The Fat Lady is Still Riding

[bamakathy]

I've ridden every day. Today I went out and rode the bike twice. I'm not as out of breath, my heart is not pounding, but my thighs are still burning like fire. I'm having a lot of fun doing this. I enjoy the wind in my face and feeling the sun. And it's like I get some much needed time alone to think.
I feel a little funny when a car goes by, or I pass someone in their yard, because I wonder how bad I look perched on the bike as big as I am. But then I tell myself that at least I'm working on doing something about it, and what do I care what they think anyway?
I think riding this single speed is very hard, but I've never ridden a bike with gears. I haven't bought any bike clothes, but did get a helmet. I am excited that I found a kind of exercise that is actually fun. Can a fat lady ride? Well, she's riding!

[Veronica]

That's awesome! And you're right. Who cares what anyone thinks.

V.

[snapdragen]

Good for you! :cool: When I see a larger person riding, I usually think - they're not going to be that size for long!:D

[maillotpois]

That just rocks. Good for you!!! :) :) :) :) I have a very large friend (he must be well over 350) and I am constantly amazed at what he can do on a bike.

[Duck on Wheels]

You go girl! You are an inspiration. You're making me itchy for my bike to get back from CA ... and for the rain to stop pouring outside.

[stella]

keep going! and you are so right...who cares what anyone else thinks? well...then again...there's a bunch of here that think: 1) you are an inspiration; 2) you are doing the right thing; 3) believe you can continue to do the right thing....:D

[mtkitchn]

I think you're doing great! Keep up the good work!

[Running Mommy]

GOOD ON YOU!!!!
Keep at it! It gets easier, then the quads stop burning, then you go farther, then you start looking for hills because you miss that burn, then you realize you need new dud's but accidently buy the wrong size cause you didn't realize that all that riding really WAS burning calories, then maybe you start looking for a new shiny bike , and then you buy a computer so that you can count the miles you are logging, then one day you realize that you are a whole new person- and you LOVE it!! :D
Welcome to your new life!
Enjoy the ride...
Denise :)

[latelatebloomer]

This is what I decided about what people think when they see me on a bike.
1) They are amazed.
2) They think about a big woman in their lives (most everyone's got an inactive mom, aunt, sister, daughter, or friend that they worry about sometimes.) (could, of course, be themselves.)
3) They go home and say, "Guess who I saw on a bike today, and she was doing just fine?"

One time I rode by a garden party of older ladies who did triple takes and stared as I went by.

Keep it going, you are doing GREAT!

[KSH]

GOOD FOR YOU!

You are doing something... they are doing nothing.

I have a song that says, "How can you sit there watching... someone else". I always think of people who laugh at someone for doing something... they won't even try to do.

KEEP IT UP! Pretty soon, you are going to want to go try a hybrid or rode bike out for size!

[colby]

Woohoo! High fives all around!

[annie]

Ladies,

I gotta tell ya - when I read these posts - I don't SEE any of you. I have no real-time notion of size, weight, etc... I only know you by what you have to say, and you are inspiring, enthusiastic, intelligent, energetic, optimistic, etc. women!! That is who you are. Riding a bike brings us all into a comeraderie that we would not otherwise enjoy. We are truly fortunate. Please keep riding!

annie

[makbike]

You go girl and let the smile that consumes your face be a testament to those who see you on your bike. Keep pedaling and enjoy every minute of your time on your bike.

[Melody]

*\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/*
GO BAMAKATHY!
*\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/*

That's me cheering for you bamakathy :)

Mel

[Popoki_Nui]

Good for you!! :):):)
But...ya know...here and in other threads...I can't help wondering if us plus-size gals are doing ourselves a disservice by always referring to ourselves as "fat ladies" and so on? I'm a total Amazon myself, but maybe we should start referring to ourselves as Queen-Size, Generously-Proportioned, or even Aerodynamically-Reubenesque? I guess I'm just sensitive, but I can't help thinking we're not doing our self-image any favours by calling ourselves "fat" all the time, even if it's tongue-in-cheek. :D
Anyhoo....
~Sherry.

[cinderly]

I feel a little funny when a car goes by, or I pass someone in their yard, because I wonder how bad I look perched on the bike as big as I am.

I can't wait 'til you get to the point where you smile and wave at the looky-loos. :) I'm heavier than you, but I figure if the neighbors want to stop and stare, the least I can do is wave ...

Congratulations on getting back on the bike. Addicting, isn't it?

~ Cindy, very recent biking convert :D

[greenmachine]

Way to go Bamakathy! :D

This is what happens... you start riding again and you start really liking it and remembering what it was like when you were riding before. Then you start riding more because it starts getting easier and you start loving it even more. Then you start seeing even more benefits like more energy on and off the bike, losing weight, eating healthier and before you know it you're completely addicted! :)

It's really great that you are riding again and enjoying it so much! :cool:

[Geonz]

ONe way to take away the negativity of a term is to overuse it without it being negative. Creative terminology can be fun, though!
I"m with latelatebloomer: ah, yea, there might be a 20 year old who thinks you don't have a right to *exist*, much less be a blot on his/her otherwise unblemished visual field ... but the rest of the imperfect souls are smiling and saying, "SHE ROCKS!!!"

[Tater]

Way to go! Keep up the awesome work!

[CorsairMac]

Heckie dern Bama - my thighs burn every day too! ROFL.....I just treat that as a sign that I've ridden today! Keep up the good work ma'am - it just gets better and better!!


and tyvm for buying a helmet....good thing we didn't know you were riding without one! :o

[Tuckervill]

But...ya know...here and in other threads...I can't help wondering if us plus-size gals are doing ourselves a disservice by always referring to ourselves as "fat ladies" and so on? I'm a total Amazon myself, but maybe we should start referring to ourselves as Queen-Size, Generously-Proportioned, or even Aerodynamically-Reubenesque? I guess I'm just sensitive, but I can't help thinking we're not doing our self-image any favours by calling ourselves "fat" all the time, even if it's tongue-in-cheek.

I think the most common term is "Athena", and male riders of the king-size genre are called Clydesdales. I love being an Athena, but hate the term Clydesdales. Although it does imply a certain strength and endurance that thoroughbreds are not known for.

Karen

[Eagle-Eye]

You are doing great! I just wanted to echo what everyone else is saying. Oh, and I like the term "Athena" too. Nothing like referring to yourself as a Goddess to lift your spirits ;)

[HipGnosis6]

I think the most common term is "Athena", and male riders of the king-size genre are called Clydesdales. I love being an Athena, but hate the term Clydesdales. Although it does imply a certain strength and endurance that thoroughbreds are not known for.

Karen

I'm not a big fan of the Athena OR the Clydesdale appelation. Where did they get Athena from? I mean, in mythology she was a virginal goddess but always resolutely fit - so why would her name be used for large-size female athletes?

You can fairly call me an amazon, though - but not because I'm a fat girl (which I am), but because I'm 6' or taller.

When I was boxing, I was "that d**ned valkyrie" to some of the other girls :p

[GreyJ.J.]

What do tou care? You're riding,doing something for yourself AND having FUN doing it. Oh, and those stares may just be stares of admiration for what you are doing!! Ride on !!

[Tuckervill]

I'll settle for Athena, at a mere 5'4". I'm resolutely fit, too, but no longer virginal. ;)

Karen

[PAP103]

I'll settle for Athena, at a mere 5'4". I'm resolutely fit, too, but no longer virginal. ;)

Karen

I'll take any of the non negative terms listed here: Queen sized, Generously proportioned, etc.

Here are a couple of pet names my dad had for me:

Crisco Kid - fat in the can
Five by Five (referring to height by width)
Fat Pat (my name is Patty)

I'm 5'2" and generously proportioned. Call it what you want. Anyone with extra weight has heard all the hurtful names. I think we're all beautiful and special in our own ways.

Patty

[CorsairMac]

whereas I'm still virginal and fitter than I was! ;)

as for the Clydesdale: my first thought when I read that was: they're sleek, they're gorgeous, Everyone Loves them and they pull a beer wagon!! How can I be a Clydes?? ;-)

[AutumnBreez]

Good for you! :cool: When I see a larger person riding, I usually think - they're not going to be that size for long!:D

I really think you are doing well and say to you to keep on riding!

[Geonz]

Yea... when I toss those slabs of amber into my bags... I can be a Clydesdale, too! Wait, let me check my ankles for hair...

[DirtDiva]

as for the Clydesdale: my first thought when I read that was: they're sleek, they're gorgeous, Everyone Loves them and they pull a beer wagon!! How can I be a Clydes?? ;-)

My thoughts exactly, except for all the words that aren't "beer." :D

[mtkitchn]

Once I stopped competitive swimming and started plumping up in my teens, my dad used to say I looked like ten pounds of sh*! stuffed in a five pound bag. If he could only see me now!!! Not that I'm Paris Hilton, but I don't give a rat's *** what anyone thinks except ME!
Keep on riding, and I'll bet you look AWESOME! Hope you like the way riding is making you feel!

[arnaew]

I'd never been overweight until I hit middle age - now I'm 87k (about 190lbs). I'm 5'8" so I'm carrying about 10k too much according the weight/height indeces for my age. However, I work out with weights, and have never been so strong and I ride around 200k per week, so I'm healthier than any of my women friends. But I still see that look on people's faces as I cycle by - I interpret it as "that fat chick on the bike is on her way to the shop for a packet of Tim Tams (a chocolate dipped chocolate cream filled chocolate biscuit)". Only I know that I've just climbed Norton Summit, a hill that they probably couldn't walk up! I do call myself the "fat chick", as a way of diminishing the phrase's impact. It's a bit like reclaiming "queer", I guess. You have to figure out why you're so sensitive to it - conditioning ? Guilt? Role failure? For me, as a totally unreconstructed feminist, I agree with Susie Orbach that 'Fat Is A Feminist Issue' (1978) - unfortunately, even if you come to terms with your own size, that doesn't mean that everyone else does.
So this fat chick gets upset occasionally, but usually it's misdirected, like when I want to buy some clothing and I realise that the only thing you can buy in size 16 is dull, shapeless, colourless and boring, or worse, when some cretinous manufacturer has labelled it 16 and you can't get it over your chest much less your hips, and you burst into tears because you're just a fat chick... I should be getting angry at the manufacturer/designer/stockist, but no, we turn it on ourselves, we are not worthy etc etc. Bugger them all. I'm going out for a ride on my new bike. Pictures posted asap. (And I just might pick up some Tim Tams on the way back.:D )
A

[bikerbabe]

Hey thats great..... and your right it dont matter what anyone else thinks so long as your having fun..... you go girl!!!!:p

Zoe

[Duck on Wheels]

I'd never been overweight until I hit middle age - now I'm 87k (about 190lbs). I'm 5'8" so I'm carrying about 10k too much according the weight/height indeces for my age.

Jus' like me. :) I'm about an inch taller and a pound heavier, which oddly enough makes me a full size larger, but mostly I'm just not as good a cyclist as you yet. Oh, that prob'ly explains the size thing. Got it. I'm carrying fat; you're carrying muscle. OK. Back to the gym Sunday for another workout. And out to do hill repeats soon as the bike gets here. Hope some day I get to where I can do 200k a week.

As for the shopping thing ... I've found a few places I can reliably find things that fit, that have bright colors, and that allow me to look "zaftig" and/or athletic rather than shapeless. Having found those places, I pretty much boycott the rest. Don't know where such places might be in your part of the world, but good luck looking for them. If it's any comfort, some of us also have to suffer the same when buying shoes. Shoes are very rarely cute in a size 12! In fact, they very rarely fit well, even when they (very rarely) can be found. I once had to buy several days' worth of clothes (for lectures, meetings, dinners) in Zagreb when my luggage didn't arrive. My petite hostess took me all over town looking for ANYTHING in my size at all! Amazingly, I finally found one skirt, two tops, and one pair of shoes -- all still among my favourites.