Big Women

curvyone
curvyone Posts: 22
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay....So I've lost a lot of weight and I look pretty good. Healthy body fat, healthy BMI and in shape. And even though Im not fat anymore....Im not a tiny little girl. I see so many woman in the gym who have these little itty bitty backs and bodies and yet have a higher body fat than I do....Im a fitness trainer....so I actually have taken these womens' measurements and such. My ribs show when I move around and such...not grossly but you can see them. I have a 32" rib cage.....not getting much smaller. even if I dropped several more fat percentages...My rib cage wouldnt go below 30".....Are there any other women here who are just literally big boned? I measured a woman yesterday who was 29" around the belly button and definitely chubby...yet Im 29 in. around the belly and I dont have any tummy rolls. If my rib cage is 32" how could I set stomach goal at 26" wouldn't that look disproportionate?

Replies

  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
    You probably could never get down to 26... it all depends on your frame size. You can usually tell by looking at your wrists or even measuring them. There are some women who look super small yet they wear a size eight (not that that is big) just because they have bigger frames, wider hips, things like that even if they don't have a lot of fat on their bodies. Heres a frame size calculator, I wouldn't totally go by this but just to give you an idea about what I'm talking about. Its better to have lower body fat percentage anyways as you know :happy: :happy:

    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz

    ~Leash :heart:
  • hasiangirl
    hasiangirl Posts: 1,613
    not to sound stupid or anything but what in the world is elbow breadth?
    p.s. nvm i just looked it up lol
  • curvyone
    curvyone Posts: 22
    Yeah...that tool says I have a medium build. Im just always so surprised. I feel like I look pretty good and I dont have much more weight or fat to lost...and yet...im still bigger than a lot of even overweight girls that I train. My body fat is in a very healthy range. I would like it to be about 2% lower...but I dont think my body at all is getting much smaller. I've lost 2% body fat in 3 weeks and my stomach and whole body looks quite a bit toner....but I only lost like maybe .5in in my stomach and gained .5in in my butt and everything else stayed the same as far as inches go. I just look a lot better and toner....but im not getting any smaller. In fact i think I may go up in pant size because of my butt. haha!!! i work it out and it looks great...but its getting bigger.
  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
    Yeah...that tool says I have a medium build. Im just always so surprised. I feel like I look pretty good and I dont have much more weight or fat to lost...and yet...im still bigger than a lot of even overweight girls that I train. My body fat is in a very healthy range. I would like it to be about 2% lower...but I dont think my body at all is getting much smaller. I've lost 2% body fat in 3 weeks and my stomach and whole body looks quite a bit toner....but I only lost like maybe .5in in my stomach and gained .5in in my butt and everything else stayed the same as far as inches go. I just look a lot better and toner....but im not getting any smaller. In fact i think I may go up in pant size because of my butt. haha!!! i work it out and it looks great...but its getting bigger.

    What exercises are you doing thats making your butt bigger? I'm assuming lifting but what kind? I'm just wondering and I'm sure others would like to know so they can do it or avoid it lol And great job on losing 2 percent, thats awesome!
  • curvyone
    curvyone Posts: 22
    Squats and lunges and weights. Really my butt is smaller when you look at it because the fat is going away, my thighs look great. But Its perkier and there is more muscle...so the actual measurement around is slightly bigger....im not bigger though. However....I do power lift and I also have a body that gains muscle like a dude if Im not careful. Everyone is different. Squats and lunges my my cousin teeeny teeeny tiny...but she has a completely different type body. Unfortunately there isnt a guide book thats the same for everyone.
  • curvyone
    curvyone Posts: 22
    Sorry, I guess I wasnt very specific.

    The exercise isnt usually what makes your butt bigger...its how you do the exercise. For example, if someone wants to lean up there thighs and butt and get smaller...they should start out doing A LOT of lunges and squats with little or no weight. If someone is lacking a butt and would like to gain one...they need to do the same exercises but with less reps and increasing the weight.
  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
    O ok thanks!... I was just wondering cause I do lunges and some squats but I hold like 12 pound weights.. Is that too much? I don't want it to get bigger...

    ~Leash :heart:
  • curvyone
    curvyone Posts: 22
    No. Especially if you're losing fat as well as gaining lean muscle mass.

    When I squat I start with over 100lbs. You're fine with 12 lbs
  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
    o haha yea um 12 pounds isn't much I guess... well 12 on each hand :bigsmile: Thank you!

    ~Leash :heart:
  • annaliza
    annaliza Posts: 809
    Sorry, I guess I wasnt very specific.

    The exercise isnt usually what makes your butt bigger...its how you do the exercise. For example, if someone wants to lean up there thighs and butt and get smaller...they should start out doing A LOT of lunges and squats with little or no weight. If someone is lacking a butt and would like to gain one...they need to do the same exercises but with less reps and increasing the weight.


    Oh cool! Thanks! I would like a bigger butt please :happy: (but the tummy has got to go!)
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Thanks for the tips - I will start doing a ton of lunges and squats. :)

    According to that calculator thing I am a medium - large frame. I will be like you once I get down to my goal weight / healthy BMI. :)
  • curvyone
    curvyone Posts: 22
    are you trying to get smaller...or build a butt? :)
  • astridfeline
    astridfeline Posts: 1,200 Member
    Yes I'm one of those--awhile ago we had an Amazon women thread, I don't know if it's still going or not. But I'm 5'10" with a large frame--I used the online tool posted here to formalize what I've known all my life :laugh: :laugh:
    I should have taken measurements before I started but didn't and now I'm too lazy. I build a lot of muscle--I've got swimmer's shoulders so my blouses hardly fit around the upper arm but my girls are getting smaller :cry: oh well, I'm healthier overall!
  • ilike2moveit
    ilike2moveit Posts: 776 Member
    You probably could never get down to 26... it all depends on your frame size. You can usually tell by looking at your wrists or even measuring them. There are some women who look super small yet they wear a size eight (not that that is big) just because they have bigger frames, wider hips, things like that even if they don't have a lot of fat on their bodies. Heres a frame size calculator, I wouldn't totally go by this but just to give you an idea about what I'm talking about. Its better to have lower body fat percentage anyways as you know :happy: :happy:

    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/fsz

    ~Leash :heart:
    I've always been curious about this because I can weigh less than others and yet they will wear a smaller pant size than me-this happens to my girls also because they are built like me. I went on the website and entered in my stats and it said I have a small frame, and interestingly I entered my stats on another website and it said I had a large frame. Which one am I?!
  • curvyone
    curvyone Posts: 22
    A lot of things could account for what you are experiencing....height being one of them. A 120lb girl that is 5'1" will most likely look larger and wear a larger pant size then someone who is 120lbs but 5'5"

    so always check height differences when u are comparing.

    Another is build....someone who has a long torso may appear to have a flatter stomach even though just as much fat, simply because there is more room for the fat to spread out

    ALSO...muscle makes a difference. 1lb of muscle is smaller and denser than 1lb of fat. This is why Im 151lbs and a size six where as one of my friends is 153 lbs same height and a size 10. She has almost 30% body fat where as I have 22% body fat. same height, same weight, but our muscle/fat ratio is different.
  • kimber607
    kimber607 Posts: 7,128 Member
    Hi

    I think everyone is just built differently....I've always had a straight up and down athletic build....wide shoulders...thick mid section
    Even after loosing the weight I wanted and I am now 5'7ish+ and 130 pounds I wear a M or L top because of my shoulders and chest
    I also wear a size 6 bottom..which again based on my height/weight some would think I would fit into a smaller size

    As long as u feel comfy/healthy...look good..I wouldn't sweat the measurements
    Kim
  • annaliza
    annaliza Posts: 809
    I'm trying to get a bigger butt, smaller waist. But, I thought you can't target certain areas. Was I wrong in the thinking?

    As it is right now, my daughter says that I look like a orange on a stick (kids are so cruel)...meaning that I'm big on top, tiny on the bottom (which is about right lol).

    Also, because of running, I have kick *kitten* legs...now if I can just get my upper body up to speed with my legs.

    Either way, curvy...you are doing something right...you look absolutely fabulous.

    Also, I agree with everyone when they say that it depends on your build and that it differs per woman.
  • tashjs21
    tashjs21 Posts: 4,584 Member
    I can completely relate to this. The sizes I wear are on the larger side and I see women that are much larger than me in smaller sizes. :huh:
  • twilight1542
    twilight1542 Posts: 403
    I've always thought I have a large frame. Can't wait to be on a computer so I can see what that calculator says I have
  • kblu0816
    kblu0816 Posts: 1,627 Member
    Okay....So I've lost a lot of weight and I look pretty good. Healthy body fat, healthy BMI and in shape. And even though Im not fat anymore....Im not a tiny little girl. I see so many woman in the gym who have these little itty bitty backs and bodies and yet have a higher body fat than I do....Im a fitness trainer....so I actually have taken these womens' measurements and such. My ribs show when I move around and such...not grossly but you can see them. I have a 32" rib cage.....not getting much smaller. even if I dropped several more fat percentages...My rib cage wouldnt go below 30".....Are there any other women here who are just literally big boned? I measured a woman yesterday who was 29" around the belly button and definitely chubby...yet Im 29 in. around the belly and I dont have any tummy rolls. If my rib cage is 32" how could I set stomach goal at 26" wouldn't that look disproportionate?

    I know exactly how you feel...when I was my goal weight a couple years ago my upper body was still very wide!! I hated it cuz buying shirts was rediculous. Now that I'm bigger I'm proportional but not healthy lol. So I know what you mean..it's tough.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I'm trying to get a bigger butt, smaller waist. But, I thought you can't target certain areas. Was I wrong in the thinking?

    As it is right now, my daughter says that I look like a orange on a stick (kids are so cruel)...meaning that I'm big on top, tiny on the bottom (which is about right lol).

    Also, because of running, I have kick *kitten* legs...now if I can just get my upper body up to speed with my legs.

    Either way, curvy...you are doing something right...you look absolutely fabulous.

    Also, I agree with everyone when they say that it depends on your build and that it differs per woman.

    You can't target fat loss, you can, however target and sculpt how big, and how dense your muscles are. What she is talking about is building the gluts (butt and lower back muscles) which give you a more rounded, and tighter looking bum bum. :tongue: (which I'm all for by the way) :wink:

    Squats target the upper hamstring and the gluts as well as your core (if you do it right). Generally with weight training, you do high weight, low reps to build size, and low weight and high reps to build density and stamina. Although there is some crossover for each type.
  • amicklin
    amicklin Posts: 452
    Question regarding the body frame thing. I entered my stats and it shows me as a small frame. . . Why does it only take into account the upper body? Should you not look at hips and knees as well to get a more accurate idea of someones frame or build? I believe I have a small upper half but would be floored if I had anything other than a medium build for my bottom half (wide hips and wide knees)


    Thanks everyone!!! :flowerforyou:
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