Big Boned??

Trechechus

lol i'm 14 and 5'9 when i wrap my hand around my ankle it goes only half way while in allot of my friends it goes all the way around and i touch my other finger, most of my fat is in my lower region since I can easily touch and see my ribs, I am big boned and so are allot of people it's not a myth it's stupid to think that

I know not of "allot"

Do you mean "a lot"

or

alot?

BinaryPulsar

Generally I assume that when people say big-boned, they are referring to a large frame. Sure that meme is funny and all, but it's completely useless to the OP and irrelevant to the question. Just because you have an x-ray of two people with the same sized frame and different body fat does not mean that there are no people with different sized frames... ummmm a meme is not evidence.

Of course there is a variation in frame size between people... you only have to exist in the world and have some common sense to see that. We all accept that people can be different heights and that people of those different heights are going to have different sized bones, additional musculature to support that skeleton and all of that is going to weigh more. Why then is it so hard to believe that genetic differences in skeletal size could also extend to variations not related to height? Do people honestly believe that the only genetic differences in peoples skeletons are in those that make us taller? Sorry but that is just stupid...

Do people honestly believe that the only difference between a 5'6" professional shot-putter and a 5'6" professional ballerina is diet and exercise?? Cmon people... don't be afraid to think critically, even when people accuse you of being a fat-denialist!

Yes, this is great!

dakotababy

what is up with this?! I had a co-worker say the EXACT same thing to me!!

I was 250lbs, told her my goal is to get down to 150lbs - and her reply, "you have to consider your bone structure, that is too low!"

Sabotage yes?

RECowgill

People are both stupid and retarded. That's what I think.

Trechechus

People are both stupid and retarded. That's what I think.

neandermagnon

Of course bone structure have a lot to do with weight - if you have bigger and longer bones (frame size and height) you will weigh more than somebody with tiny bones and 4 feet tall.....
But...don't get hung up on a spesific number on the scale - rather work on body fat % and body comp - that works for everyone, no matter if you have bones like a dinosaur or a bird.....

Exactly!! ^^^^^

There is a lot of variation in frame size (i.e. how big your ribs, shoulders and pelvis are) and the extra weight has nothing to do with the weight of the bones themselves, simply that if your rib cage and/or pelvis is bigger, then your entire torso is bigger (without additional fat) and you will weigh more than someone of the same height with a smaller torso. Also, a larger frame tends to go with having naturally bigger muscles (even if you don't train, and if you do, you may have greater potential to gain muscle mass) which also increases how much you weigh for your height, without carrying any more fat than a smaller framed person. Just as there is variation in height, there is variation in frame size and it does make a lot of difference to how much you weigh. And frame size does not necessarily correlate with height either, you get short, large framed people and you get tall, small framed people. BMI can be very misleading if you have a non-average frame size, people with very small frames are likely to still be obese in the high end of the BMI range, and should get to the low end of the range to be healthy. People with large frames are likely to be in the healthy range according to body fat percentage while their weight is in the high end of the BMI range, and to get to the low end of BMI for them would involve starving off a LOT of lean body mass, i.e. not healthy at all.

It's very difficult to measure frame size though, so it's far simpler to just measure body fat percentage and use that, because as the person above said, it's the same regardless of height and frame size. 35%+ is obese for women, the healthy range for women is about 18-28% although athletic women (i.e. who do lots of exercise and eat lots) can often get as low as 15% and still be healthy.

Body fat percentage directly measures how much fat you are carrying (measuring with one of the more reliable methods, e.g. callipers, DEXA scan is best as these methods measure the actual amount of fat) and it's carrying too much fat that correlates with health problems. Having more muscle mass than average or denser bones than average correlates with better health.

So rather than getting involved in arguments about frame size, just measure your body fat percentage. If you have a large frame you will know, because your lean body mass (i.e. how much you'd weigh if all the fat was removed from your body) will be heavy for your height.

MFPfriend

lol i'm 14 and 5'9 when i wrap my hand around my ankle it goes only half way while in allot of my friends it goes all the way around and i touch my other finger, most of my fat is in my lower region since I can easily touch and see my ribs, I am big boned and so are allot of people it's not a myth it's stupid to think that

I know not of "allot"

Do you mean "a lot"

or

alot?

HYPERBOLE AND A HALF.
Oh my God, you're my new favorite person for posting that.

leantool

agree, i'm 5'3'' and in college at 125-128 lbs i looked quite light .and even with my hipbones jutting out my hip circumference was 38-40'' with waist 26"-28"!disproportionate to say the least!:grumble:

chubbygirl253

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?

jennifer_417

Edited because what I said was dumb.

n2thenight24

Edited because what I said was dumb.

Win

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.

Nataliaho

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?

No one said that having a larger frame made you fat, so comprehension fail! The point is that having a bigger frame will mean you are heavier at the same BF% as someone with a smaller frame.

ravenchick

I've heard the same thing many times. I think people are just so used to seeing you big that they can't imagine what you would look like at a healthy weight. I just ignore it and do what will make me happy.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I'm 5'9" 160lbs. I am "large framed". I have broad shoulders, a big rib cage, big hips, big hands, big feet even a big head. Really. I'm a pretty big lady.

But I'm at a healthy BMI, healthy body fat percentage and even have "a hint" of abs.

kooltray87

Big boned is something ignorant people say for lack of better wording. Like when weirdos say "conversate" instead of converse....pay them no attention.

Elleinnz

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....

Reinventing_Me

People do have different frame sizes, that's one reason the healthy weight range is a range and not a specific number. For example, a healthy weight for a woman my height is 115 to 155 pounds. Someone my height with a small frame might look and be overweight at 150, while someone else might look starved and be underweight at 120. There are some places online that will give you an ideal weight for your frame (based on elbow breadth and/or wrist circumference).

Obviously, no matter how big your frame, there is a number at which you are overweight. At 260 pounds I was obviously overweight, large frame or no. But I can't imagine I would look or be healthy at 115, since my frame is fairly large. That's why I set my initial goal weight to 150. I might lose more after that, but I won't know until I get there what's natural for me.

THIS

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.

chokeslam512

"Big boned' is an excuse for the lazy and justification for enablers.