When you put on weight do your bones also get bigger?

1. 83

   stricktlydatingposted 12 years ago

   When you put on weight do your bones also get bigger?
   
   Or does your skeleton, once fully grown always stay the same size?

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2. 60

   nightwork4posted 12 years ago

   from what i know gaining weight has nothing to do with your skeleton unless of course your still growing. your skeleton shrinks with age as your spine contracts.

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3. 62

   purpleangel47posted 12 years ago

   The fat and muscle that we lose or gain in our bodies is connected to our skeleton but in everything I've ever read about our anatomy I've never come across any information that confirms that our bones will grow. Which is why I'm always baffled when someone refers to a person who's overweight as "big-boned." Now that being said, our bones do have the ability to lose calcium, which is why it's important to maintain a good calcium-rich diet; and/or take calcium supplements so that our bones don't become brittle.

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4. 50

   Tatjana-Mihaelaposted 12 years ago

   When you put on weight, your bones usually do not get bigger, but....
   when you are physically active, whole skeleton changes - bones do grow and adjust to the level of activity, no matter the age of person is .(but is connected with hormonal levels that directly influence level of minerals we have in the body).
   (my skeleton is alive prove for that, and passed through the 2 very significant changes after I was 35, because I changed level of physical activity: to adjust to that, my shoulders and hips became wider and bones much stronger then they were before. )

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5. 52

   Video Robposted 12 years ago

   They don't get bigger but they will get stronger because they have to support and cope with the new pressure they're being put under.

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   1. 76

      Abby Campbellposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      This isn't necessarily true. It all depends on healthy lifestyle habits, nutrition, etc.

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6. 76

   Abby Campbellposted 9 years ago

   Unless you're still in the growth stage (which is under 25 years old), your bones will not get bigger. You can determine whether you are small, medium, or large bone with a simple test:
   
   (1) Wrap your right hand around your left wrist, touching middle finger and thumb of the right hand.
   
   (2) If your finger and thumb touch, then you are medium boned.
   
   (3) If your finger and thumb overlap by at least 1/4", you are small boned.
   
   (4) If your finger and thumb don't touch by at least 1/4", you are large boned.

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