I recently heard that “Not having children to save money is like being homeless to save on rent.” One might also say it’s like not losing weight in order to avoid needing new pants.

Sure, the benefits of getting fit far outweigh the cons. But changing your size – in any direction – has negatives that few people seem to talk about. Here are mine.

1. When you’re packing around some extra padding your bones are well protected. My tailbone has never had much to complain about, nestled as it was between my ample cheeks. Lately, however, it’s had plenty to say. It whines about the yoga pose known as “boat pose” and about sitting in my office chair for too long at a stretch. I find myself leaning to one side in chairs so I can find some padding and get the pressure off my newly exposed tailbone. See, there it goes again. Time to adjust.

2. I have an impressive collection of clothing. A few items have been with me longer than my husband, a fact he finds not impressive but pitiable. He sees it as a symptom of my pack-rat ways. I see it as a badge of honor that I haven’t gotten too fat to wear them. Some of the stretchier items still look reasonably good, but many items are never going to be worn again. When combined with the clothing from Toby’s side of the closet that has already made it into boxes – this is a substantial financial loss.

3. When you’re a size fourteen or a sixteen and you shop at a “plus size” store, you wear the smallest size in the store. The models displayed in the store graphics are roughly your size. Occasionally you even get to ask “Do you have this in a smaller size?” Moving into mainstream sizes has many advantages – but being the thinnest girl in the store is not one of them. I have no idea how the sizes in various brands work (which brands run big, which run small) but I’m learning. If all else fails, I know to reach for the shirt at the back of the rack now, instead of the front.

4. More of you shrinks than just the parts you want to shrink. In addition to new clothes, I’m having to buy all new bras as the months go buy. When this first began to happen, the neighbors could probably have heard the weeping coming from our house. Toby’s weeping, that is.

5. As your weight drops, so does the pay-off for exercise. Running the same mile at the same speed will burn fewer calories after you’ve lost weight. Even just breathing and sleeping burn fewer calories when you weigh less, so you have to step it up. This is why I’ve found training for the 5k so beneficial. My speed and endurance are increasing, so that I can continue to burn the same amount of calories. In my opinion, this is also why ladies who just walk every day for exercise have such a hard time completing their weight  loss goal. We have to actually increase intensity over time to stay ahead of our metabolism.

6. I now weigh less than the number printed on  my driver’s license.  While not inherently negative, this is certainly not normal for any woman.

What about you? Ever found an unexpected negative side effect of losing weight?

I recently read a great article about a huge negative of losing weight – that it won’t last. And for some people, this keeps their whole lives on hold. I don’t personally feel like I’m this wrapped up in being thin – that isn’t my goal. For any woman who’s ever struggled with her weight, this site and this article in particular can be empowering.

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