No really... I AM big boned..?

NZblue · February 2013

People say I'm big boned, but I know for a fact that I have a small frame.

When I was slimmer, I was little little. And I look forward to getting to there. Admittedly, I'm a rectangle when I'm small. I will miss having curves, but I know I'll be healthy!

kegbail · February 2013

Came across this:

Body frame size is determined by a person's wrist circumference in relation to his height. For example, a man whose height is over 5' 5" and wrist is 6" would fall into the small-boned category.

Determining frame size:
To determine the body frame size, measure the wrist with a tape measure and use the following chart to determine whether the person is small, medium, or large boned.
Women:
• Height under 5'2"
o Small = wrist size less than 5.5"
o Medium = wrist size 5.5" to 5.75"
o Large = wrist size over 5.75"

• Height 5'2" to 5' 5"
o Small = wrist size less than 6"
o Medium = wrist size 6" to 6.25"
o Large = wrist size over 6.25"

• Height over 5' 5"
o Small = wrist size less than 6.25"
o Medium = wrist size 6.25" to 6.5"
o Large = wrist size over 6.5"

Men:
• Height over 5' 5"
o Small = wrist size 5.5" to 6.5"
o Medium = wrist size 6.5" to 7.5"
o Large = wrist size over 7.5"

brwnsuga6 · February 2013

I understand what you're saying. When I was 150 pounds, I could fit some 10's but I most wore a size 12 and 11/12 in juniors. Right now, I'm somewhere between 185-190 and I wear 14's but I can still squeeze into some 12's. I don't consider myself big-boned, but I do believe that I naturally have more muscle mass than the average woman of my height. My 190lb body probably looks like 160lbs on the average woman. When I tell people my weight, they never believe me. The point is I concentrate less on weight and clothing size and more on my body's appearance and endurance ability.

hughtwalker · February 2013

I am big boned - I need to be to support this enormous girth.

Next please?

kitka82 · February 2013

Looking for some motivation!

Anyone else out there have a large frame and able to share their story? I'm 5'8 and 220... generally wear a size 16. I was at a Doctor's office the other day and he told me I was NOT big boned, and that he's seen much bigger - he's kinda given me a complex now! So I went and looked online to see how I can judge this myself and the circumference of my wrist is 7"....and according to everything I read that's big boned! I am very broad and carry weight all over, anyways I'm trying to lose weight, and I really wish I can get down to a size 10, is this even possible? I don't even remember a time that I wore something outside of a size 14. About 3 years ago I dropped down to 180, and I was wearing a size 14 - and this was a healthy look for me.

Am I deluding myself into thinking my frame will prevent me from going down to a size 10?

If anyone has got some stories, please share! Thanks!

I'm here to tell you YES it is possible to reach size 10, if that's your goal. It depends on more than just weight and frame size. Find out your body fat percentage and focus on getting THAT down.

I started at 224, size 18. I'm now 169, size 8/10, medium. People NEVER believe me when I tell them my weight, and they say I'm crazy for wanting to lose 20 more pounds. I am 5'7" and carry most of my weight on my bottom half. Scale weight doesn't necessarily determine your clothing size. I have no idea what size frame I have. My goal is 150, 21% body fat. I'm currently over 30% body fat (again, mostly in my lower half).

Victoria2448 · February 2013

I'm a physical anthropologist, and there IS such thing as big boned. No bones are the same size. Your ancestry plays a large part it it. It doesn't make a huge difference, but it's not irrelevant either. Now to say its an excuse for 50+ pounds is just crazy. But it can make things like wrists and ankles appear larger. It doesn't effect weight except by the smallest fraction. But a lot of things can change how you appear. Like a girl I went to school with was 5'7, 115 pounds and wore a size 6-8 depending on the brand because her hips were wide. She wasn't big boned, but her hip bones were spread apart farther.

Well said!

BeeElMarvin · February 2013

etoiles_argentees · February 2013

:indifferent:

neandermagnon · February 2013

If people have EXACTLY THE SAME skeletons then how is it possible to identify male from female when fossils are discovered from ancient cultures?

Why are some women to 'narrow' for childbirth if the skeletons are EXACTLY the same? is the fat making their hips closer together?

If all skeletons are the same please explain Osteoporosis and the other skeletal disorders. By this thinking then it would be impossible to have any differences in structure at all.

Here's one from the American Journal of clinical nutrition : http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/75/6/1012.long which discusses frame sizes.

It is utterly ridiculous to say that everyone has the same size of skeleton.

^^^^ THIS

I'm 5'1", 130lb, and 100lb lean body mass, 22/23% body fat, right at the top of the BMI healthy range, and I have a big rib cage and shoulders. My shoulders are nearly as big as my husband's and he's 5'11".

there are women who are 5'1" at around the same body fat percentage as me whose entire weight is 100lb and their lean body mass around 75-80lbs.

Why?

Different frame sizes

No, i'm not an experienced bodybuilder or anything like that. I haven't put on any significant amount of lean body mass since lifting (although I'm aiming to) I have a large frame, that is all.

the healthy range for body fat percentage and how it's measured is the same regardless of frame size. If you go by body fat percentage, you don't have to worry about what your frame size is, just get into the healthy body fat percentage range and let your weight be whatever it is when you get there. It will also tell you what your frame size is. If your lean body mass is a lot for your height, you either have a large frame or you're an experienced bodybuilder who's put on a lot of additional lean body mass through hard work.

Scale weight and BMI can be notoriously misleading, and it's extremely difficult to estimate frame size, and a lot easier to estimate body fat percentage. The wrist method does not work for everyone, as frame size is about the size of the pelvis, rib cage and shoulders, not the size of the wrists/joints. The two have a tendancy to correlate, but it doesn't correlate for everyone (i.e. someone could have a big rib cage and a small wrist joint).

aakokopelli7 · February 2013

tenajh · February 2013

Have yourself professionally measured for body fat percentage, cost is ten dollars here. That may be a better indicator of where you need to go on this journey. Best wishes : )

lisadoe71 · February 2013

I too am big boned and have always distributed my weight evenly all over. I am 5' 10" and currently weigh 298. I am a size 24 and none of my friends or family would guess I weigh that much. When I met my husband at age 20 I weighed 210 and wore a size 14/16 and looking back at pictures, looked GOOD! LOL I have a horrible time finding watches or bracelets that fit and my wrists are not FAT. After losing 100 pounds I do not think my wrists will change that much. (can't lose bone)

I have always weighed more than I look even in high school. Everyone's body is different and I personally think I would look anorexic as a size 8/10 and would be happy at the smallest a 12/14. It should be about getting healthy by changing years of bad eating habits and exercise. The weight loss will come if we all do that. Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like and we can encourage each other to meet our weight loss goals.

sbbhbm · February 2013

I am "big boned" according to the wrist measurement thing. I'm 5'5" and my wrist measures 6.75". BUT, I'm not actually big boned. When I had a fracture on my shin, the doctor was shocked at just how thin my bones are. I happen to have big joints. At my smallest, I was 132 pounds and a size 0. I have very narrow hips, and slightly broader shoulders. So, just because one portion of your body happens to measure "big boned" doesn't mean the rest of you is. Don't let it limit you. Don't use it as an excuse to say "Oh, I'll only ever be able to be such and such a size". I was a size 8 most of my adult life, but when I knuckled down and got into shape, I got tinier than I even thought it was possible for me to get.

jakidb · February 2013

When it comes to ppl telling me my "ideal" weight (including some physicians) I take it with a grain of "salt". I'm only 5'4 with what I believe to be a lrg frame and somewhat "solid" for my height/weight. At over 260lbs I wear a very loose sz 20 ...long story short, you be the judge, eat right, and be healthy and then you decide what weight/size you should be

:):)

AuntShanna · February 2013

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136/6/1453.full

It is possible to lose bone mass and bone density while losing weight. Severe calorie restriction and malnutrition causing Oseoporosis being the worst example. However these changes make up an extremely minimual amount of weight especially when eating proper nutrition and adding muscle through exersice. This is why it is so important to get your nutrients. That being said, the bone does change in order to support more weight, hence the increased risk of bone fractures in obese people. On the flip side, as you lose significant amounts of weight your skeletal structure no longer needs to support it and small changes do occur, which is why wrist measurements change with weight loss. Hormones also play a part. Please read the article for all the detailed explanations.

It does explain why when ancient skeletal remains are found they can tell if the person had a good diet or not, even without tissue being present. Remember bones are porous and are affected by what we eat too....example: calcium deficiency in youth can cause malformation of skeletal structure. Read, read, read.

AuntShanna · February 2013

I forgot to add... the difference in body frame sizes/skeletal structure is already a proven part of science. I'm pretty sure that the pygmy tribes are NOT going to be 6'4 pro wrestlers, no matter how much they pump iron and protien.

ReclaimingSarah · February 2013

At my highest weight, my wrist was about 7" and is currently 5.75" after 73 lbs lost. The wrist has fat to lose, too.

AJL_Daddy · February 2013

Only 5-11, but I'm built like a brick-sh*thouse!

DawnieB1977 · February 2013

Looking for some motivation!

Anyone else out there have a large frame and able to share their story? I'm 5'8 and 220... generally wear a size 16. I was at a Doctor's office the other day and he told me I was NOT big boned, and that he's seen much bigger - he's kinda given me a complex now! So I went and looked online to see how I can judge this myself and the circumference of my wrist is 7"....and according to everything I read that's big boned! I am very broad and carry weight all over, anyways I'm trying to lose weight, and I really wish I can get down to a size 10, is this even possible? I don't even remember a time that I wore something outside of a size 14. About 3 years ago I dropped down to 180, and I was wearing a size 14 - and this was a healthy look for me.

Am I deluding myself into thinking my frame will prevent me from going down to a size 10?

If anyone has got some stories, please share! Thanks!

I'm here to tell you YES it is possible to reach size 10, if that's your goal. It depends on more than just weight and frame size. Find out your body fat percentage and focus on getting THAT down.

I started at 224, size 18. I'm now 169, size 8/10, medium. People NEVER believe me when I tell them my weight, and they say I'm crazy for wanting to lose 20 more pounds. I am 5'7" and carry most of my weight on my bottom half. Scale weight doesn't necessarily determine your clothing size. I have no idea what size frame I have. My goal is 150, 21% body fat. I'm currently over 30% body fat (again, mostly in my lower half).

You sound like me! I started at 220, and I'm now 163 and mainly wear an 8, but some 10s for trousers as i have wide hips. I probably have a wide pelvis - it made giving birth twice relatively easy so i won't knock it!

My wrist is just over 6" and I am 5'6" so I guess that makes me a medium frame.

My goal is also 150. Not sure about body fat, but it's around 29/30% at the moment.

Like you, people always think I weigh less than I actually do.

saltqueen99 · February 2013

The doctor is mistaken. I, too, am big-boned. My sister has little bird bones and could wear a size 5 ring until she got obese. She is 5 inches taller than me. I have been wearing a size 6 ring since high school. I am short and squat. Five pounds is a dress size for me Yet no matter how heavy or thin I got, I still wear a size 6 ring. But age also matters as your bone density changes. If you looked and felt good at size 14, go for it. Doctors do NOT know everything, no matter how large their God complex.

No really... I AM big boned..?

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