The zero effect...
 

I have come to a point that I recognize and realize that maintaining the weight I am at is essential. I was diagnosed with a severe case of asthma that propelled me along this journey--I felt controlled by the disease and sought comfort in the weight loss and control I had with my loss. I changed my eating habits to a healthy vegan lifestyle, exercised within the boundaries my asthma allowed, and felt inspired and in control of the thing I felt was controllable. I became caught in the "zero zone" as I think of it....being the smallest I can. My Hudson jeans are 24, my gap jeans 00, everything is xxs/xs. I am here in this zone and ladies it is not all it is cracked up to be. Somewhere along my weight loss journey I got lost and slipped into this hyped zone...a place where you question what borders too much loss and what is comfortable. It is difficult to explain--rather an exclusive club that you get into but not all it is cracked up to be. Maintaining can be difficult not in the traditional sense of not gaining it back but also in just not losing anymore. I guess the point of the post is to raise awareness that maintaing goes both ways and accepting a "new" body can be much more challenging than what people think. The weight battle wages on too fat--just right--too thin.....a never ending battle.....uggghhh!

I've never been small for my height or anything, but I do get some of what you mean. I imagine that maintaining between too small and too big is much more challenging than just losing or just gaining. Balance in anything is a heck of a lot of work, and achieving balance in something that was/is a huge struggle can be even harder to do.

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking for (if anything) outside of just bringing attention to the point that balance is difficult (even realizing what exactly is 'balanced' is hard, like you said).

So, I guess all I can say is that I think I think we all struggle with things, but the key is to just keep going and keep figuring out how to make things work with weight and other things.

Also, maybe you can describe more what you mean by "it's not worth it" to be in the "zero zone." Is it a lot of pressure, a lot of work to maintain it (not gaining? or not losing more? Both?)? Maybe it is a problem of not being able to give up control?

And you said that maintaining your weight is essential. Do you mean you have to make sure you don't get any bigger OR any smaller?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to get a better grip on what it is you mean.

This is a really interesting and (I think) relevant point that not many people talk about around here (at least not that I've seen). Thanks for bringing it up.

Good luck with everything. I hope you can find what you're looking for.

Generally, I am saying that being a size 0 or 00 is not like Hollywood has it portrayed. At this size you begin to blur the lines between healthy and well....not healthy. I am small boned....but this is the thinnest I have been. I find myself maintaining the weight from dipping lower versus maintaining a regain. Maintenance is about knowing when to stop....I am working on this!

When I was in college (decades ago) I did diet down to under 110 -- and I was not allowed to donate blood at that weight. For me, that was an unhealthy weight and I knew it. Siting on a hard surface was uncomfortable because I didn't have enough butt padding. I couldn't run or lift as much as other folks who weighed more than me. It is in the underweight range on the BMI charts.

Although media often portrays truly skinny as attractive, you will probably find that most men prefer more curves. I know my husband does, and I am now doing the same balancing act that you are doing, but at 20 pounds heavier. If I gain, there is a bit of pooch in my tummy that makes me sad. If I lose more weight, my boobage shrinks to an A cup and I make hubby sad, lol.

Balancing is hard, on top of everything else. But I'd suggest you rethink your goals and your ideal weight range. For optimum health and appearance, I think you probably have more slack on the up side.

I'll say this again, as I've said it elsewhere (anyone who's read me on this can skip it). When I try to maintain a weight that is too low, I am not only physically more fragile, I am an unhappy person who's far less interesting for my friends & family to spend time with. My life narrows down to a very small set of preoccupations and past-times. I become appearance-oriented to the point of narcissism, only I am self-critical, rather than self-satisfied, as vain people are portrayed as being. Also, I am short-tempered and deeply sad. Just contemplating all the effort required constantly makes me feel inadequate, exhausted and depressed.

So yeah, physically, I could do it. And yeah, I have the will to do it. You would not believe how much focus & will & concentration I can summon up, when I need it.

But am I happy there? No. Not at all. It's psychologically draining.

It's just not worth the tradeoff. I want more to my life than that.

My husband likes how I look actually. Even when I was overweight I was never "curvy"...I was just fat :) I am actually in shape because I do regular exercise. But, like the above poster said, this weight becomes draining and to me I see no glamour in it. I can say been there, been that weight....but I am just going to work at maintaing and not losing anymore. I am a vegan--thus my diet is loaded with fruits, veggies, nuts, beans. My point is during maintenance sometimes staying the same weight is as difficult as not gaining more. It all depends on who you are and where you are it. Our society has some rigid standards that few can meet and many don't want to maintain once there!

I think in person, many who are size 00 look very sick. In magazines, there is photoshop and beautiful lighting to take away some of the grotesqueness. There's a woman at my gym who looks like a walking corpse- running for hours on the treadmill. It is very sad.

I have another friend who is size 00 and looks very healthy. I think it really depends on your body. But one thing is for sure: Smaller is NOT always better. It's sad that so many women fall for that trap. And damage their mental and physical health along the way.

Best wishes to you.

Yes, yes, yes----That is exactly how I feel. My current weight loss has seemed SO much easier because I'm clearer about what I want. I know that I do not want to have to obsess about food all day or do formal gym workouts for an hour a day. Been there, done that---it didn't work for me longterm because it was too much sacrifice. Now, I am only committing to do what I know I can stick with for a lifetime. I've accepted that that mindset may mean that I'll be a size 10 forever, but I would rather accept that than have to deal with all the sacrifice it took to be a size 4 in the past.

109 is a really low weight for 5'6". I'm 124 at the same height and I am super skinny, wearing a 2-4. I don't think my pelvis would fit in a 0 or 00.

Even being very thin, I have fat days. I just have to try and brush them off and realize that I am not fat. I think of fat days as basically just down days and it's easiest for my mind to distort my perception of myself to match how I am feeling inside.

Rachel--You met your goal on my B day! As for the fitting in 00 and 0....I am very small boned. When I was overweight I think I looked bigger than others of the same height and weight because my bones are so small. My husband thinks I look great now. I just need to maintain here and lose anymore. My fat days seem to be TOM.....ugghh

Why would having smaller bones make you look bigger? I'm not getting that.

A small framed person looks larger with added weight. Different frames hold weight differently. If a 50 pound over weight woman has a large frame she may not look 50 pounds overweight...if a tiny framed woman had the same 50 pounds she may look more overweight. It is proven different frames carry weight differently. Fit vs. not fit also make 2 people of the same weight look physically different (muscle is more compact than fat--fat takes up more space). Not only does height/weight need to be accounted for but body frame as well.

SISYPHEANME...I have a whole different question. I have a friend who has severe asthma and who is on a weight loss plan. She is frustrated because she thinks she "can't exercise" and talks about repeat hospitalizations as a child.

What exercise worked for you with your asthma?

Walking...walking..walking. When my asthma was first "uncontrolled" for approximately 2 years I had to stick with the walking. I have finally got things under better control. I take Spiriva, QVar, and albuterol pretty much daily. It has finally kicked in after all this time. In part you must take accountability and be compliant with your treatment plan. Walking works you up to more. For the first time in 2 years I am able to jog a mile :) Weight loss has also greatly helped my asthma. I had some depression from the asthma but through exercise and healthier living that has subsided a lot too. I have the will to overcome and be active even with the disease...without the will your excuses become your crutch to not try,

I am not a 0 or 00, I range between 2 and 4 and I quite frankly am sick of the omg you've lost too much weight comments. I feel awesome but then you have these people come along and say, please tell me you're not losing any more weight or calling you miss skinny, etc. I never thought it would get on my nerves to be called skinny but I'm at the point that it does. But you're right, I feel like it will be a never ending battle.