120 pounds) and my shoe size is 11!
If I ever get back down to 135 I will look bone thin, where she looks chubby. I DO have bigger bones.
I don't blame my big bones on being fat though haha. : )0 -
There are differences in frame sizes (otherwise, why would they need a 'petite' clothing line?). Some women have more of a 'manly' frame and some men have more of a 'girly' frame, but too many times people use the excuse 'I just have big bones' as the reason that they are morbidly obese on the scale.
I have broad hips (eta) which I wouldn't trade for anything (just look at my pictures) and I never thought I would get below a 12 again because of them, but now I am in a 10 and I know I can get to an 8...it is amazing how much fat is actually over those 'big bones':blushing:
Frame size does make a difference, but people do need to quit using it as the excuse on why they can't see their toes :glasses:0
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