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Super Skinny me

  • 23-04-2007 12:06pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 51 ✭✭


    I don't know where to post this, so Mod's please feel free to move this thread....

    I was just wondering if anyone watched this documentary on Channel4 last night and what their opinions are?

    Here is a brief discription for anyone who missed it: (Source: timesonline.co.uk)

    A fascination with being thin is a defining part of this rapidly fattening age and nothing exemplifies it better than the recent tumult in fashion and the media over the size zero physique. A size zero is officially 31½-23-34 — little-boy statistics that can be applied to some of the biggest red carpet names of the day. But the term doesn’t bring to mind vital statistics; it has come to represent a state of slenderness and richness that to most normal eyes looks like skin, bone, expensive hair and lovely clothes.

    Personally I don’t care too much about the debate in fashion. Models have always been thin and while some have issues, generally the model’s body is an extraordinary one: they are a gangly slender breed unto themselves. More fascinating — and alarming — are the lengths other women will go to physically and mentally to keep themselves well under their natural body weight; and the extent to which most of them think their natural weight is essentially fat.

    I am never quite satisfied with my body, but aside from largely healthy eating and regular exercise I can’t be bothered to do much more about it. However, when I was challenged to make a documentary about what it takes to attain the distinctive anticurves of the size zero, I said yes.

    Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero, is on Channel 4, April 22


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    I watched this and found it fascinating, not just the scary notion of what there two journalists were willing to do for the sake of the experiment, but the psychological impact on both as well.

    One of the girls seemed very happy with herself, enjoyed her life and her relationships. The other psyched herself up by going through all her photo's and talking about how "fat" she looked. They were both size 12 by the way.

    By the end, the first lass had reached US size 00, the other one had been pulled from the show as the doctor and the psyhchiatrist overseeing the experiment felt she ran a great risk of developing a full blown eating disorder.

    The first girl would choose a plan and stick to it ( I find it curious that her best and most consistent results came with a high protein diet, even if her calories were far too low and she was depressed and miserable, had no energy all the time ).

    The second one would choose something outrageous from the get go, then binge eat, yo yo, and at one stage get drunk.

    All in all it was a hugely interesting show, and while I may completely disagree with the methods used I feel it was important to have a well done show like this on telly, as both girls were very open and honest in documenting how they felt. The were both extremely tired, miserable, emtional, couldn't work and suffered from a worse self image than when they started.

    Unreal.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 51 ✭✭theKED


    Did anyone think that it glamourised the thoughts of being skinny.
    When the girl slipped into the size 00 jeans they had dance music on and everybody was drinking and having a good time and they all clapped when she got into them. She was chuffed. Everybody congratulated her saying "well done". I realise they might have been just congratulating her for accomplishing the task she set out to do, but to me it seemed over the top.

    And honestly i taught she looked extremely well in the size 00. But thats besides the point.
    I understand they tried to show the torture both girls went through physically and mentally to get to that size but was it not promoting how fast women can lose weight by doing this, one girl lost nearly 1 stone in 3 weeks with the help of having 4 colon cleansings (spelling)


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 9,469 Mod ✭✭✭✭BossArky


    I watched bits and pieces of this over my shoulder whilst doing some work at the table. That girl who went off on hols to the carribbean was pretty fit and didn't look size zero to me. Then again I wasn't totally tuned in so may have missed bits and pieces.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 21,981 ✭✭✭✭Hanley


    I think the show was basically bull****... It's like the gave them no advice and just left them to their own devices and told them to lose the weight however they could.

    Watercress soup diet ffs??

    One thing that annoyed me was the CONSTANT choppping and changing between methods. It's like there was actually no starting plan.

    Oh and that personal traniner annoyed the hell out of me for making one of them do lots of cardio on the threadmill to "keep her metabolism up and stop her from losing lean mass"!!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 51 ✭✭theKED


    BossArky wrote:
    I watched bits and pieces of this over my shoulder whilst doing some work at the table. That girl who went off on hols to the carribbean was pretty fit and didn't look size zero to me. Then again I wasn't totally tuned in so may have missed bits and pieces.

    Thats exactly my point, the girl that completed the task looked extremely hot when she slipped into those jeans, and she didn't look like one of the Olsen twins, she looked fit.
    And as for the other girl who nearly had a nervous breakdown, her face looked drained from time to time (although she was 38) but when she was all done up at the dinner party i thought she looked fabulous, even when she stood at the top of the stairs saying "you can see air in between my legs - my thighs don't touch".
    So the whole purpose of this documentary backfired.

    Anyone agree? I would be intersted to hear what any women think?


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 21,981 ✭✭✭✭Hanley


    One of my major problems with all this ****e they're putting out on diet shows like superskinny me is that at no point in time do they mention how important skeltal structure is when chasing size zero. Some girls, no matter how "skinny" they get jsut aren't going to have the bone structure to get into size zero clothes.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    Hanley wrote:
    I think the show was basically bull****... It's like the gave them no advice and just left them to their own devices and told them to lose the weight however they could.


    That was the whole point of it. The University that was running the study, the health spa one of them used…..they all said they didn't agree or like the action of forced starvation, but that it really does need to be studied.

    As such, you had two very mentally healthy professionals who were reduced to wrecks by ill informed DIY attempts to get down to the fabled size 00. It was a study in how the average person would go about doing it, not in the healthiest, safest of even most effective ways to go about achieving it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,483 ✭✭✭✭daveirl


    This post has been deleted.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 51 ✭✭theKED


    daveirl wrote:
    This post has been deleted.

    What's that suppose to mean? :confused:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    theKED wrote:
    What's that suppose to mean? :confused:

    It means that despite losing a lot of weight and size she still held a decent degree of adipose in the stomach region, and was quiet soft.

    She was in no way toned, just angular in the arms and shoulders and soft in the belly.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,139 ✭✭✭olaola


    The girl with the longer hair - can't remember her name - she looked REALLY gaunt when she was being interviewed in the gym. She had a vest on and her shoulders were just seemed so bony and prominent. And watching her put her hands around her waist gave the perspective of HOW much weight she had lost.
    Other than that she didn't wear revealing clothing for the rest of the show, so it was hard to see. The before and after pics weren't very insightful.
    Even when she was trying on the size 00 jeans - she was well covered up
    other than her stomach. I think they should have shown more pictures of her looking too thin.

    It was interesting what the girl's boss (the longer haired lady) said about her performance in work. Even her colleagues were talking about her general demeanour changing.

    The other lady - Kate Spicer I think? - kinda looked a bit crap throughout. The tiredness really came through on her face and she started to get a tad manic about the whole thing as the program progressed.

    IMO - if someone with an eating disorder or on the way to one... might find this program 'inspirational'.
    I think if you are that obsessed about losing weight you will tune out the bad bits, and focus on the fact that they both lost a stone in 5 weeks.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 21,981 ✭✭✭✭Hanley


    What was the story with her hands around her waist anyway?? Her thumbs CLEARLY weren't touching around the back. nor were her fingers at the front. Her hands didn't come anywhere near reaching around.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 51 ✭✭theKED


    olaola wrote:
    IMO - if someone with an eating disorder or on the way to one... might find this program 'inspirational'.

    Do you mean inspirational to become pro anerexic or inspirational to stop them from having an eating disorder?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,139 ✭✭✭olaola


    theKED wrote:
    Do you mean inspirational to become pro anerexic or inspirational to stop them from having an eating disorder?

    IMO people who already have an eating disorder (or on the way to one) would see the weight loss these girls achieved as a positive thing. Even Kate Spicer became borderline herself when she realised what she was achieving.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,187 ✭✭✭Mrs_Doyle


    I really enjoyed the show, however, I don't think the older girl should have ever been allowed to take part.
    They should have been psychologically assessed before they embarked on such an experiment. Had an assessment been a requirement, I seriously doubt that the older girl would have been given the all clear to take part.

    The younger girl was beautiful, and actually managed to reach a size 00 without looking particularly gaunt, or ill.

    I liked the way the show rubbished certain 'weight loss urban legends', like the watercress diet, and the use of laxatives.

    However, I do believe that the show may have given dangerous weight loss tips to impressionable young women.

    Even I couldn't help but think "Oooh, she dropped 7lbs on the shake diet, I could give that a weeks trial", which of course, is not a very intelligent thing to be considering.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 356 ✭✭dirtydress


    I thought it was interesting but got the distinct feeling all throughout that both girls were a little bit delighted to be getting thinner and both really want to reach that "size 0" weight. Especially the girl that dropped out, I thought she was really disappointed that she wouldnt get there and felt really strange watching her! Even the girl who did manage to get there, when she went to visit the doctor on a follow up and he told her she had put on half a stone again she seemed a little disappointed! I think no matter how many people (especially women) say, "oh she's TOO thin", "its disgusting" blah blah, they would all secretly like to be that thin and to be able to say they are a size 0. I don't think that show did anything to discourage people losing weight, if anything it highlighted how quickly it can be done!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,308 ✭✭✭quozl


    It wouldn't have been half as informative if Kate Spicer hadn't been allowed do it. It was a bit scary the effect it had on her alright, and I know she had weight issues as a child, but I doubt she's more disturbed than a large percentage of yo-yo dieters.

    I was a bit shocked how badly she handled it. Really brought home how unpleasant the whole experience is.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,234 ✭✭✭Malteaser!


    The show was rediculous

    The one with Louise REdknapp was far better, in that one they repeated time and time again how unbelievably bad it was for you to get to that size, how dangerous it was to eat that little and showed properly the emotional side of it!

    I watched that one last night in disbelief i felt like an hour of my life was wasted, they just started with NO plan trying different things, iall the bad side effects weren't outlined, it didn't seem to help them get back on the right track all that well when it was over, like a trip to the doctor two weeks later just doesn't cut it.

    It was glorifying crash diets, instead of showing them how to go about losing weight the right way!!And yer one taking her diet advice from one of her own magazines, she should have known that they're just made up....f*ucking disgusted with it i was!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,365 ✭✭✭hunnymonster


    I didn't see the show. Did they mention the non visual side effects. Things like whether the women's periods stopped, how their bone density would be affected, if their head hair was falling out?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 51 ✭✭theKED


    dirtydress wrote:
    I thought it was interesting but got the distinct feeling all throughout that both girls were a little bit delighted to be getting thinner and both really want to reach that "size 0" weight. Especially the girl that dropped out, I thought she was really disappointed that she wouldnt get there and felt really strange watching her! Even the girl who did manage to get there, when she went to visit the doctor on a follow up and he told her she had put on half a stone again she seemed a little disappointed! I think no matter how many people (especially women) say, "oh she's TOO thin", "its disgusting" blah blah, they would all secretly like to be that thin and to be able to say they are a size 0. I don't think that show did anything to discourage people losing weight, if anything it highlighted how quickly it can be done!

    Thanks for your honesty dirtydress. My taughts were exactly the same.
    I don't think they emphasised enough on their skinniness. I.E the mere sight of Victoria Beckams feet is enough to turn my stomach, or the likes of the Olsen twins rib cage.

    Where as from a guy's point of view i taught both women in the documentary looked fit. And i began to question myself because i don't especially like skeleton skinny girls.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,139 ✭✭✭olaola


    Did they mention the non visual side effects. Things like whether the women's periods stopped,

    No - that was one obvious thing that they didn't mention.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,234 ✭✭✭Malteaser!


    there was a lot of obvious things they didn't mention!!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 37,215 ✭✭✭✭Dudess


    Yep, I totally thought there was an undercurrent of positivity. I mean, at one point, the older girl actually said something like "I suppose I've become a bit of an anorexic" and she couldn't stop herself from grinning a little bit - it certainly didn't seem to upset her. And it didn't seem to be an uncomfortable, hiding-her-upset kind of grin. Plus, she seemed to have issues with herself in the first place - a terrible self-image. She was going through pics of herself from the past and referring to herself as "fat" when she certainly was not. She looked fabulous. When she got thinner, she looked miserably gaunt and drained, with massive bags under her eyes, and her skin was so tired-looking (not because of her "ancient" 37 years :rolleyes: as someone mentioned earlier but because she was doing very unhealthy stuff to her body).

    Also, this is the third such programme. There was the Louise Redknapp one and there was also one on BBC3 or 4 a couple of months ago - again featuring a journalist. Why so many, if it's so dangerous?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,701 ✭✭✭Celticfire


    I could almost swear that there was a look of envy in all her mates faces when she managed to fit into the 00 jeans. One in particular just kept staring and staring.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 39 missfrilly


    I have to say I thought the younger girl looked good as a size 00. she didnt look sick in fact I thought she looked fit and healthy. although it said she was 8 stone and a size 00 . i thought a size 00 would be lighter. the show painted a positive light on the size 00 thing. and really who are WE to dictate to anyone what size they should be.
    As a naturally skinny girl I am seriously sick and tired of the phrase "real woman" ...what exactly does that mean? From what I have seen and read "real women" are a size 14 and anyone under that is "a skinny anorexic bitch". Real women have large breasts and curvy ass and shapely thighs.!:mad: If you differ from this then I am afraid you're obviously suffering from mental illness!!!!! I mean please. This whole skinny debate is gobe a bit too far. As far as I am concerned it is not okay to dictate to ANYONE what shape weight or size they should be be that a size 00 or a size 22. I do however feel its about time we saw more of a variety of shapes and sizes in these fashion magazines we insist on buying. Surely there are enough hot size 18 women out there to fill at least 1 page in Vogue.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,462 ✭✭✭HardyEustace


    missfrilly wrote:
    Surely there are enough hot size 18 women out there to fill at least 1 page in Vogue.

    Anyone who's a size 18 is over weight and damaging their health. In the same way that we shouldn't glamorise dangerously underweight people, neither should we glamorise dangerously overweight people.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 317 ✭✭rainglow


    Ithought the younger girl looked fantastic in those jeans, although from the size of her boobs and her stomach as a "before", I'm guessing she's an apple shape and already had small hips and legs. As a pear, I'd literally never wedge my pelvis into a size eight pair of jeans, never mind a size 00 (UK size 2).


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 39 missfrilly


    Anyone who's a size 18 is over weight and damaging their health. In the same way that we shouldn't glamorise dangerously underweight people, neither should we glamorise dangerously overweight people.

    is a size 18 obese?? surely it depends on your build?? I mean for instance I am the same height as the girl in that tv show 5"4 and when I was working out I weighed about 8 stone I was a size 8 not a size 00 like her. Wasnt Marilyn Monroe a 16, Rita Hayworth the same??


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,462 ✭✭✭HardyEustace


    missfrilly wrote:
    is a size 18 obese?? surely it depends on your build?? I mean for instance I am the same height as the girl in that tv show 5"4 and when I was working out I weighed about 8 stone I was a size 8 not a size 00 like her. Wasnt Marilyn Monroe a 16, Rita Hayworth the same??

    I that if someone is a size 18 that they definitely have a weight problem. Of course there are always exceptions to any rules but a size 18 is a very big size.

    The size 00 they were talking about is an american size 00, which is the equivalent of a european 2. I'm also 5"4 and of a very slim build. When I ran the marathon last year I'd say that I was a european 4 to 2. My weight was about 7 stone 4 to 7 stone 7.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    missfrilly wrote:
    Wasnt Marilyn Monroe a 16, Rita Hayworth the same??

    Monroe was a size 12, Hayworth was a 10 to 12. Just like anyone else i imagine Monroe experience weight fluctuations due to general issues and pregnancy etc..... just because a dress that people claimed was owned by Monroe was a size 16 does not mean she WAS a size 16.

    I still have all my fat clothes in my wardrobe....hate to think if i get super famous that people will go around saying i have a 42 inch waist.


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