So I'm about a quarter of the way to my ideal weight and I realized something today that kind of worried me...
Right now my waist is 35 inches, but my boobs and hips are 43 which makes my figure quite hourglassy and make my waist appear small and I really like that.
But when I poke around my waist I find that my rib cage is directly underneath my skin, maybe a quarter of an inch of fat around it.
Now I'm only 5'2, so when I reach my healthy weight I'm not going to have 43inch boobs and hips, but if my rib cage is always going to be 35 inches wouldnt that look abnormal?
I dont know..does your rib cage shrink somehow when you lose weight? (Im aiming to loose 20-30kg)
Your actual skeletal structure won't change, but there may be more subcutaneous fat there than you realize. I found that I lost inches in every measure as I lost weight. I'm your height, so I can give you a benchmark -- when I measure directly under my "girls" (like measuring for bra band size), my rib cage there measures about 29 inches. I know I lost at least a couple of inches there as I lost weight. My actual waistline, below the rib cage, is 26 inches, and I definitely lost MORE than a few inches there. I found that I kept my same general body shape, it just shrunk a bit.
I think some bones become prominent at different times on different people. I've had prominent collarbones and shoulders even when I was 30lbs heavier. I have been easily able to feel the ribs under my boobs now for the last 10lb. However even at my proportionally small waist (32"), I can still 'pinch an inch' and from the waist down well forget even trying to find bones beneath the flesh. I do believe it will all even out in the end. I seem to be losing from the top downwards but of course I could be wrong and just end up scrawny on top but still with a 43" butt!
There's only one way to find out...keep going! The last time i lost a bunch of weight (ahem) i found that i lost first in my arms, legs and chest (sigh) and only at the end did it start coming off my midsection (more of a problem area). So maybe you have just more or less lost what you're going to lose from your ribcage? Anyway ribcage is not really the same as waist. I wouldn't worry, i'm sure you'll look great!
I went from 38 inches around to 32 inches...and I've still got a waist. Only thing that bothers me is that my boobs shrank so much that my ribcage is more prominent than they are. Without the loose skin, I'd easily be an A cup, down from a D...
MBN is right - you need to remember that the fat on your body is not just on the outside, like a layer under your skin. It surrounds all of your organs too - the stomach, pancreas, liver, etc. So when you lose weight, you will shrink the fat cells on the inside of your body, not just what you "see" on the outside.
I have wide shoulders and large ribcage. Much, much wider than my hips.
I just make sure to do weight training on my butt and thighs to keep them a bit larger to balance it out.
But your waist is lower than the ribcage. So first, you may lose more at the ribcage than you think. And second, if at first your waist was similar to your ribcage measurement, then it may eventually be several inches less than your ribcage.
Hi there,
If you can get ahold of a back issue of February 2009's Oxygen Magazine and check out the article entitled "Tough love: Straight talk about your body from Robert Kennedy" pg. 98, he states his opinion about rib cage and waist size.
I recall reading this, but can't quote it...but I recall that in his opinion, the size of your waist is determined by the size of your ribcage and you can't alter this. You can optimize this, but if you have a large ribcage you won't be able to create a tiny, tiny waist. Without serious corsetting!!!
However, his advice is to people at their goal weight. So the trick is to get to your best weight and go from there. You will lose diameter around your ribcage with weight loss in the meantime because of the loss of deep fat stores around your organs. Even if your subcutaneous fat goes (just under the skin), you may still have fat surrounding your internal organs and as this shrinks, your ribcage will shrink, too.
Just think -- those who lose 100 lbs (look at the before and afters under the Goal! forum) have lost diameter there with the weight loss. And their waists have gone down too. But if you are at your ideal weight and have a medium ribcage you won't be able to create a tiny, tiny wasp waist, according to Robert Kennedy.
You can order this issue online at Oxygenmag.com under the back issues section...
Yes, but ...
I have less of an hourglass figure now than when I carried more weight, BUT , and it is a big but - I look so much better now! Even though my bust to waist difference is less, I still have an hourglass appearance. So - keep going - regardless of the final measurements - you will be very pleased with the results!
I think that your skeletal make up doesn't change. I believe that as you are losing weight, fat tissues are redeposited on your body and you begin to discover you have these areas and can actually feel them. Also, working out and lifting weights makes a tremendous difference in how your body is shaped. I just discovered my collar bones and spine! LOL
Some people's ribcage flexes more than others. Mine is very flexy - I wore a corset for a play and at the end of dress rehearsal week where I was wearing it for 4 hours a day my rib cage had shrunk over 1.5"
Conversely, when I was pregnant it expanded greatly.
Most likely it will only change slightly, but your waist will drop slightly. My ribcage is still the narrowest part of my body though. That's ok, lots of people have not much of a waist.
Rib Cage?
