Settle a debate with DH on skeletons and body size!

[whydoesitalwaysrainonme82]

DH said everyones skeleton is pretty much the same size. I said but everyone has different frames. It started because I was saying that even when I am at my slimmest my waist doesnt get smaller than 30inches, my body frame isnt that small, I am also quite wide on the shoulders, think swimmer type frame. DH said its to do with muscle mass not bone size and if you had 3 men skeletons in a row of same height , they wouldnt really differ from each other even if in real life they were all different frames.

Thoughts? I know this is probably something I should know by now so dont flame me down!!

I don't know the scientific answer to this. But surely you're right? Some people have wider or narrower hips or shoulders whether they are fat or thin?

Of course skeletons are different sizes. You are right and DH is wrong !

Dh is wrong. There’s a more sophisticated version of BMI that requires you to measure your wrist circumference as this is an indicator of your frame and bone size. Some people are more “fine boned” and have smaller, thinner boned than others. With hip size in women, there’s a wide range of hip widths that is attributable to the actual pelvis, not just muscle and fat.

Yes they are different sizes, of course they are, how else would a pathologist be able to tell someone’s height from their skeleton. I understand they don’t weigh much different though.

He cannot seriously think the skeleton of a five foot woman is the same as that of a six foot woman and the taller one has a foot of muscle mass going on?

Of course they are different sizes, otherwise you wouldn’t have people who are petite build, medium build etc

I’m the same as you - broad shoulders. I have slim hips. That is my frame.
Sometimes I am slim, sometimes I need to lose weight. What doesn’t change is my frame - I am medium build, no matter how much weight I lose, because of my frame (skeleton)

You are right. I’m a doctor and at Med school we all had a skeleton to learn anatomy. They were all different sizes.

Skeletons are definitely different, but not as different as you might imagine. The frame of a slight man and a large, broad one will give different skeletons, but not as startlingly so as their actual bodies. If he meant that, then fair enough, but if not then he's just wrong.

I saw a documentary comparing the skeleton of Vikings to European skeletons at the same time. There was very definitely a difference in the size and thickness of every bone, not just a height difference.

But if somebody with huge hips diets to a skeletal size, their hips no longer look big, do they?

If he was right people would get shorter if they lost weight and taller if they gained weight.

But if somebody with huge hips diets to a skeletal size, their hips no longer look big, do they

In comparison to what? You mean huge hips as in the fat on them, not the bones, your hip bones are your hip bones.

I don't think he's talking about height?

Is he talking about bone density?

I don't think the OP's DH is suggesting that people don't have taller or shorter skeletons!

It is true that you can’t attribute a big difference in body weight just to your skeleton - Being overweight is not because of the skeleton. And overweight women do tend to have bigger hips and if they lose the weight they’ll have thinner hips.

But if you have several slim people whose hip bones can be seen, they’ll still be a variety of widths for the same height.

I had same exact discussion with a friend of mine - she said that there is no "bigger bones" and everyones skeleton is the same. But what does matter with women especially, is how the hips develop. And that's down to genes. Just like some people are prone to gain weight more than others. I was dead against that crap and said it ain't true. Her auntie gene/biology scientist and said that yeah - skeletons are the same for everyone, it's muscles and fat that give us the weight. Also genes are a major factor on how our bodies develop. Same for weight gains/loss - some of have to work our whole life to be in healthy weight (that goes for both: the ones who find it hard to lose and for those who want to gain), others find it plain sailing. I am no scientist. We are still good friends though too.

Just to add - we had had that discussion about 15 years ago. :)

You are both actually right , skeletons differ as some are smaller some bigger but not massively in people roughly the same size so muscle mass and fat distribution contributes to body shape too not just skeleton size .

@namechanged984630

But if somebody with huge hips diets to a skeletal size, their hips no longer look big, do they?

I was in hospital with a number of anorexic young women, frame size is certainly apparent on skeletal bodies, particularly hip width. It’s different to how well covered skeletons look but the difference is still there

Also, doesn't being overweight increase your bone density?

Yes of course skeletons are different sizes

Look at peoples wrists. Most healthy wrists have no fat on them, yet there are massive differences

We have different heights, different shoe sizes, of course skeletons can be bigger and smaller

As others have said, yes, there are differences in skeleton size, but skeletal proportions aren't that different. No-one is fat because they 'have big bones'.

You’re right and he’s wrong

I am big-boned (no really! :o) and one place it really shows is my knees. I’m not very slim now but I have been, in my youth! - and even when I had quite slim legs, my wide kneecaps and knee joints stuck out. You can actually see and feel the kneecap and mine is much wider than some other women’s of the same height. My dc have inherited it and have broad shoulders and big knees, even though they are skinny.

Osteologist here. Short answer is you’re right and he’s wrong. There’s a huge variation in skeletal build, both due to genetic and environmental factors.

I’ve had a bone density scan as I’m high risk for osteoporosis. They’ve told me my risk is increased even further because I have such small bone density. So yes, people do have different sized bones. My wrist circumference is the same as my 8 year old son.

Bit of both, skeleton sizes do vary, but not hugely and it only has an impact on certain areas of your body.

Your waist however is not limited by your skeleton size. Things like chest size on a person are due to your ribcage.

I’m fairly broad, I have broad shoulders and my hips aren’t particularly narrow for a man. My shoulders are 51 inches and my waist is 29 and my hips are 42 inches.

Muscle does make a difference to waist size, if I maintained my body fat percentage but dropped muscle my waist would be much smaller.