Anyone else "big boned"?

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  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
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    seriously though, one person's bones may be bigger/longer if that person is taller than another, but everything still has to be in proportion to the difference in height.

    So... My hips are narrow relative to my rib cage because I'm a tall person above the waist and a short person below?
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    Big bones don't cause your stomach to roll over the top of your pants, or cause your upper arm to wave in the wind...

    :laugh:

    Nice way to inject some perspective!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    I tend to lean toward the there are big boned people camp. Because what about kids. Sometimes you pick up a little kid and they are so light. Other times you pick up another kid that looks the same size and you have to do a "do-over" bracing for it and getting a proper stance. Isn't that their bones that are weighing different? I can't imagine little tiny toddlers having that much a disparity in their muscular weight? No heavy lifting for them (that I know of) so it must be the bone size or density explaining this, no?

    I would thin that the pictures shown of same size bones on skinny and fat people just means those two people happened to be two big boned people with differing amounts of body tissue on those bones. Or two small framed small boned people with same. I don't think it proves that all people have the same size bones. Isnt' this what that whole show "Bones" is based about? And forensics and whatnot? Sizes of bones? Let's get some of that expertise in here...
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    People have different builds, wider hips, shoulders etc but the actual weight of the human skeleton varies very little from one person to another of the same height and sex. It's a handy excuse for why you weigh more but is based on little fact. Your bones weigh very little in comparison to the rest of the things that make up your body so I wouldn't place much stock in it being the reason you weigh more.

    except that if you have a larger rib cage, larger shoulders and larger pelvis, your entire torso will be larger, and that means larger internal organs and a greater muscle mass (muscles need to be bigger to fit over the wider surface area of the rib cage, wider shoulders, pelvis etc, and the result is actually that a large framed person can be 30lb or more heavier than a small framed person of the same height, at the same body fat percentage. In other words, the extra weight does not come from the skeleton itself, but everything else that's also bigger as a result of the frame size being bigger.

    But as has been said, a large frame does not give you rolls of fat. You can still be fit, lean and have muscle definition, just that you will be that little bit bigger (maybe a size 6-8 as opposed to a 0-2) and 20-30lb heavier (possibly a little more) than a small framed person of the same height.

    Getting your body fat percentage calculated reasonably accurately and basing your goal weight on that is more straight forward than trying to estimate your frame size. If you have a large frame, you'll weigh more for your height than average at a healthy body fat percentage, so go by body fat percentage and you'll know your frame size when you get there.

    ^^^
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    I would thin that the pictures shown of same size bones on skinny and fat people just means those two people happened to be two big boned people with differing amounts of body tissue on those bones. Or two small framed small boned people with same. I don't think it proves that all people have the same size bones. Isnt' this what that whole show "Bones" is based about? And forensics and whatnot? Sizes of bones? Let's get some of that expertise in here...

    Was a study couple years back that indicated overweight people have relatively larger femurs (presumably as a result of being overweight).

    It's also pretty clear that some people have smaller frames than others. And that some people have excess fat and blame bone structure. Shrugs.
  • icmuse
    icmuse Posts: 263 Member
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    People have different builds, wider hips, shoulders etc but the actual weight of the human skeleton varies very little from one person to another of the same height and sex. It's a handy excuse for why you weigh more but is based on little fact. Your bones weigh very little in comparison to the rest of the things that make up your body so I wouldn't place much stock in it being the reason you weigh more.

    except that if you have a larger rib cage, larger shoulders and larger pelvis, your entire torso will be larger, and that means larger internal organs and a greater muscle mass (muscles need to be bigger to fit over the wider surface area of the rib cage, wider shoulders, pelvis etc, and the result is actually that a large framed person can be 30lb or more heavier than a small framed person of the same height, at the same body fat percentage. In other words, the extra weight does not come from the skeleton itself, but everything else that's also bigger as a result of the frame size being bigger.

    But as has been said, a large frame does not give you rolls of fat. You can still be fit, lean and have muscle definition, just that you will be that little bit bigger (maybe a size 6-8 as opposed to a 0-2) and 20-30lb heavier (possibly a little more) than a small framed person of the same height.

    Getting your body fat percentage calculated reasonably accurately and basing your goal weight on that is more straight forward than trying to estimate your frame size. If you have a large frame, you'll weigh more for your height than average at a healthy body fat percentage, so go by body fat percentage and you'll know your frame size when you get there.

    ^^^ fully agreed!

    I am 5 feet even, medium to large frame. Broad shoulders, wider hips.

    Even at my lowest adult weight (98lbs at 19yo), I could never squeeze into sizes 0-2, believe me, I tried :bigsmile:

    At my healthiest - my twenties and mid thirties I maintained around 115lbs, all muscle, and I was comfortable size 4.
  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
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    Do I think I am big boned? No. In fact, after I lost a bunch of weight, my dad remarked "I guess you aren't big boned, like I always thought." I think he thought it was a compliment. Gotta love him.

    Do I think it's possible to be big boned? Yes. My grandmother (probably where my dad's expectation came from) was probably about 5'8" and was at what I always thought was a healthy weight. There didn't seem to be any fat on her, but she was solid and her hands were huge.

    Do I think people use it as an excuse to justify being overweight? Hell yes.
  • psykins
    psykins Posts: 76
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    Welp, apparently I have a large frame, according to that calculator on the first page!

    I do think that there are different ideal weights for different people, even if they're the same gender/height. My best friend and I have similar stats in that regard, but where I felt most comfortable between 145-150 (and am trying to get back there!), she seems to settle in the low 130s. She has smaller wrists/hands than me. I think it I went much below 140, my knees might start knocing together!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Isnt' this what that whole show "Bones" is based about? And forensics and whatnot? Sizes of bones?

    No.
  • aliencheesecake
    aliencheesecake Posts: 570 Member
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    No, I'm big-assed. :D
  • 2aycocks
    2aycocks Posts: 415 Member
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    Big boned IS a real thing. people are usually referring to frame/build type.frame sizes DO exist,that's why from side to side some peoples
    Rib cages measure 6 inches and some measure 12,same with hip bones.if you have a larger frame
    You carry weight differently.
    It's real.

    Big bones don't jiggle when you walk or hang over the top of your pants. that's just "well fed"! :laugh:
  • 2aycocks
    2aycocks Posts: 415 Member
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    No, I'm big-assed. :D

    OHMYGOSH!!!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • MsPudding
    MsPudding Posts: 562 Member
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    Well I know I have a large frame. I'm 5ft4" and even though my wrists are bony, they're also 7" in diameter. Of course my large frame is currently covered by lots of fat but underneath it all I know I have the same figure as my Mum and she's very slender, but also large framed. We're Celts (half Welsh, half Irish) and we always joke that the women in our family (who are all short) have legs like Welsh Pit Ponies - you really notice it in the width of our Tibias - even the skinny women in the family can't wear most knee-high boots! Not a single one of us has either broken a bone either, despite everyone being active doing horseriding, cycling etc etc.

    So I know that the average goal weight for someone my height would result in me looking malnourished and that's why I'm not going by numbers. My goal is simply to have a body I'm happy with...I don't give a damn what the figures on the scales say.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    *laughs at the ideal weight range for someone of her height*

    112 to 151 pounds.....

    Man at 5'5", below about 130 pounds I look sick.
    Bones everywhere. *shudder*
    Even at my lowest weight (125 pounds in highschool) I still had to wear a mans sized/cut jacket for marching band (ribcage alone was 37 inches and that was when I was looking boney) . And even at my best in shape weight of 132# and ~18% bf (still a 37 inch ribcage)....I still wore a medium, or even a large shirt. Dang this manly frame!

    Very jealous of females with small or even medium frames.

    But my large frame if not the cause for what I weight now.....just means I'll never be one of those petite-looking people.


    I also have great bone density.....I light up an xray.....I often joke that I probably have a lot of Neanderthal DNA.

    LOL that sounds familiar re neanderthal DNA. I'm the same average height as a neanderthal woman (i.e. 5'1") and I have a mahoosive rib cage, relatively short limbs, and relatively short forearms and shins (which are all neanderthal characteristics). The depth of my rib cage (i.e. front to back) is 9 inches (which is equal to the length of my forearms lol), and I'm very "barrel chested". And my lean body mass is in the healthy BMI weight range for my height.... the healthy range is 100-132lb, and my lean body mass is 102lb and my total weight is 133lb. Currently I'm at 23% body fat. There is *NO WAY* I could possibly be healthy at the lower end of the BMI range, and as the healthy body fat percentage range is 18-28%, I'd be healthy up to 28% which is around 140lb for me. The adjusted BMI range for large framed women of my height is 125-140lb, which is about right, seeing as that actually matches quite closely to what I'd weigh at the various body fat percentages within the healthy range.

    Yay for neanderthal genes :drinker: oh yeah, and I don't feel the cold much either. lol.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    Okay so now that we got all THAT out of the way...I have some more questions about bones.

    Can someone explain the difference between being "big boned" and being "big boneded" please?

    Also what does it means when a guy says he has a "big bone"...does that mean like maybe only ONE femur is bigger or calf bone or something? Like when he was in a ski accident or something, that bone broke and when it healed it got extra bone stuffs on it and healed in a way where it's now bigger? Oh, and then if so does that mean if that bone is bigger...the muscle on it is...(shhhhh, wait for it)....longer?

    WilfordBrimley-01_1.jpg
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
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    I have big bones, a wide back and a stocky structure. I will never be super skinny. I used to think I was naturally big when I was obese. But I dropped enough weight to have a 26" waist and 30" hips, so to me having big bones doesn't mean that a person will be on the large side. We are all capable of losing body fat. It's the excess fat that makes us look big, not the bones or a normal amount of muscle.
  • HealthWoke0ish
    HealthWoke0ish Posts: 2,078 Member
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    I used to think that. I have a wide rib cage and I wear a size 10 shoe. I also have very broad shoulders. Then I lost weight. Still have huge feet...but now I'm a 4/6. DEBUNKED!

    Haha. I was gonna say!

    I like your "big bones" :tongue:
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
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    FACT: two people of the SAME height with the SAME body fat percentage can weigh DIFFERENT amounts. Not every person who is 5'5" and 25% body fat weights exactly the same! And they are not SHAPED exactly the same either. They will hold fat differently and they will have DIFFERENT BONE STRUCTURES.

    We've all seen it. The friend with the delicate shoulders and slim arms and legs next to the friend with broad shoulders, a wide ribcage, and narrow hips. Just one example. There are endless combinations.

    We all know people have different frames, and a larger frame might mean your healthiest weight is on the higher end of the BMI scale.

    Why is this even a debate anymore?? Empirically, with your eyeballs, you can all tell not everyone is built the same!

    Rant over.
  • HealthWoke0ish
    HealthWoke0ish Posts: 2,078 Member
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    FACT: two people of the SAME height with the SAME body fat percentage can weigh DIFFERENT amounts. Not every person who is 5'5" and 25% body fat weights exactly the same! And they are not SHAPED exactly the same either. They will hold fat differently and they will have DIFFERENT BONE STRUCTURES.

    We've all seen it. The friend with the delicate shoulders and slim arms and legs next to the friend with broad shoulders, a wide ribcage, and narrow hips. Just one example. There are endless combinations.

    We all know people have different frames, and a larger frame might mean your healthiest weight is on the higher end of the BMI scale.

    Why is this even a debate anymore?? Empirically, with your eyeballs, you can all tell not everyone is built the same!

    Rant over.

    I like your big bones too. :drinker:
  • AlexLeeAS
    AlexLeeAS Posts: 33 Member
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    I have always had a larger wrist then most and wide rib cage even at my skinniest and very athletic. I have always weighed more then other people the same height and pant size as me. so I have always figured I have bigger solid type bones. I believe it is a real thing! Me at 130 is great where as my friend who is the same height looks kind of chubby and looks better at 115, she has tiny tiny wrist and super small rib cage.. she is very small framed.. everyone is different ;)

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