Am I too fat to be this boney?
 

So, I'm lying on the sofa in a sports bra yesterday playing with my kindle up above my head, and in the reflection of the screen, I see my ribs. I don't see individual ribs, but my ribcage is sticking out ridiculously far, and I'm somewhat in shock. I've always thought that I might have one of those flared ridbcages. I remember it sticking out quite a bit when I was a little thinner, but it was still somewhat odd for me to see. Here recently, I've also noticed that my pelvic bones are also sticking up quite a bit. Plus, it struck me this past weekend how much more my collar bones stuck out than a friend who is thinner than I am.

So, am I just, uh, "big-boned"? Or I wonder if it's more a matter of how I might be carrying my weight. Has anyone around my weight and height ( elvislover I know is one, because I've been noticing her zooming along) experienced pretty prominent boniness? I realize this is very hard to gauge without pictures, but I was just curious. I just feel like I am too overweight to be this boney, and I wonder what it's going to be like at a normal weight.

You could just have less muscle mass than your friend/Not a lot of muscle mass in general.

This is normal. Short of serious tightlacing (and persistence of reduction), your sternum and lower ribs will stand out quite a bit from the organs below them, which shift upward into the rib cage particularly when you're laying down. I still have plenty of body fat but I've probably got four or five inches between my guts and my ribs when I'm flat on my back, and I can count bones easily.

It's also somewhat independent of muscle mass, thought not entirely. I have strong, tight abs - lower and transverse abs, particularly. That holds my innards very well and keeps them from giving me excess mommy tummy (hard work has created that, it isn't natural to me especially after so many kids to close together). And still, even with extremely well girded organs I still get that crazy slope difference between ribs and belly. The only time I'd say that isn't the case is someone with visceral fat in their abdomen, padding their organs. In that sense, what you're seeing is a good indicator of health ;)

The same thing is going on with me. I was just telling one of my friends that I think I just have a large/wide body frame. I can see my ribcage even when I'm standing up (if I lift up my boobs, haha)... same with my hipbones, collarbones and shoulder blades. I wouldn't say I'm bony, but I can see/feel them all very clearly, and I'm 5'2.5" and 200+ lbs! You've already been given lots of good info from Kori and Arctic, but I just thought I'd share that. Maybe you just have a larger bone structure like I do. :cool:

Your hips and ribcage sticking out have nothing to do with muscle mass or lack thereof.

It's just how you're built and where you've lost your fat from.

Also, it is extremely common in women.

When I lay down, my fat puddles out to the sides (ack!). So my stomach looks sorta flat and my ribs stick out as do my hip bones, but there's a decent amont of flabbiness spreading out to my right and left :)

To fat
 

Keeping a food journal will help you become aware of what and when you are eating. You may be amazed at what you find.

No matter how much I weigh, I can easily see/feel my ribs and pelvic/hip bones. I guess my fat just accumulates in other places

I have sort of the same issue, but when I lay on my side. All the fat left on my body slides under the loose skin around my belly button and I end up laying next to "lump" of fat. While after 20 years of carrying around and extra 100 lbs, it's cool to have bony shoulders, ribs, and hips, the leftovers are NOT pretty.

So I just don't look...

After all, its way better than that 100 lbs. was.