When I was young, I always weighed more than most of my friends. Not by any astronomical amount, but just enough to feel "different". For example, when I was 10, they weighed about 80 pounds - I weighed over 100. And whenever I told my mother that I wanted to watch my weight, she said that I had "big bones", that she and I both did. She couldn't help it. She had believed it about herself her entire life, and I was, after all, her daughter. I think a lot of people who "carry their weight well" (i.e., evenly proportioned no matter how heavy they are) have been led to believe that they have big bones. Sadly, for many of us, it is just a lie. I believed that I had big bones until about 9 years ago, when I learned how to calculate my frame size. I have to be honest that I was not exactly shocked when I discovered that, not only was I not big-boned, I almost had a small frame!
I Should have figured that out years earlier. After all, there were several times after I reached my full height of 5' 6" (happened at 13 years old) that I would drop 20 or so pounds, and I looked great. But, because I had terrible eating habits, I would always eventually gain the weight back, lose it again, gain it back, etc. It's a cycle that I know many of you can relate to. But it is not one you have to be a slave to anymore.
Today I will do two things for you. First I will teach you the easiest method of determining how much you should weigh. And, in conjunction with it, I will teach you how to determine if you are small, medium, or big-boned. The Hamwi method for calculating ideal body weight is very easy and is pretty accurate when you take your frame-size into consideration. It goes like this:
For women: You should weigh 100 pounds for the first 5 feet of height. You add 5 pounds for every inch over 5 feet and subtract 5 pounds for every inch under.
For men: You should weigh 106 pounds for the first 5 feet of height. And you add 6 pounds for every inch over, and subtract 6 pounds for every inch under.
In each case, add 10% for a large frame or subtract 10% for a small frame.
Now here comes the fun part! You calculate your frame size as follows:
Use a tape measure to measure the smallest part of your wrist. Record it to the nearest 0.1 cm. Then solve for "r" as follows: r = height (in centimeters) divided by wrist circumference in centimeters. In calculating your height in centimeters, remember that there are 2.54 centimeters per inch. Now here's what the result for "r" that you will get means -
Male "r" value Female "r" value
Small >10.4 >11.0
Medium 9.6 - 10.4 10.1 - 11.0
Large <9.6 <10.1
To show you how it is done, I will use myself as an example. At 5' 6" tall, without adjusting for frame size, I should weigh 130 pounds (100 pounds for up to 5'. Then I add 6 x 5, or 30 pounds for the 6" over five feet). To calculate my frame size, I measured my wrist at its skinniest point - it was 15.4 centimeters. My height in centimeters is 66 inches x 2.54 or 167.64. 167.64 divided by 15.4 = 10.89 - almost small frame. With that said, I should weigh between 117 (small frame weight) and 130 (average frame weight), or 123.5 pounds.
If you notice that one wrist is larger than the other, use the larger measurement. It should be a very small difference. Hope to hear from you all. But, until we meet again, happy and healthy eating!
I have to say your formula confirmed what I've always believed that I am big boned. This uses more of a ratio of wrist diameter to height, calculations I've seen in the past were based just on wrist diameter. Alas, doesn't change the fact that I still need to lose those pesky last 10 lbs!
ReplyDeleteAs I said in my Blog, I always thought I was big-boned, too! It's a pretty acurate method if you do it right. You can't tell a person's bone-structure just by sight - I would have guessed you were small to medium boned. I can help you with those 10 pounds...
ReplyDeleteRead my Blogs on counting calories and how many you should be eating for your age, etc. It's a real good start.
hello I am exactly 5.0 feet and i did your calculation.
ReplyDelete153 cm / 14.5 cm = 10.5
Am I now small medium or big boned?
oh and I forgot to mention, I am 102 p. Is 100 p my best weight for 5 feet? or should it be my weight maximum?
ReplyDeleteHi Miyu,
ReplyDelete10.5 makes you medium-framed. With that said, around 100 pounds is a perfect weight for you. At 102, I would say you are doing great. But you have to take into consideration your level of exercise as well. If you have a lot of muscle, well, muscle weighs more than fat and you can weigh 105+ and still be at an optimum weight.
...and muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. Muscle is DENSER than fat.
DeleteSo, is this just bro science or do you actually have references to back it up? 20% swing from small to big boned is ridiculous IMO. Just so you know, the difference in size is related to the joints only. Actual bone diameter difference is very minimal. So anyone justifying an extra 10-15 lbs because they think they're big boned are simply in denial. Truth is, you simply have another 10-15 lbs of fat to lose.
ReplyDeleteI have a sister who is almost my exact same height(she may be a fraction of an inch taller), we look almost the exact same, size-wise, however, I weigh around 20 lbs more than her. I personally go by elbow measurements, as I have extremely small hands and wrists( I measure at a small frame by my wrist, but when I was in that weight range I looked like I would break in half) according to my elbow, I am on the high end of big boned, she's medium. I only share this just to say that it is actually surprising the difference bone size can make, it may not be as ridiculous as it seems.
DeleteRayV, thanks for the feedback. Yes, muscle is denser than fat, but because of that a muscular person can weigh more and still be fit. When I worked out - hard - 6 to 7 days a week (before I got cancer), I weighed a bit more than I do now and could wear smaller jeans than I do now. As for the determination of big vs. small-bones, it has worked and is what I was taught (and use) as ONE of the factors in determining a person's ideal weight.
ReplyDeleteHi, I am 5 2.5" and the size of my wrist is 16.6cm I have recently gained a whole lot of weight I may be being thick but I can't work out my ideal weight and bone size, could you help me please.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to get back to you so late on this. My computer completely crashed several months ago and I just was able to get back into my Blog. Generally, if you are a woman who is 5' 2.5" tall, your ideal weight falls within the range of 110 and 120, depending on several factors.
ReplyDelete