Actually, there is no difference. Overweight is overweight is overweight, regardless of a person’s height. Height and size of fat cells are not related. Long before I became a certified personal trainer, I’ve always been aware of the phenomenon that very tall people are never called “chubby” or “plump” or “overweight.” Instead, they are called “big boned” or “large framed.
Bone length has nothing to do with bone mass or body fat. A “solid” build is not to be confused with a muscular build. “Solid” is a polite way of saying someone is overweight. Excess body fat can be so densely packed within a particular space (such as legs), that it almost mimics the appearance of muscle because it’s not a “fluffy” or jiggly kind of fat. When this tightly-packed fat is on a tall frame, the person is perceived as being big-boned.
Resistance training, not height, is what influences bone density and thickness. Next time you see a “big-boned” person, imagine what his or her body fat reading would be with a caliper test. And even when a person has thick bones, this doesn’t necessarily mean generous girth. A thick bone on a six-foot-tall woman can still be surrounded by a thin layer of body fat and lean muscle. Look no further than today’s tennis and WNBA stars.
And a delicate, thin bone on a six-foot-tall woman can be surrounded by layers of fat, creating the appearance of that “large frame.” There is no relationship between bone length and fat cells, period. Diet and exercise are the key players here.
Thus, a very tall person can have a light or delicate frame, such as fashion models. Likewise, a very short person can have a compact structure, such as some gymnasts.
You can’t flex fat. Excess body fat tends to distribute evenly throughout the mesomorph’s naturally athletic-looking build. But endomorphs have naturally below-average muscle mass, are rounder in shape and have a naturally higher body fat percentage than mesomorphs. Body fat tends to concentrate in the endomorph’s hips, thighs and upper arms. All of this is a tendency. Weight lifting and food intake are potent variables that affect apparent body type.
A 5’10” female mesomorph who is 30 pounds overweight will carry the weight more proportionately than the 5’11” female endomorph. Yet both women can have identical body fat percentages. It’s easy to see how the tall mesomorph with extra fat can be perceived as big-boned, rather than “chubby.”
And let’s not forget tall men with weight to lose. Does “big guy” come to mind? The truth is that in a society with huge portions of high-calorie foods and electronics making life increasingly immobile, a tall person is just as prone to getting fat as is a shorter individual. Stop blaming the bones!
Slow metabolism is also a culprit, and with an unhealthy lifestyle, any “body type” can fall victim to a stunted metabolic rate. Next time you think someone is “just naturally big,” ask yourself what the bigness is made of. Is it king-size muscle fibers? When the tape measure circles 18 inches around your “big” friend’s arm, is it because there’s a big bone inside? If you think it’s muscle, ask him to flex it! Fat cannot be flexed!
What about people who get bigger with time? Do bones get bigger? Or do fat cells get bigger? A no-brainer.
Height and weight charts. Such a standard chart says that a 5’8″ woman can weigh up to 160 pounds and still be within a normal weight range. Even when a competitive female bodybuilder of this height builds up a lot of muscle (which is heavier than fat), she still may weigh only 150. So how can 160 translate to “normal” or “healthy” weight for the average woman?
Chuck these charts. Reach for the skin-fold calipers instead. According to the American Council on Exercise, the “athletic” range for a woman’s body fat is 14-20 percent; and for a man, 6-13 percent. People who are blessed with surplus height need to exercise and eat healthfully as much as anybody else.
