big bones & target weight help?

You may be the rarity of a "big boned" person. I doubt it. I read recently that the difference between a former pro football player and a normal person's bone weight was 1 pound. (dexascan)

I though I was big boned. When you get smaller you may find that you aren't. Set your goal and see what happens. You may be happy at 140 and you stop. You may find you want to go further.

I doubt very seriously that at 5'3 you are "big boned".

http://health.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Frame-Size-Wrist

Being "big boned" is extremely, extremely rare. Its usually just used as an excuse. I'd advise not blaming your weight on being big boned.

You just keep going till your closest family and friends tell you that you look old. At this stage you have lost the padding under your skin on your face and it is not easily replaced. That is why you do not see many older women with soft plump skin - they have naturally lost the padding under their skin.

Over time you need to build up the level of brisk walking and gently jogging as this will increase your metabolism.

SMH--UM No! 10 x's NO! Are you suggesting this OP get to the stage she is guantly and emaciated?

OP- If I understood your post, you are saying you are seeing all of these hip and rib bones already? You seem stuck on the #'s on your scale and on the tag of your pants. Try to find out what your body fat is and work on that number instead. Work on getting that number into the range that is best for you and I bet you become a little happier with your body in comparison to what your dealing with right now.

This is all the more reason why people should go by body fat percentage and not scale weight. There are people who use "big bones" as an excuse, and then there are also people who actually have big bones/a large frame/heavy build/whatever you want to call it.

I'm 5'1" and 22-23% body fat and I weigh 130lb. I've seen women on here my height that are 22-23% body fat who weigh 100lb. My lean body mass is 100lb. (lean body mass = weight of all the non-fat parts of the body, what you'd weigh if you removed all the fat). The healthy weight range for my height is 100-132lb, and my lean body mass is in that range. I'm a novice at lifting, and I'm not "ripped" or "shredded" I naturally have a lot of lean body mass. And this is not that rare, there's a lot of variation among people, some people are naturally more heavily built than others. However body fat percentage is the same regardless, and whether you have a heavy or light build, you measure it the same way.

There is no way I'd be healthy if I attempted to get into the lower end of the BMI chart. I'd have to starve off 20lb of lean mass (i.e. lose muscle and lower my bone density) in order to do that. Losing that amount of lean body mass would equal smaller, weaker muscles and loss of bone density, and a greater risk of osteoporosis and other conditions associated with crash dieting and malnutrition. And someone who has a very small frame/light build would actually still be obese (more than 35% body fat) at the top of BMI and should be in the lower end of the BMI range. So it is important to take this into account.

The trouble with build/frame size/bone size, is it's really difficult to measure. (wrist measurements do not work for everyone as they don't always correlate with the size of your rib cage, shoulders etc). If you're carrying too much body fat, that just makes it all the more difficult. However body fat percentage can be measured more easily, and you can use that plus simple maths to find out what your lean body mass is from that, and there are online calculators where you can find your ideal weight based on your current weight and current body fat percentage. This assumes that as you lose the weight you only lose fat - that should be your goal anyway because this is what's most healthy. Slow steady fat loss along with exercise that works the muscles hard (e.g. lifting heavy) will help to ensure that the weight you lose is fat and that your muscles and bones stay strong while you get rid of the excess fat.

This is all the more reason why people should go by body fat percentage and not scale weight. There are people who use "big bones" as an excuse, and then there are also people who actually have big bones/a large frame/heavy build/whatever you want to call it.

I'm 5'1" and 22-23% body fat and I weigh 130lb. I've seen women on here my height that are 22-23% body fat who weigh 100lb. My lean body mass is 100lb. (lean body mass = weight of all the non-fat parts of the body, what you'd weigh if you removed all the fat). The healthy weight range for my height is 100-132lb, and my lean body mass is in that range. I'm a novice at lifting, and I'm not "ripped" or "shredded" I naturally have a lot of lean body mass. And this is not that rare, there's a lot of variation among people, some people are naturally more heavily built than others. However body fat percentage is the same regardless, and whether you have a heavy or light build, you measure it the same way.

There is no way I'd be healthy if I attempted to get into the lower end of the BMI chart. I'd have to starve off 20lb of lean mass (i.e. lose muscle and lower my bone density) in order to do that. Losing that amount of lean body mass would equal smaller, weaker muscles and loss of bone density, and a greater risk of osteoporosis and other conditions associated with crash dieting and malnutrition. And someone who has a very small frame/light build would actually still be obese (more than 35% body fat) at the top of BMI and should be in the lower end of the BMI range. So it is important to take this into account.

The trouble with build/frame size/bone size, is it's really difficult to measure. (wrist measurements do not work for everyone as they don't always correlate with the size of your rib cage, shoulders etc). If you're carrying too much body fat, that just makes it all the more difficult. However body fat percentage can be measured more easily, and you can use that plus simple maths to find out what your lean body mass is from that, and there are online calculators where you can find your ideal weight based on your current weight and current body fat percentage. This assumes that as you lose the weight you only lose fat - that should be your goal anyway because this is what's most healthy. Slow steady fat loss along with exercise that works the muscles hard (e.g. lifting heavy) will help to ensure that the weight you lose is fat and that your muscles and bones stay strong while you get rid of the excess fat.

I'm glad someone else had the sense to suggest bf%. I hate the scale, it's a rat *kitten* liar and can get you into trouble. However if your goal is to be in a healthy bf% range you should be just fine.

Sounds like you need "tough love"... No such thing as 'Big boned' Just be ok with your weight an size...than you will be more realistic about losing it! trying to justify it... will only make you procrastinate.

I think 140lbs for you height is perfectly acceptable .. regardless of your bone size ...

I am 5' 6" and 140 is in the middle range for my height, I have done the frame size calcs and they show me as small frame ... I just have very petite hands as I have shoulders with their very own built in shoulder pads lol ...

I recommend you ignore all of these numbers and go to, www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ to calculate your BF% ,,, go with that number ...

to give you an example a year ago I was 172.5 lbs and 36.7% BF and a size 16 UK ... today I am 173.2 lbs 32.7%BF and a size 12 UK ..... do I listen to the scales ... hell no!!!!!

Please ignore all the idiots who say there is no such thing as big boned. They don't know what they are talking about. I am 5'2". When I was a practicing bulemic in my teens and early 20s, I kept my weight down to 130. At 125 I looked anorexic. You could look at me and count my ribs. All the "charts" said I should weigh 105 for a "large frame". Obviously, the charts don't work. Set your weight goal at 140. Then see how you look and feel as you get close to it. I am now 54, so am setting my weight goal at 145 for now. I don't want to look gaunt, just want to feel good. My wrist measurement is a 7 and a half when thin. So it isn't "just fat". I also cannot wear women's hats or gloves- they are way too small. And I have to wear men's shoes for comfort - in a MEN's 4E width. I made my own clothes when I was thin, so I could get them to fit right. NOTHING off the racks, unless it is knit, ever comes close to fitting well. My and uncles, whom I inherited this "german peasant" frame all had problems getting clothes to fit too. Oh, my big bones aren't just wide on the outside. They are so wide on the inside that I had to have all three of my children by C-section! Even with "wide hips". My main photo is me at 130 pounds.

There might not be a "thing" as "big boned" but there is "large framed" and "high lean body mass" both of which will make an individual heavier than a small framed person with lower lean body mass.

Definitely go by body fat percentage.

I'm 5'9", 160lbs and at a healthy body fat percentage (25%ish). I wear a size 8-12 (depending on the brand). I have big hips, a wide rib cage, broad shoulders, long arms, long legs, a big head, big hands, big feet, etc. I also have been weight training for a year including a bulking period.