Oh no interventionn!! I'm really, really sad to hear you talk this way.

I'll be honest, I am not one of those people who subscribes to measurements as a tool to monitor weight loss/body recomposition. I tried it and I got wildly different measurements on different days. I think it's way too inaccurate for people of our size. If we measure in a slightly different way, are retaining water one day, etc, we may see errors of .25 or .5 inches +/0-, which is a huge margin of error for someone with your stats. I would only trust a real body measurement tool with someone who knows how to measure and where to measure to collect accurate data.

Why did you start on this journey in the first place? Are you trying to get healthier or lose vanity pounds or both? Are you trying to get smaller and leaner? Are you trying to get rid of your pear shape?

If your motivation is one of the first few questions, there ARE probably things you can do. Eating better (more whole foods) to nourish your body is one thing. Eating a little less, if it's okay for you nutritionally, is another. Exercising, strength training, cardio, getting out and moving, are others. Not only will they develop your body into being stronger, leaner, and more fit but hopefully by doing so it will remind you what an awesome machine your body is and maybe prompt you to love and appreciate it more than you do now.

If it's the last one, to get rid of your pear shape, there probably isn't anything you can do. I'm a pear like you and I would love love love to get rid of my saddlebags. I hate them. But it's in my genes. My mom has always had them, and my sister, who is 22, my height, and about 100 lbs, has them. She has tried to diet and exercise them away with no luck. She is completely flat-chested with very little muscle, but yet she has saddlebags. It's not good what she's doing, but it's a reminder to me at least that there are features of my body that are NOT going to change and I just have to start accepting- and even loving- them for what they are.

Weight loss is so hard because it's a balance between taking ownership over what you can change and DOING IT versus acknowledging what you cannot, or should not change, and accepting it. It's easy to get carried away one way or another. For years I resigned myself to being 127, even though for my frame and size I knew it was about ten pounds too big. I just convinced myself it was fine. Likewise, I need to be realistic now that I am losing the weight that there are certain things I can NOT change and to accept that. Balance on either side is critical.

I know cognitively I am dieting because I am restricting caloric intake and creating a caloric deficit, but I don't feel like I am dieting- I feel like I am nurturing my body into a stronger, more fit, more lean, more able entity. I feel like I am reducing fat and increasing muscle (or at least retaining muscle, to be increased after calories are upped), increasing stamina, and providing myself with the micro and macro nutrients I need to be healthy. I feel so empowered by this process, which is why I'm sharing it with you. Hating your body will not help it flourish and it will cause you ultimately more pain than joy. I really really hope you can find somewhere the beauty of having a healthy, able body and that is reason enough to take care of it and grow it into something even more beautiful

many hugs

interventionn, I have to agree that indiblue is right. We're wildly inaccurate when we tape-measure ourselves, plus it's hard to change your natural shape, other than to make everything smaller overall.

I'm a pear. I will never not be a pear. And of course, as I lose weight, the stuff I want to stay the same size gets smaller, and the stuff I want to get smaller... well, it DOES, but it doesn't do it at the same rate as the other stuff. Ergo, I have a TINY bust now and still have a big (by comparison) booty. This was true when I was 97 lbs. and was true when I was almost 160 lbs., and it's been true on this 10-month journey from 147 to 117 lbs. Does that mean other people notice my "pearness" and critique how much different in ratio my hips and waist are? Heavens, no!

Here's the thing to remember: we are our own worst critics. We see the flaws. Other people probably envy many, many things about our body shape and size. Why should I panic that my hip measurement is so much bigger than my bust measurement when the fact remains that I can wear pants 4 sizes smaller than I could a year ago? Hello, VICTORY! PERSPECTIVE! I'm sure you have similar victories going on, so don't let one small, confusing thing ruin all your hard work.

I am not sure if I am a pear or a zucchini or what but I will tell you that my butt and hips have remained the same measurement while clearly my boobs have shrunk and I have lost weight in my feet. I think kat999 and indiblue are dead on! Please, please interventionndo not throw in the towel. So many things affect so many other things. Hormones, sugar, salt, who knows? Yesterday, I weighed 112 in the morning and for some reason, my daughter asked me to step on the scale in the afternoon. I had consumed like 300 calories so far. Yet, the scale read 114.5. So I gained 2.5 pounds by essentially breathing air molecules. Genetically, we are programmed to be a certain way. I am less than 5 feet tall and nothing will change that. It sux. Really, it does. Intellectually, I know there is little I can do except pray that platforms stay in style. Yet, I still wish there were something I could do to change it. Just know that I understand your frustration.

Lisa, your reply cracked me up. Breathing air molecules and losing weight in your feet!

We all need to remember that we're not robots. If we want to remove matter from ourselves, it's not just a case of soldering off part of our frame. Biological entities' body compositions are incredibly complex amalgamations of fat, muscle, organs, water, tissue, skin, hair, bone, teeth, etc. While weight loss/gain can theoretically be about calories in/out, there are sooooo many other really complicated mechanisms going on at any one time, so many mysterious internal processes happening to our bodies. For women, we also are constantly at a certain point in our menstrual cycle, which just further tweaks chemical reactions and hormonal balances. I'd be surprised if any of us would weigh the same and have the exact same measurements all day on the same day, even if we were fasting. Too many factors to account for to expect consistency and predictability of where/when weight will be gained or lost.

inteventionn *hug* It is incredibly frustrating when losing weight brings about observations about your natural shape that you don't like. I thought I was an hourglass for ages but at lower weights my arms shrink while my stubborn middle stays thick - truly I'm more of an apple-pear than anything. I get annoyed and saddened by it, but like everyone else has been saying, I have to force myself to see things rationally: I'm getting firmer and fitter, and no one but me probably notices or cares about my proportions.

I almost belong back in this thread - 130.1 this morning, sooo close!

I've been nervous joining this thread because I'm still having a hard time trusting my scale. I've been weighing in consistently under 130 for 4-5 days now. Today I weighed in at 127.8 so I think I can say I'm in this decade.

I'm hoping by posting in this thread I will try EXTRA hard to stay within this decade

Hello ladies!

Finally, something positive to post. Been keeping back steady with the downward trend. 124 this morning, and it's melting fast. I'd assume that is very temporary to get me back down to my 122 would be nice, then I can work at it from there again to hit my goal! There better not be no more scary whooshes in the wrong direction.

How's everyone else doing? There hasn't been much activity in this thread lately...

Hey everyone!

So, I think I should NOT be in this thread. I am thinking of revising my goal to essentially where I'm at now - 122-124. At 122 I was noticing that I was starting to lose my boobs! I'd rather keep the girls than be under 120.

But best of luck to you allllll!

^ haha that happens to me too! Once I get below 128-ish my boobs really start to get smaller and then I miss them. Being thin is nice but I usually stop losing when I feel like my chest has gotten too small

LLBold awesome you feel you are at a place where you can maintain! I can't wait to be there. I'm sure you look and feel fabulous

I have no idea what I weigh, my scale has been broken for almost a week now. That means I just have be really strict with ccing; as long as I do I know I'll lose, however slowly that may happen. I've always been a twice-daily weigher so it would be nice if *hopefully* when I do weigh myself in the next month I see a lovely full 1-2 lb drop! Fingers crossed.

Good luck to everyone!

Today is my official weekly weigh-in and I weighed-in at 127.2 so I think I can safely say I'm in this decade! Yay for post-TOM whooshes.

I feel still feel big and the same even though the scale is showing differently. I know my clothes fit better but mentally I'm still not believing that I'm "tiny" or "soooo skinny" that some people are saying. One person on my facebook posted, "You look TOO skinny. I want to feed you and fatten you up."

Can any of you relate to this?

Another thing is I always thought i was an hourglass but after this journey, I've learned that I'm actually pear-shaped.

Hey again -- I keep bouncing back up to 121 based on the time of day, and I also miss the conversations in this thread, so I think I'll stay in the 120s decade for a little while longer. My weight fluctuates so much that I think I'm just going to track it by 5-lb ranges: right now i'm 118-123, and my goal is to be 108-113

The 110 and below thread is a little quiet, isn't it? I'm also wondering if we should have a separate Feathers Maintenance thread?

InControl, I think you look great! You're definitely not "too skinny" in an empirical sense, but friends who might not be used to seeing you so small might feel a combination of whiplash and (in some cases) envy. You've lost a LOT of weight by your ticker (congrats!) and they could just be unsettled by the change.

Alternatively, that comment might be an awkward compliment. I have totally told thin girlfriends whose figures I envy to "go eat a sandwich" partly because I envy them... and partly because I want them to enjoy the sandwiches I can't.

Kat - Good idea. I think most of our lives will be maintenance anyway -- we all take breaks for sanity and plan on being here for the long haul -- so it could definitely be useful.