Is there such a thing as being 'big-boned'?

Question

Or is that just a way of obese/overweight people to defend themselves?

Mature answers please.

Answer 1

Yes, there is such thing as big boned, but it shouldn't be used an excuse for being obese. Some people have larger, heavier body frames, which add weight and size. They might wear a larger clothes size due to the size of their hip bones and rib cage, but it doesn't mean they are going to be a size 18, just that they may not be able to be smaller than a size 8.

For example, if we took two females of the same height and weight, but one was small boned and one was large boned, they could both be wearing a size 12-14, except the large boned female is this size due to large bone structure and extra muscle and the small boned female is this size purely from excess fat.

HTH : )

Answer 2

Yes, there is such thing as being "big-boned". A while back I was watching Celebrity Fit Club, and one of the guys kept telling the coach that he was "big-boned" and that was part of the problem. The whole show, the coach used to tell him there was no such thing, so he sent the guy in to get his bones examined and it did so happen that his bones were a bit bigger than the average person, so therefore, there IS such a thing. :) Hope that helped.

Answer 3

I believe there is

I mean, when someone is visibly on the heavier side, there is fat involved and it has nothing to do with being "big boned" or not.

However, when someone is not on the heavier side or obese, then yes, these differences are obvious and your sceletal structure comes into place. We can't all look like Nicole Ritchie or vogue models, but that doesn't mean that we are overweight.

For some people, if they weigh 150lbs, they could look just as skinny as a super model because of their sceletal structure, however, let's say for a person like Nicole Ritchie (sorry I keep using her as an example), if she was to weigh 150lbs, then for her sceletal structure, she would be slightly overweight.

Never the less, some people do use the "big bones" excuse when obviously they are in a serious need of an exrecise.

Answer 4

Yes there is such a thing as being "big-boned", but they are not obese, they might look a little gigantic, but they look totally normal, unless they eat too much, then they will become obese like anyone eating too much.

Answer 5

No, I believe there is such a thing. My boyfriend went to the doctor recently after losing almost a hundred pounds. His doctor said that the ideal weight for someone his age is actually lower than the weight he realistically can meet. He has a larger bone structure and is a little "bigger" than the average person his age. He's not fat, but built "big-boned."
Hope this helps. :)

Answer 6

yes there is such a thing u can be big boned and not obese

Answer 7

Big-boned and overweight are two different issues. Some people legitimately do have larger frames (taller, broader shoulders, stronger jawlines, etc) but this has no impact on the ideal % of body fat that this person should have.

Answer 8

Yes, for example, Anna Nicole Smith is big-boned compared to Heidi Klum.

Answer 9

only an MRI scan or something similiar could determine if a person has "big bones" and that has no effect on body fat.

many people have large frames but aren't overweight. you don't get fat eating chicken and salads even if you sit on your **** all day

Answer 10

the latter is correct. the size of the skeletal system has no direct effect on body composition (body fat).

my frame is much larger than average and I have single digit body fat because I choose to eat healthy and exercise regularly