Does being big boned really exist

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Scott613
Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
in Chit-Chat
I know there are people who are taller and a bit bigger but, seriously has an anthropologist ever looked at fossils and said "yep this person was big boned." Or is it an excuse we tell ourself because you're carrying extra weight? When I was younger and chubby I was told its cause you're big boned. How come my doctor has never told me this? I've come to the realization my bones are normal I was just fat!
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  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    i agree. i was told i was big boned.... not true.
  • car01ine
    car01ine Posts: 12
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    Hey don't ruin my good excuse lol

    I think I am broad in the back, well I am def wider there then my best friend but I guess until I get this weight off I'll never know. I don't think there are actual BIG BONES, but it's a nice excuse isn't it :)
  • wdwghettogirl
    wdwghettogirl Posts: 559 Member
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    I think Cartman is the only one that can get away with this excuse. :wink:
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    I was watching something the other day and bigger/denser bones DO exist but its often in response to extra weight they are carrying or high impact activities that cause extra growth. I think a lot of folk mean large framed which definitely exists too...even when I was a skinny minnie (5ft6 and under 8 stone) my shoulders looked like i'd left the coat hanger in!
  • nyctraveler
    nyctraveler Posts: 305 Member
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    I think there's such aching as broad shoulders hence a larger frame but not big boned
  • Scott613
    Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
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    i agree. i was told i was big boned.... not true.

    Looking at your pictures I'd say you have tiny bones but, I'm not a doctor so I don't really know.
  • Derameth
    Derameth Posts: 58 Member
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    I don't know about "big boned" but certainly there are different body "frame" sizes. From petite to Large. Measuring the wrist, and shoulders usually will show a difference between folks. I have always said, no matter how thin I get, even my skeleton will not be able to wear a 'small'. Broad shoulders, no waist....curvy...yup, we are a variety alright, and while not big boned, certainly Large or X-large frame..
  • elleninez
    elleninez Posts: 44
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    I don't know if there's such a thing as "big boned", but I do know there are different body frame sizes...
    *oops...someone answered this before my computer cooperated lol*
  • girliegirl1822
    girliegirl1822 Posts: 164 Member
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    i ever believed that I just thought it was a polite way people were telling me I was fat.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    Some of us have a wider bone structure (ie ribcage, shoulders, pelvic girdle, etc, are wider). But I remember hearing somewhere that the actual mass of a person's bones varied very little with respect to height.
    Now, I will never have teeny tiny hips, the bone structure is wider (on the plus, it's easier to give birth!) but it doesn't really affect my weight nearly as much as the actual fat and muscle mass.
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
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    As an excuse? No.
    I don't have thin little bird bones as many "petite" women have, though.
  • delilah514
    delilah514 Posts: 126 Member
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    I think it does exhist, that is why there is a weight range for each height that is healthy. Because you can be the same height as someone but your build can be different because of things like bigger bones or even wider set bones. That being said I think a lot of people use it as an excuse when they are actually overweight.
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    It does....it's density. Some people have really dense bones and others are lighter. Also take frame size into account. I'm a tiny person...thin framed and have light bone density.
  • IndigoVA
    IndigoVA Posts: 164 Member
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    There are larger framed people and smaller framed people, but I don't think individual bones are bigger or smaller. I know I have very broad shoulders and very broad hips. That never changed even though I've been every size from a 4 to an 18. But I do agree that too many people use it as an excuse to carry extra weight.
  • kmeekhof
    kmeekhof Posts: 456 Member
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    I use the "excuse" big boned, but really just mean a larger bone structure. I will never be able to weigh 135 lbs like some girls my height do, and If I did get to that point I would look sickly.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Yes. There are ways to tell how big your bone structure is (such as wrist size). I'm supposedly "medium" frame which means compared to other women my height, I could never probably carry less than 135 lbs on my bones.
  • TakeOne
    TakeOne Posts: 345 Member
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    As a couple folks have mentioned, it's not the size of your bones, it's the structure/build/bone density. People just have different builds. I have a smaller frame and 40lbs. ago there was nooo way I could have said I was "big boned." LOL my poor bones are much happier now :happy:
  • Scott613
    Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
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    Are there any doctors on MFP that can answer this out there?
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    The programme I referred to earlier was a diet show and a family were claiming to be big boned so the shows Drs took them to have bone scans...the very overweight mother did have heavier denser bones but the Drs explained this was due to her bones becoming thicker to support the extra weight (similar to how extra bone forms when a bone is broken), her sons didnt have hugely different bones to the very slim male Dr and were actually smaller/less dense than the female Dr who did a lot of working out.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    "Big boned" is just an expression. and I think people have meant it to mean large-framed. However, most people I've ever seen someone call "big boned" are just using it as an excuse for carrying around extra fat. I think they're trying to make the person feel better, but it's created this cultural misconception.

    I can definitely tell you that frame size makes a difference, though. My mom is very small boned, as well as petite. I am two inches taller and have a much larger frame (thanks, Dad!). At any weight I've ever been, I've only been able to wear her wedding rings on my pinky finger and even there they are a little tight. My finger bones are just much thicker than hers, my fingers aren't fat. My wrists are much bigger than hers, too, which is where frame size is usually measured. I also have very broad shoulders, while hers are very narrow.

    Short answer, your frame size will have a definite impact on how you will look at a specific weight compared to someone else of the same height but a different frame size.

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