weight gain

[binky]

I just started riding this year in July and I have
gained 10 pounds. My butt and legs are bigger. I'm unable
to fit into my jeans. I am on a low fat diet and I do some
weight training as well. Years ago, I use to be a runner, and
I could eat anything that I wanted and still lost weight.
Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

[Juliette]

How old are you? When I was 33, one morning I woke up fat. No joke, it was like I gained 10 pounds overnight. Now that I'm pushing 40, it has only gotten worse. For a while, it was due to inactivity and poor diet, but I've cleaned up those problems and haven't yet seen any improvement.

I figure I'll just keep at it and maybe one day I'll wake up thin.

[han-grrl]

Hey Ladies

There is a great article in the November (it might be october) issue of men's health on low fat diets and fats in general. Low fat diets are not necessarily a good thing. I know (from reading) that a lot of low fat alternatives are actually HIGHER in calories, because they replace the fat with sugar to compensate for taste. And when you avoid fats, your body kind of goes into compensation mode and tries to make up for the lack of fats. Also, the old you get, you have to be careful what types of carbs you put in your body. An acquaintance mentioned to me that she has to avoid white bread and plain pastas (and white rice) all together. Whole grains only...and not that much of it. Also, in order to lose weight you have to consume less calories, so if you are eating lots thinking you will burn it all off during exercise...well, you get the idea.
Also, if you just started to build muscle...muscle weighs more than fat, so your weight might actually increase a bit.

hope this helps.

Happy riding

Han-grrl

[leona]

Hi there,
When I turned 30, I woke up "fat" and it killed me because I also had maintained an active life. Of course, when I looked back at pictures, the weight had indeed crept on slowly. In this past year, I have lost 50 pounds and gotten myself into much better shape than I was, even at 22.

For me, the key has been calories. The way I see it, calories are energy and if you eat more than you burn, you gain weight. Low fat diets definitely never worked for me. A little bit of a higher fat food makes me feel more full and satisfied than a lot of a low fat food. It also helps me feel less deprived (which can cause excessive snacking). I let myself have fries once in awile, but I eat the salad first and really pay attention to when I'm no longer hungry NOT when I'm stuffed. You can always eat more later if you feel hungry. I mostly stay away from fries, but if I have an extraoridnary craving, maybe my body needs the salt or the fat and I should pay attention to what my body needs.

Being patient is also important. At times, I went months without losing a pound, but I tried not to get too discouraged. I tried to think about how the body could be increasing its muscle, which can benefit me more in the long run (muscle burns more calories, it supports bones, it helps you to perform better).

Good Luck!!!
Leona

[han-grrl]

when i was growing up (in the eighties...wow) I remember friends being OBSESSED with calories, counting calories, eating things that were lower in calories, and as the years went by, scientists started to claim counting fat grams was key, so everyone i know went nuts eating low fat in the nineties.

Ultimately, it's all about balance. Don't eat any food group excessively, exercise regularly, and if you are exercising and training a fair bit, remember to give your body a chance to rest.

[angriecow]

hehehhe i used to have the big thigh and *** bit too, but i was sprint training (weights, hard-fast sprinting on bikes, etc) and that makes big massive thighs. now i've slimmed down a bit with endurance training since that requires less aggressive work on the legs, and all muscles, and more anaerobic activity. powerhouse work generally bulks people up and causes a blow-up of muscle and that means weighing more. Endurance/ distance & time work, internal resistance (pilates, yoga, stretching) are what you really need to work on if you don't want that weight (and ballooing butt) but don't sacrifice a fantastic sprinting career or anything just to fit into size 4 jeans... that's silly.

[pennys]

I've got a new riding buddy - we're both mountain bikers exclusively...She's always going on about my "biker legs"
I'm thinking big thighs, fat butt and she's always going on about, "man I wish my legs looked like yours". Talk about a booster.

I'm third form the left, this was my birthday ride on Sunday (http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/despennykatheric.jpg)


Why are we so hard on ourselves?

I've always wanted to print up a bumper sticker that says.
"Strong women have big thighs".

while I'm doing photos, here's me playing on the stairs just for grins...Stair rider (http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/images/stairrider.jpg)

pennys

[angriecow]

definite on the whole attitude thing :) power is good, and knowing you can whomp some butt is worth more than bragging rights to size -1... :D i have more respect for anyone who can burn at 50mph, or ride for 6hrs straight than any of the super skinny watiresses at my restaurant :rolleyes:

[pennys]

Oh, I forgot to put this in my post. I'm 42, and had a couple of life changes in the last few years... 1. medication/treatment for depression caused an immediate weight gain. 2. counseling, work, eliminated or dealing with some of the major issues in my life that were causing a lot of on going stress and anxiety. Result, a better state of emotional health than I have ever had, and yes, a slight weight gain. I"m coming to terms with it. I remind myself that it's about healthy ( mental and physical) and strong, not about thigh diameter.

penny s

[assassin__x]

Originally posted by pennys


I've always wanted to print up a bumper sticker that says.
"Strong women have big thighs".

I like that. Two years ago I started both biking and rock climbing, and I pretty much started out at nothing, and weighing 130lbs. I now weight 155lbs, and while some of what I gained is fat, a lot of it is muscle, which I've very happy with.

The funny thing is that because I started climbing just before I started biking my harness doesn't fit me properly any more, it's too tight on the legs (a little on the belly, but we ignore that...).