You don't have ''big bones'' or a ''big frame''

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  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    I have a very small frame. My wrists, fingers, ankles are ridiculously thin. As in, the bones are extremely narrow. My friend's wrists are almost double the size of mine. Neither of us is overweight, especially her, she is has very low fat percentage, it is just a different structure, she would require removing bones to have a wrist like mine.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    trjjoy wrote: »
    Every so often someone on MFP will say they have ''big bones'' or a ''big frame''. This is just not true. Have a look at the photos in the success story threads. People will go from 150kg to 65kg and their bodies change a LOT.

    I've only lost about 8kg but my shoulders have shrunk so much that my UK size 14/US size 12 jacket is now too big around the shoulders. It used to fit me perfectly, but I now drown in it and yes, even the sleeves have become too long.

    Your body WILL change when you lose weight. If you're a woman, you more than likely DO NOT have broad shoulders. The ''body frame size calculators'' are WRONG.

    Actually, people do vary in frame size...it is one of the reasons that there is a range with BMI...I'll use my wife and my best friend's wife as examples...they're both 5'3" and neither are fat...my wife has a larger frame and a more athletic body type and weighs in around 125 - 130 and aesthetically, that's about ideal for her...on the other hand, my buddy's wife is very slight of frame and weighs in around 105 - 110 which is about ideal for her...I don't think my wife could even get down to 110 and if she could, she'd look sickly because of her frame...at 130, my buddy's wife would be a little "chunky".

    There's a difference between acknowledging that there is indeed differences in frame and using that as an excuse to be fat or confusing fatness with a bigger frame. Like I said, my wife has a bigger frame, but she has a very athletic build and is pretty lean...but still, bigger frame on her.

    This. I have no problem agreeing that some overweight people use the "big frame" excuse. Hell, I did! Excuses are what happen when you're swimming in misinformation, harsh judgment, and all around suffering. But combating that with MORE non-factual misinformation is dumb.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    The BMI chart is completely inaccurate, and doesn't account for Lean Body Mass. According to the BMI, based on my age, gender and height, my "no longer overweight" ideal weight is 165. This is not achievable or sustainable for me, and I will look ridiculously thin. Visiting a dietician who can measure LBM electrostatically will help determine where you need to end up. I carry about 20 extra pounds of bone, muscle, etc. I don't plan on losing that at all.

    BMI chart does not apply to athletes. For the average person who does not spend a good amount of time exercising, it shows a pretty accurate range
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,571 Member
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    Frame width and structure vary from person to person. People can be the same height, but width between clavicles and hips can vary greatly. As for "big boned", if you take into consideration height, length of bones, etc. the CIRCUMFERENCE by % for bones for each individual is fairly close. EX: wrist measurement (radius and ulna bones) is say 5 inches around for a person 5'2", but is 6 inches around for a person 6'0.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    trjjoy wrote: »
    Every so often someone on MFP will say they have ''big bones'' or a ''big frame''. This is just not true. Have a look at the photos in the success story threads. People will go from 150kg to 65kg and their bodies change a LOT.

    I've only lost about 8kg but my shoulders have shrunk so much that my UK size 14/US size 12 jacket is now too big around the shoulders. It used to fit me perfectly, but I now drown in it and yes, even the sleeves have become too long.

    Your body WILL change when you lose weight. If you're a woman, you more than likely DO NOT have broad shoulders. The ''body frame size calculators'' are WRONG.

    Actually, people do vary in frame size...it is one of the reasons that there is a range with BMI...I'll use my wife and my best friend's wife as examples...they're both 5'3" and neither are fat...my wife has a larger frame and a more athletic body type and weighs in around 125 - 130 and aesthetically, that's about ideal for her...on the other hand, my buddy's wife is very slight of frame and weighs in around 105 - 110 which is about ideal for her...I don't think my wife could even get down to 110 and if she could, she'd look sickly because of her frame...at 130, my buddy's wife would be a little "chunky".

    There's a difference between acknowledging that there is indeed differences in frame and using that as an excuse to be fat or confusing fatness with a bigger frame. Like I said, my wife has a bigger frame, but she has a very athletic build and is pretty lean...but still, bigger frame on her.

    This. I have no problem agreeing that some overweight people use the "big frame" excuse. Hell, I did! Excuses are what happen when you're swimming in misinformation, harsh judgment, and all around suffering. But combating that with MORE non-factual misinformation is dumb.

    I never could use "big boned/framed" as an excuse because I'm so obviously medium-framed. Unlike some, I have absolutely no bones in my belly, anyway. I'm glad because that's what got me off of my fat @$$ to get some exercise and watch my diet.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    I have twin boys. Both are skinny and you can see their ribs. One boy's shoulders are over an inch and a half wider then his twin. You can visibly see the difference in their frames. So yes, some frames are bigger/larger then others.
  • pizzagirl007
    pizzagirl007 Posts: 13 Member
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    I have a large frame and it has a lot of fat on it. My daughter is small framed, she took after her dad. She is petite, lucky her, but she dose have broad shoulders.
  • suziecue20
    suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Frame width and structure vary from person to person. People can be the same height, but width between clavicles and hips can vary greatly. As for "big boned", if you take into consideration height, length of bones, etc. the CIRCUMFERENCE by % for bones for each individual is fairly close. EX: wrist measurement (radius and ulna bones) is say 5 inches around for a person 5'2", but is 6 inches around for a person 6'0.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    I am 5ft and have a wrist circumference of 6" which does not correlate with your statement. However my feet are only a size 4

  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    This is fun.

    I also have a "big frame". Big head, wide shoulders, big rib cage, wide hips, big hands, big feet. My frame size is unrelated to my body fat percentage.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 667 Member
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    While I disagree with the OP that people don't have different frame sizes, I do agree that the body size calculators are wrong. They ask for wrist & elbow breadth measurements. Both of those areas gain weight on me. Taking my wrist measurement when I'm 100 lbs overweight is going to show that I have a large frame. I have a watch I used to wear all the time when I was underweight. I never got it sized & it would slip all the way up my forearm. When I was at my heaviest, I couldn't get it anywhere near closed around my wrist.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    7n250pwvtkho.jpg

    Actually, you are right. I don't have a large frame. I would say I am average.
  • Rosyone
    Rosyone Posts: 74 Member
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    trjjoy wrote: »
    Your body WILL change when you lose weight. If you're a woman, you more than likely DO NOT have broad shoulders. The ''body frame size calculators'' are WRONG.

    The calculators may be bunkum, but frame size does make a difference, just not so much at the beginning of the weight loss journey when you'd like to believe it does. Where it makes a difference is near the end of the process as you're honing in on your ideal weight. I happen to have a fairly light frame with proportionately long legs and a short, straight, and not particularly wide torso. I need to be near the low end of the BMI healthy range to look and feel my best. Other people with more robust frames aren't necessarily fooling themselves when they aim for the high end of the range.
  • Fursian
    Fursian Posts: 524 Member
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    @Francl27, I dunno, the first guy you posted looks like he has worms.
  • Nerdycurls
    Nerdycurls Posts: 143 Member
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    If women can't have broad shoulders, why does the "Inverted triangle" shape exist?

    At my absolute thinnest (125 lbs), I still had to wear a size large because my shoulders are broad. When I stand next to pear-shaped women, people can see the difference in shoulder width, torso, and leg length. Let me guess, we all have the same length bones?
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
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    eringurl33 wrote: »
    Hmm. I have a big head.. Will that shrink as I lose weight? I'd love to be able to buy hats from a normal store!

    Also - I'm only being half sarcastic. I really do have a big head. : (

    My hat size (male, US) has indeed gone down 1/2 size or so after my loss to date. It's bad when you are carrying extra fat in the back of your head!

    This made me laugh because my brother said my head looks smaller. I am more interested in my butt being smaller!!

    I remember my wrist being measured in high school in a.science class. I was considered "big boned" according to the scale that was used. I remember feeling embarrassed about that even though I was at a healthy weight. The next day we were measuring body fat with calipers. I skipped school that day because of feeling embarrassed.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    My sister has broad shoulders ( I wish I did). She is 5'3 and 117. She is built differently than me. I'm around 125 and can wear smaller pants than she can, but she's smaller up top and (again) broader in the shoulders and more muscular. I'm curvier. So builds are different. I have a small build so am better closer to the BMI minimum.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
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    trjjoy wrote: »
    Every so often someone on MFP will say they have ''big bones'' or a ''big frame''. This is just not true. Have a look at the photos in the success story threads. People will go from 150kg to 65kg and their bodies change a LOT.

    I've only lost about 8kg but my shoulders have shrunk so much that my UK size 14/US size 12 jacket is now too big around the shoulders. It used to fit me perfectly, but I now drown in it and yes, even the sleeves have become too long.

    Your body WILL change when you lose weight. If you're a woman, you more than likely DO NOT have broad shoulders. The ''body frame size calculators'' are WRONG.

    My obstetrician would disagree with you vehemently. He always evaluates frame size during pregnancy because of how it impacts ability to deliver. But shoot . . . . he's just a doctor who also happens to be an adjunct professor at a medical school. I'm sure you know better than him. (Not.)
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    Lame excuses are bad.
    Skeleton sizes vary.
    Let's call it a day!
  • linnellal
    linnellal Posts: 49 Member
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    Remember the 80's when it was all the rage to wear shoulder pads in your jackets or blouses? I actually had to take mine out because they looked ridiculous my shoulders are so broad. And that was back before I gained weight and I was looking very good. I still had to buy clothing in larger sizes, 14 - 18 US, because my hips were so wide and my shoulders were so broad. Then we would take the jeans that I would buy home and alter the waistline a couple of inches so that they wouldn't fall down. Yes. I have a large frame. No I have not always needed to lose weight. But now I do. What's the big deal.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    scolaris wrote: »
    Lame excuses are bad.
    Skeleton sizes vary.
    Let's call it a day!

    That sums it up.