[Vivienne]

Did anyone see the program last nite at 9 p.m., where 2 journalists embarked on this ridiculous losing-weight programme?? Basically, they were trying to achieve size 0!!

For starters... why would you WANT to be a size that doesn't exist (!!). And secondly.... how ill they both wound up looking !! One could no longer even do her job properly because all she could think about was food !!

Unbelievable!!

[Yudster]

Thats a good point, does "size zero" actually exist? Victoria Beckham is no smaller than my 15 year old daughter, who at 5'5" is a healthy size eight (and eats for England by the way). What would the measurements be for "size zero"?
I didn't see the programme Viv, what were they actually trying to demonstrate, that it is a good thing, or a bad thing? I can't inagine they were endorsing the idea of aspiring to "size zero"....surely not!

[Vivienne]

They were basically trying to show the ridiculousness of it all!! And did it well!!

Re: Vicky Beckham..... she collapsed recently and there are rumours of another bambino on the way!! I'm wondering tho' if it's more due to daft diets!!

[Yudster]

Or a combination of the two? Except that if you starve yourself, you stop ovulating, so its unlikely that if she is pregnant she has been dieting all that strictly.

Did either of the journalists achieve "size zero" then?

[Vivienne]

Yes! One did slightly better than the other !!! She was trying on a number of jeans, and just looked like a little girl.... it was awful.... even her boss seemed horrified.

[MK Chris]

You would assume that's a highly dangerous thing to do, they must have had doctors round them for the whole 'experiment'. Even to highlight the dangers, it sounds quite irresponsible.

[Nicola_Red]

Size zero is a UK 4, by the way. I've known girls who were a 6 so it's not that much of a leap down, especially when sizing differs store to store.

I saw bits of the Louise Redknapp programme on itv which was basically the same concept. I'm dubious about the point of the shows cos showing something just to prove how dangerous it is seems like a flawed concept - would they make a programme of people jumping of cliffs to show that you shouldn't do it? I suspect there's a sneaky element of demonstrating extreme dieting in them.

sorry if the above doesn't read that well...I'm very tired this morning.

[MK Chris]

I'm dubious about the point of the shows cos showing something just to prove how dangerous it is seems like a flawed concept - would they make a programme of people jumping of cliffs to show that you shouldn't do it? I suspect there's a sneaky element of demonstrating extreme dieting in them.

That was what I was trying to say with my irresponsible comment basically. You just explained it better.

[Yudster]

Have to agree with you both, but its a hot topic, and such sensationalism sells, unfortunately.

[catherine]

I thought the two girls were becoming size double zero? So that would be a size 2? is that possible? Louise became a size 0 in a month, which is ment to of attracted young girls even more to being a size zero because it never took that long or something stupid like that.

[MK Chris]

According to my boss, size double zero is UK size 4, which is the same as an average healthy six year old.

[Nicola_Red]

I had a look for size conversion charts to be sure...strangely they all start at US 4 which is UK 6! Hmm.

http://www.asknumbers.com/ClothingWomensConversion.aspx

[Yudster]

I have seen size 4s in Miss Selfridge, quite regularly. I've never seen anyone buy them, but they are there!

Charlalottie, somewhere on this forum I remember you describing yourself as "short and dumpy", or something like that - I meant to say when I saw your picture, that you are definitely not dumpy - and if you are size 10/12, I am even more certain that you aren't. I get the impression that you have more sense than to get sucked in, but I'm sure half the problem is perfectly normal, beautifully proportioned slim girls for some reason thinking that they are "dumpy", or "chunky", or whatever. Whilst slim women continue to think - for whatever reason - that they are too fat, we will have a size zero debate.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

i look like a 0 from a distance.

[pinkysibbs]

I think the program highlighted how easy it is to become obsessed with diets and even the most "normal" of people can get an eating disorder. I found it particuarly disturbing because I was left feeling like I wish I could be as slim as them,which is slighly worrying.

[Sidders]

I don't understand women's clothes measurements. Why aren't they just measured in inches like normal clothes?

[Boboff]

so you can buy them and not know how big thet are, a size 16 is about a 38" and 18 is about a 40" waist, so a size zero for a chap is a 18 waist, which I was when I was 4, ironically.

[Gaspode_The_Wonder_Dog]

I don't understand women's clothes measurements. Why aren't they just measured in inches like normal clothes?

are you saying women's clothes aren't normal? not everyone saves them just for the weekend sidders.

[Sidders]

I'm saying women aren't normal.

[MK Chris]

I think the program highlighted how easy it is to become obsessed with diets and even the most "normal" of people can get an eating disorder.

It could also say to some people "wow, if I do that, I could lose god knows how much in five weeks" - thus being irresponsible.

I found it particuarly disturbing because I was left feeling like I wish I could be as slim as them,which is slighly worrying.

Again, thus being irresponsible programming.

God, I feel like Mary Whitehouse.

[Nicola_Red]

Ha Topher, our point is proved!

I think most women in our culture have body anxieties at least sometimes. I am a curvy size 14-16 and generally happy but I have plenty of days when I wish I was slimmer.

[Yudster]

I've been very overweight. When my first husband died, I gained about five stone in the following year. I was like that for about two or three years - then dealt with it. But my weight gain was due to my mental default position of replacing happiness with food, and even now I don't have a good mind-set when it comes to eating. I have to think about it far more than I should in order not to get extreme one way or the other, because I could just as easily stop eating altogether as I could start to binge again. Its ridiculous really.

[Loudmouthed_Cutie]

Thats a good point, does "size zero" actually exist? Victoria Beckham is no smaller than my 15 year old daughter, who at 5'5" is a healthy size eight (and eats for England by the way). What would the measurements be for "size zero"?
I didn't see the programme Viv, what were they actually trying to demonstrate, that it is a good thing, or a bad thing? I can't inagine they were endorsing the idea of aspiring to "size zero"....surely not!

wow eating for england if only that existed..

[Vivienne]

Ha Topher, our point is proved!

I think most women in our culture have body anxieties at least sometimes. I am a curvy size 14-16 and generally happy but I have plenty of days when I wish I was slimmer.

Yep, you're right...... I'm a size 10, and still manage to have "fat days"!! I blame magazines for their images of so-called "perfection". Actually, I think Newsbeat covered this quite recently, did they not....

[highsteaks]

I thought double zero was a size down from zero?