Big Boned??

BrunetteRunner87

I think some people do have larger frames than others, but not as much as people say. I knew a girl in high school who I thought was just "big boned" and that she would just always be bigger, years later now she's super tiny. I think there are different frame sizes, but it's mostly used as an excuse.

DIG_

It's an excuse fat lazy people use for their being... fat and lazy.

Having a large frame is something different.

FREAKIN AWESOME!

neandermagnon

I had a DEXA bone density scan done a few months ago, and the TOTAL weight of all my bones in my body was less than 5kg's (10lbs)
I am 5'9' and have always used the "big boned" excuse.....

Frankly that shows that being "big boned" cant have a huge impact on your overall weight....

ps. I will check the actual numbers tonight when I get home and post an update....

It's not the weight of the actual bones that makes a difference. Having a larger rib cage, shoulders, and/or pelvis means that your entire torso is larger, including larger muscles, larger internal organs and everything which makes up your torso. This is before you include how much fat someone is carrying. Some people have wider torsos than others, even when they're at a healthy body fat percentage, and this equals being heavier for their height at a healthy body fat percentage.

That's what most people mean by "big boned" and it does make a difference to what weight you should be aiming at, i.e. whether you should be in the high, medium or low end of the BMI range.

Natihilator

When I was 250 pounds my WRIST watches fit me fine. I lost 88 pounds and had to get multiple links removed from my WRIST watches. I guess I went from being BIG boned to SMALL boned.

Measuring your wrist or anything else when you are 88 pounds over weight is HORSESH#T in trying to determine if you are big boned.

I've always known I have a larger frame with a lot of excess weight on it, and I don't need a wrist measurement to tell me that. My wrists are bony right now, and I'm still 45lbs. overweight - I even have some degree of vascularity on my hands and forearms (not anywhere near body-building level, but still).

Not all of us fatties have sausage fingers and baseball mitt hands

miriamwithcats

<--- 5'2" 130 pounds considered overweight or obese by charts. I cannot wear women's hats, gloves, eyeglasses or even shoes (comfortably). My wrist at this time was 7 1/2 inches. If you look closely at the photo, you can see my wrist bone sticking out. I did not have "fat wrists". I also had to have my three children by c-section - they did not even fit down lower into my hips, much less the birth canal. So my bones are big- I am not just wide framed.

BinaryPulsar

I had a DEXA bone density scan done a few months ago, and the TOTAL weight of all my bones in my body was less than 5kg's (10lbs)
I am 5'9' and have always used the "big boned" excuse.....

Frankly that shows that being "big boned" cant have a huge impact on your overall weight....

ps. I will check the actual numbers tonight when I get home and post an update....

It's not the weight of the actual bones that makes a difference. Having a larger rib cage, shoulders, and/or pelvis means that your entire torso is larger, including larger muscles, larger internal organs and everything which makes up your torso. This is before you include how much fat someone is carrying. Some people have wider torsos than others, even when they're at a healthy body fat percentage, and this equals being heavier for their height at a healthy body fat percentage.

That's what most people mean by "big boned" and it does make a difference to what weight you should be aiming at, i.e. whether you should be in the high, medium or low end of the BMI range.

Yes, this is so true. A friend of mine needed a kidney transplant and I was not able to donate mine (even if I had wanted to) because my kidneys were too small for her (not big enough to work for her body). Correct, that even our internal organs can be smaller in size.

melt2svelte

I think "big-boned" often is meant to mean "large framed". Just because you have a large frame doesn't mean you have a "fat pass". Like a previous poster said, the weight difference is pretty miniscule for small, medium, or large framed people with a healthy BMI.

For instance, I have a medium-large frame, my height is 5'6", I weigh 149 and am in a size 6. My sister-in-law has a small frame, is also 5'6", weighs 132 and is also in a size 6.

When I am her weight (around 132) I am in a size 2-4. I look awesome, too. lol

I really don't think your goal is that insane. I say aim for it, but reevaluate if need be.

ETA - Oops. Didn't realize this was such an old post!

neandermagnon

People who use big-boned as an excuse are full of crap. Larger frames/bones doesnt make you fat. I'm 5'7 and average frame size but overweight. My twin sister is 6'2.5 and slender but with larger frame. Of course she has big bones, shes very tall for a woman. Shes thin but muscular. Broader shoulders than most women, her frame is similar to more men than women. I have yet to see a short big-boned woman. How does a 5 ft tall person classify themselves as big-boned with a straight face?

height 5'1"
weight 130lb
body fat percentage 22-23% (i.e. well within the healthy range of 18-28%)
lean body mass 100-101lb

healthy weight range for my height based on BMI: 100-132

my lean body mass (i.e. how much I'd weigh if all the fat was removed) is in the healthy BMI range for me. Kind of ridiculous really, seeing as 0% body fat = dead (although in order to get into the low end of the BMI range for my height I'd end up starving off 20lb of lean body mass). I'm not an experienced weightlifter, that's my natural lean body mass. It comes from having larger shoulders and a larger rib cage than average. That's larger than average compared to all women, not just short women. In fact my shoulder circumference is only about 3 inches smaller than my husband's and he's 5'11". We both have a healthy body fat percentage.

Yes I can say that with a straight face, because it's the truth. And I'm also pretty sick to death of ignorant people who say things like what I highlighted above. Fact is frame size does not always correlate with height and lots of large framed women aim for goal weights that are too low for their frame size, and risk damaging their health in the process. There's no way I'd be healthy at the low end of the BMI range and I'm not a freak of nature so there are a lot of other women who, like me, due to having a large frame should stick with the top end of the BMI range. And the reverse is true for small framed people, which can and does include very tall people too, because a small framed person can still be obese (i.e. over 35% body fat) at the high end of the BMI "healthy" range.

Yes some people who are fat may kid themselves that they have big bones. So what? that doesn't mean that there aren't people who have bigger bones than others (regardless of height). And a large frame can only account for so much extra weight, so a short person who says they're 300lb because they have big bones is clearly kidding themselves. However I think there needs to be a lot more awareness about frame size differences and the importance of basing your goal weight on your body fat percentage rather than BMI, because BMI does not take it into account and people risk damaging their health if they try to diet down to lower weights than what's appropriate for their frame size. The healthy body fat percentage is the same for everyone regardless of height, frame size, or how much extra muscle they've gained from strength based sport etc.

Yes, this is very well said! I am on the lower end of the weight spectrum for my height (short), and clearly there is a difference in frame size. My rib cage measurement is 26 inches (where the bra band goes and I wear a 28 band size, it's the smallest they make). My waist is 23 inches and my hips are 34 inches (still slender, but 11 inches bigger than my waist). My shoe size is 5.5 and my wrist is less than 5 inches around. It is crazy for anyone to not understand that this is all a result of having a small bone structure and less space for muscles and fat, so I can look very muscularly defined (more so when my muscles are pumped from lifting and I am flexing) at a smaller size. I've always been strong and capable and have not needed tons and tons of lean body mass because I am small and what I have is enough to move and use my body efficiently. Certainly, I am working on building more and would be happy if I did. But, even if I stay as I am, I am happy with the look and function and health of my body.

Thank you!! This is what I mean. Similar height, big differences in frame size.

The bra strap size I should be wearing is a 40 but they don't make a small enough cup size to go with it, because most women who need this strap size are carrying more body fat than me, and so need larger cup sizes. So I end up with a 38 strap that's too tight. Doing pendlay rows hasn't helped with this lol. But I'd rather be strong

I like the look and function of my body too. I honestly don't even care that much what people think about "large framed" as it applies to me, however it worries me greatly when people don't realise they have a large frame and aim for weights that are too low for them and end up starving off a lot of lbs of lean body mass and damaging their health to get there. I really want people to abandon BMI and use body fat percentage instead, as it's the same regardless of height and frame size. People should aim for that and let their weight be what it is at a health body fat percentage.

BinaryPulsar

People who use big-boned as an excuse are full of crap. Larger frames/bones doesnt make you fat. I'm 5'7 and average frame size but overweight. My twin sister is 6'2.5 and slender but with larger frame. Of course she has big bones, shes very tall for a woman. Shes thin but muscular. Broader shoulders than most women, her frame is similar to more men than women. I have yet to see a short big-boned woman. How does a 5 ft tall person classify themselves as big-boned with a straight face?

height 5'1"
weight 130lb
body fat percentage 22-23% (i.e. well within the healthy range of 18-28%)
lean body mass 100-101lb

healthy weight range for my height based on BMI: 100-132

my lean body mass (i.e. how much I'd weigh if all the fat was removed) is in the healthy BMI range for me. Kind of ridiculous really, seeing as 0% body fat = dead (although in order to get into the low end of the BMI range for my height I'd end up starving off 20lb of lean body mass). I'm not an experienced weightlifter, that's my natural lean body mass. It comes from having larger shoulders and a larger rib cage than average. That's larger than average compared to all women, not just short women. In fact my shoulder circumference is only about 3 inches smaller than my husband's and he's 5'11". We both have a healthy body fat percentage.

Yes I can say that with a straight face, because it's the truth. And I'm also pretty sick to death of ignorant people who say things like what I highlighted above. Fact is frame size does not always correlate with height and lots of large framed women aim for goal weights that are too low for their frame size, and risk damaging their health in the process. There's no way I'd be healthy at the low end of the BMI range and I'm not a freak of nature so there are a lot of other women who, like me, due to having a large frame should stick with the top end of the BMI range. And the reverse is true for small framed people, which can and does include very tall people too, because a small framed person can still be obese (i.e. over 35% body fat) at the high end of the BMI "healthy" range.

Yes some people who are fat may kid themselves that they have big bones. So what? that doesn't mean that there aren't people who have bigger bones than others (regardless of height). And a large frame can only account for so much extra weight, so a short person who says they're 300lb because they have big bones is clearly kidding themselves. However I think there needs to be a lot more awareness about frame size differences and the importance of basing your goal weight on your body fat percentage rather than BMI, because BMI does not take it into account and people risk damaging their health if they try to diet down to lower weights than what's appropriate for their frame size. The healthy body fat percentage is the same for everyone regardless of height, frame size, or how much extra muscle they've gained from strength based sport etc.

Yes, this is very well said! I am on the lower end of the weight spectrum for my height (short), and clearly there is a difference in frame size. My rib cage measurement is 26 inches (where the bra band goes and I wear a 28 band size, it's the smallest they make). My waist is 23 inches and my hips are 34 inches (still slender, but 11 inches bigger than my waist). My shoe size is 5.5 and my wrist is less than 5 inches around. It is crazy for anyone to not understand that this is all a result of having a small bone structure and less space for muscles and fat, so I can look very muscularly defined (more so when my muscles are pumped from lifting and I am flexing) at a smaller size. I've always been strong and capable and have not needed tons and tons of lean body mass because I am small and what I have is enough to move and use my body efficiently. Certainly, I am working on building more and would be happy if I did. But, even if I stay as I am, I am happy with the look and function and health of my body.

Thank you!! This is what I mean. Similar height, big differences in frame size.

The bra strap size I should be wearing is a 40 but they don't make a small enough cup size to go with it, because most women who need this strap size are carrying more body fat than me, and so need larger cup sizes. So I end up with a 38 strap that's too tight. Doing pendlay rows hasn't helped with this lol. But I'd rather be strong

I like the look and function of my body too. I honestly don't even care that much what people think about "large framed" as it applies to me, however it worries me greatly when people don't realise they have a large frame and aim for weights that are too low for them and end up starving off a lot of lbs of lean body mass and damaging their health to get there. I really want people to abandon BMI and use body fat percentage instead, as it's the same regardless of height and frame size. People should aim for that and let their weight be what it is at a health body fat percentage.

I agree! Understanding frame size would mean that people that have a larger frame would not try to starve themselves smaller on the scale (or even feel that pressure). It would also help people to understand that I never did that either. People's bodies just have differences. On here, in terms of numbers, people would say that I am underweight (by one pound), or think I don't eat a lot or something. But, in my real life, no one thinks I am underweight because they don't know what all my "numbers" are and just see that I look healthy and just happen to be a small person (not just shorter, but smaller in every way).

I think it is important to embrace our own body as it is and not try to be something different.

You've made a lot of good points and explained it all very well.