Hip Bones...will they "pull in"??

This may be a weird question, but I thought I'd ask you vets. I'm getting faily close to goal and although I'm ecstatic, I'm starting to have some issues. Let me tell you, I'm very short waisted and very hour glassy. I measured the distance between the top of my hip bone and rib cage and it measured 1.5"
My PCP once told me I have great hips for child bearing. I didn't know if I should smack him or thank him!

The problem I'm having is my ribs and hip bones have just skin on them and are starting to show pretty bad. It's a distribution issue, since my legs and arms could use more thinning, but of course we don't pick where it comes off from.

Do you think my hips will pull in more since there isn't more mass inside them?? I don't want to look bony or gaunt..so I'm kind of stuck with where it's coming off from.

Thanks,
Heidi

When you get somewhere and stay there for a while your body redistributes.  Mattafak, I have been goalish for almost 2 years and I *still* go through periods of redistribution.  I think mostly we tend to look bony and gaunt at first because we lost from the out in and the top down so our face and distal extremities tend to look thinner, and folks worry, and it *seems* inappropriate to whip down your britches and show that your bottom or thighs could definitely still use some leaning out.  :} 

But I dunno girlie, all I have to say of any comfort is that your stores will shift, and if they are like mine, time only keeps you guessing where the next shift is going to be! 

Brandilynn,

As usual, thanks for being my fairy VSG Godmother!!
Don't make me whip my jeans down and show you ass and thigh...cuz I'll do it!!

I heard that strong undertone of "just be patient...it'll be what it be"!!


Muaaahhh!!
Heidi

:}  You sure do not have to be patient babygirl, but even now I go through shifts, and fella can even tell when its about to happen because my skin feels different to the touch before the shifting!

Its weird!! 

I will whup down my britches too!  I left my shame in sanfran!  :}

Muwah beebeee!  Kiss the ToTs for me!

And boo!  I see that I was not really comprehending the fullness of your question!  I am glad you got good and helpful answers!

I'm built a lot like your are, minus the curvy hip thing.  My ribcage feels like it's practically sitting on my hips, or that my hips rise up to meet my ribs! 

I was told by my PS that once a bone is bent or bone mass increased, it's highly unlikely that it will come back much, if at all.  I will never have a narrow frame like a naturally thin person. Our bones had to "beef" up to keep our weight upright. "Extensive epidemiological data show that high body weight or BMI is correlated with high bone mass, and that reductions in body weight may cause bone loss (2–4). The basic mechanisms underlying this observed obesity: bone mass correlation remain unclear, though several explanations have been proposed. It is generally accepted that a larger body mass imposes a greater mechanical loading on bone, and that bone mass increases to accommodate the greater load. " from NIH.

That said, he did say that alignment will change slightly, since you will not have the fat "spreading the bones", like our enlarged organs will spread our ribs, or our big thighs will spread our hip joints.  The added bone mass to our frame is ours for life, but the bones will sit differently once the bulk is removed. That's one of the reasons, besides the lighter weight, why walking becomes easier, our gate changes when those thighs stop rubbing against each other.  Then our fat starts to redistibute.  But even then, the fat still has a mind of it's own!

Interesting.  I know carrying extra weight acts the same way as doing 'weight bearing' exercise. It's one of the reasons you lose muscle as you lose weight unless you're vary careful since your muscles don't have to work as hard at just getting from point A to point B.   I wasn't aware that it actually increased the size of bones rather than the density.  I'll have to ask when I get my next scan done. 

Summer, thanks for a great reply!!

I know our hips will spread when we're pregnant, and come back (somewhat) to their previous configuration, so I wondered if the same held true for excess weight.

Every day is a new discovery in my new body...so I'll wait to see what I end up with and go from there!

Heidi

Unfortunately, this does not apply to bone density, aka osteoporosis, which can be a serious side effect of weight loss due to nutrients lacking in our diets.  It's always something!  So we end up with bigger, weaker bones!

I'd be really surprised if your hip bones retract.

However, you may end up looking less boney because your fat wil redistribute over time.

Short answer:  No, the bones themselves will not change at all as you lose weight.  That pelvis is a big, solid mass and nothing short of extreme trauma (fractures!) is gonna change that!

BUT, as someone mentioned above, your alignment could change.  Typically, overweight people (and often non-overweight as well) have a strong pull on the front of the lumbar spine from the weight of the abdomen, and very weak abdominal muscles to go along with it.  That results in an exaggerated lordosis (the curve of the spine forward, above your butt), and in the pelvis tipping forward.  Think of a swayback horse.  As you're losing, the best thing you can do it lots and lots of core strengthening, and be very aware of your posture... don't slouch, stand up straight, keep the tummy tight, and you'll help yourself return to more normal alignment so those bones won't seem quite so prominent (plus you'll look better, too!).