what's in shape for you?

[atombessy]

I'm curious about everyone's weight/height and how it corresponds to your riding and eating habits. For instance, I weigh about 140lbs, I'm 5'3, and just getting started "getting in shape" bikewise. I think I'd like to be a muscular 130lbs to be in ideal riding condition, and although I've done low carb diets to try to loose some weight/stay healthy I've found even two short rides a week are impossible without carbs. What do you guys consider your ideal riding shape? What kind of diets are you on (not to loose weight persee, just nutritionally)?

[Veronica]

5'5", weight 150 - 155, 21% body fat, (tested at the Davis Sports Med. Clinic), clothing size 10

I eat whatever I want, but do pay attention to portion size. I lost 30 pounds a few years ago just by decreasing intake and increasing output. :p I eat some carbs and protein at every meal.

Through the winter I do Spinervals or Spin class 3 - 4 times a week. Plus any outside rides I can get in. I think I'm in ideal shape when I'm riding and swimming a couple of times a week. But it's hard to fit it all in. In Spring/Summer/Fall I ride between 125 - 150 miles a week most weeks. More if I have an organized ride to do. My average pace on a solo ride (no drafting) is between 14 - 16 miles an hour, depending on wind and terrain.

Veronica

[Irulan]

what a great topic.

I've never been over weight, but I have been buff, about 6% bodyfat, back when I used to spend 3 hours a day in the gym. ( 20 years ago)I've had two kids, and my life is now about balance.

I'm 5'3, wieghed in at 122-25 for years after the kids were born, a good wieght for me. About 6 years ago, after getting treated for an anxiety disorder and starting some medication that I now take daily, I put on a bit and now wieght in right around 130-2. A caliper bf test put me about 22%.
I struggled with this for a bit, but I'm now getting comfortable with it. My hubby says I was too skinny before, the guys have let me know I have buns of steel and a great a** so what more could I ask for? My frame is medium/small, I've always tended to be more fleshy on the bottom than the top.

food... I've always been a fan of moderation in everything. I've never really dieted. These days, I focus on trying to get enough fruits and veggies in and to not eat too much. I try and snack on protien not carbs. I don't have much taste for a lot sugar and junk carbs, tho give me chocolate any day. I get bloated if I eat too many low quality carbs, I can feel it right away. I eat more small meals spread out through the day, instead of two or three big ones.

I've found it impossible to be an active athelete and eat lo-carb.. can you say "bonk"...?

My workouts consist of : winter anywhere 2/4 days a weeks at the gym for either a spin class or the eliptical, plus weights and maybe a day or two of skiing too
Summer riding 2/4 days a week and walking.

anyway, I"ll post a swimsuit photo if you will :cool:

Irulan

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/misc/images/pbeacon.jpg

[Veronica]

Great shot Irulan!

Here's my favorite swimsuit photo. Taken two years ago off the coast of Maine. That's the captain of the boat jumping into the water with me. The water temp. was about 52 degrees. We had to do it twice since Thom missed the shot the first time. The things I do for his art. :D

Veronica

http://www.tandemhearts.com/maine/schooner-2002/jumping-in.jpg

[MightyMitre]

Hey there! - remember me?

I've been away for a while but thought I ought to call in and say hello. I used to post a lot when I was at work, but my job role changed so I don't get so much time now.

Cool pics - you girls both look great! Picture of the summer are so good at this time of year for getting the motivation going. It's still a good while till it warms up here but summer shots always reminds me the good weather is just round the corner and I've just got to hang in there....:)

[Veronica]

Hey, I'd been wondering where you were! I tried to e mail you one day, but you have it set so I couldn't. I just missed your posts and wondered what was up. Glad to see you back!

Veronica

[MightyMitre]

Yes - dipped out there for quite a while so thought it was time I dipped back in.

Nice to see there's still plenty of familiar faces. Might fix my email address just in case I go missing again:)

[kpc]

I'm 5'7', 138 lbs. this is the most I've ever weighed non pregnant. I feel much stronger than i ever have and have way more energy. But my joints hurt when I run, so I have to limit that. I'd like to lose 5 lbs and see if it helps. But not enough to actually not eat what i like. I eat lots of good food, mostly vegetarian. But have meat several times a week. And treats such as ice cream and chocolate at least once a day. I'm sure that if I stopped working out I would be heavier, I eat way more food than anyone at work. I go to the gym before work for 45 min of weights or treadmill/bike/stepper 4 days a week and then on the weekend I do something fun for an hour or two. Once the weather warms up, I'll start riding outside for two or three hrs on weekends and a coupla hour rides during the week. I'll cut back on the gym. Believe it or not the exercise is more for fun and mental health. I have a desk job.
I haven't had any testing, I just do what makes me sweat and breathe faster.

[Irulan]

hey, I didn't think V would take me up on the swim suit pic so here goes. I've always felt bottom heavy, even when I was body-builder buff. This is way back on one of my crazy idaho rides, I actuall brought swim bottoms with me so I wouldn't have to dunk my bike shorts. kpc is right aboutexercise being for mental health, fun and fitness and not just about trying for pencil thighs. The tan lines' a giveaway as to what I like to do, eh?
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/misc/images/pcloon.jpg

[Adventure Girl]

Originally posted by Irulan
The tan lines' a giveaway as to what I like to do, eh?
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/misc/images/pcloon.jpg

I love your tan lines...:D Funny, though, I hate when I see them on my legs!! The pic is cropped, so we can't tell, but I bet you have the white feet to complete the ensemble!!

During the summer, the only time you don't look out of place is on your bike! I personally like a sundress (with spaghetti straps) with little strappy sandles and bike tan lines. Nice!!:)

[RdDezert]

Great pics!
As for myself, not having a scale in house for myself (twists my thinking!), using my clothes as my guide, and trying to get out nearly daily for SOME-thing. Even if it's errands, or egads! domestic goddessness. But then, a good book read all day is great shape for me too.

[annie]

Love those photos! I gotta get myself a digital camera....... Just don't want to spend the bucks right now, too many other places to spend it when you've still got 4 kids in school, two in college.

Anyway, I'm ALMOST 5'2, let's say 5'1.5. I weigh in at 120-122 depending on time of month. I have been able to keep it steady around that weight all winter this year, which for me is great. I usually put on some winter fat. Once I get out and start putting on the miles, I will probably drop about 5 lbs. without trying. I don't really diet, per se, just try to eat healthy. And definitely watch portion size! One thing to remember is that muscle does weigh more than fat. I've been faithfully lifting weights for about 4 months now. So I hope for most of my weight to be productive. I guess I will find out when I get out and start climbing the hills...... no matter how hard you try to make it at spin classes, it just is not the same! I usually spin 3-4 times a week, either x-country ski or hike a couple times a week, lift weights twice. When the biking season starts here, I work up to 150-200 miles a week. I am just waiting for spring...... I want to get out so badly! I envy those of you discussing your rides already!:p

[Spannah]

Hi all-I'm posting from the UK. although I've got loads of girlie mates I race with no one has set up a womens forum like this and I don't have the skills to do it so thought I'd join yours! Its interesting because its the same kind of chats us UK riders have - I guess bikes and women are the same the world over!
Anyway at the moment I weight in at around 126lbs, I'm 5'4", I think its a bit heavy for me as when I was racing really hard I got down to 119lbs which is were I want to get back to. My thigh's are carrying a load more muscle now and I'm riding stronger than ever so may be thats unrealistic. the lads I work with call me "sturdy" and tease me a bit but as long as they are powerful and win me races I can put up with having sturdy thighs! Does anyone know what pro women weigh in at and what their body fat is? I am a cat 2 at the moment and aiming for my elite licence.

Anyway I work in the bike trade and spend loads of time dossing around on the internet so expect to hear loads more from me!

Hannah.

[Irulan]

one of my ride pals is Cat 2 and rides for Terry. She was just recently tested at 18%, adn she's getting a lot of conflicting advice from her different trainers over what's appropriate.

Irulan

ps, welcome, this is by far the most active women's cycle forum on the web that I know of, and there are quite a few interenatioal folks, ,not just US. ( UK, Aus, Canada to name a few

[modbike]

hello all, just squeezing in here....;-)
I just bought a road bike, after lusting for it all last summer...(Lemond Reno, 52cm, starter's bike...)
I am 5'7" and weigh about 160lbs...most of that is on my trunk, my legs are fairly muscular....
I am def. trying to loose weight by working out and cutting back on portions,
but I come from a family that loves to eat and cook well, lots of cream sauces and such...and I am not yet at the point of giving up that amazing taste....
anyway, that's me....and fairly happy.....

[Trek420]

ok, this chubby gal is going to chime in now, I wasn't going to post because you're all waaaaay fitter than I am, or maybe I'm not overweight...just underheight. ;-)

I'm 5'1" and hover around 155-59. The most I've weighed was 180 and the least as an adult was 105 but I felt weak at that weight.

My PCP (whose specialty is heart conditions) says the charts say I should weight 105 but I'd be too weak at that weight to cycle or do martial arts. He'd like to see me at 120 but says if I feel weak/loss of muscle stop because fitness is more important. I've lost inches in the last few months, went down a pants size and now those are hanging off me and I feel strong so maybe I've added muscle, it could happen. I go by clothes and how I feel generaly, don't look at the scale.

[ChainsOflove]

WOW Veronica, 150 with 21% body fat, you must be solid muscle!
That's my goal, I guess close to what I used to be...have 30+ at 5/5 too. Am miserable with it.

Can't stay on a diet. I see the bike as my my only hope. Thank God its the only exercise I enjoy.

[kpc]

Like COL, I'm unable to stay on any diet for more than a few days. But for Lent I usually try to do something that requires a little will power. This year I'm going to attempt not eating snacks from 3P til dinnertime. That's my real wild snacking time. This is the first day... MANY people at work are doing Atkins or South Beach diets, I just don't understand how they manage the disclipline. But then they think I'm amazing for doing anything physical, when to me it's a treat.
Isn't 18 to 21 % really low body fat? What is considered normal?

[Veronica]

Thanks for the compliment. :)

I use to weigh 180 - it just sort of crept up on me. Everyone has their breaking point - for me it was the realization I'd have to buy clothes in a bigger size. A size that to me said, "You're no longer just a little plump - you're fat!"

I lost the weight by really looking at how much I was eating. I measured everything. Ate what I felt was reasonable amount and usually got up from the table wanting more. But I'd set a timer for 30 minutes before I would eat again. Usually that gave me enough time to realize, that I really wasn't still hungry. I also thought about when I ate, a lot of the time I ate out of stress, particularly at work, at home it was often from boredom.

I'd always been kind of active, but I went into overdrive, working out 8 times a week was my goal, split between cardio classes (usually spin) and swimming. I'd been a distance swimmer in college so swimming was my easy, relaxing workout for the day. I always work out with a heart rate monitor and my goal is to keep my heart rate in the 80% range when I'm doing a class. Swimming and outside riding are a different story. I didn't get serious about riding until after I'd lost the weight. If you're not working out with a monitor and weight loss/fitness is a goal, I'd really encourage it. It doesn't lie.

And it worked. I've kept the weight off for two years now. I'm convinced that different things work for different people. I could never do Atkins or any of its manifestions (South Beach etc.) The thought of cutting out entirely something I like to eat just wouldn't work for me. Cutting back I can do. Increasing my activity level I can do. But friends of mine have had great initial success with other methods.

It's something you have to do yourself though. As I'm fond of telling my fifth graders - Change comes from within. It's not always easy or pleasant, sometimes you fail, but if you want something bad enough, you have to stick with it. If you keep doing things the way you always have, you'll keep getting the same results. It works on some kids. :p Some just look at me and think, "Yeah, whatever."

I no longer measure my food and I now think of riding as a pleasure, not a workout. I spin and swim so I can have more fun riding outside.

So, reach for the stars and keep reaching until you get them, Chains!

V.

[Irulan]

Originally posted by kpc
Like COL, I'm unable to stay on any diet for more than a few days. But for Lent I usually try to do something that requires a little will power. This year I'm going to attempt not eating snacks from 3P til dinnertime. That's my real wild snacking time. This is the first day... MANY people at work are doing Atkins or South Beach diets, I just don't understand how they manage the disclipline. But then they think I'm amazing for doing anything physical, when to me it's a treat.
Isn't 18 to 21 % really low body fat? What is considered normal?
22-25 is "normal" according to my gym. 12% is something you'd see on a lean athelete.

What I have in common with veroninca is how I think about food. I don't ever diet. I think about quality in, WHY I'm eating, portion size. I think about substituting good foods for bad.

examples... instead of heading for carbs for snacks, I may grab a handful of nuts, some protien ( ususally slicee turkey or fruit and cheese); if i must have ice cream I serve myself 1/4 cup portion and eat it slow.

The afternoons snacking is a killer... I wait dinner until hubby gets home which can be as late as 7. So I really try to come up with filling, good for me snacks... like the above mentioned sliced turky with some cheese slices, or another protien.

I"ve learned to really enjoy things like plain steamed vegetables, no need to slather them in suaces.

When "they" talke about "lifestyle changes" this is the kind of stuff that's meant.

Sorry if I'm rambling, I was in the ER all night. Thought I had appendicitis, but it's a kidney stone waiting to be "birthed". BEtter living though painkillers.

Irulan

[kpc]

Whoa, sorry about a kidney stone! I always thought kidney stones were men's payback for never giving birth. But lucky you, as a woman you get to have kids and a kidney stone! Hope the "birth" is over soon.

[Veronica]

Irulan - I hope things get better REAL soon. Ouch!

V.

[spokes]

I lost the weight by really looking at how much I was eating. I measured everything.

damn those lifestyle changes, eh? i've been slooowly losing weight since christmas, only after making a conscious decision NOT to eat everything in sight. portion is a huuuuge part of it. i've started putting my dinner on side plates so my brain thinks i'm eating more than i am. (seriously, it works!) 'emotional' eating is also a gigantic obstacle for me. i eat when i'm bored, and i eat too much at work (my job is not very challenging, so food is a distraction for me). of course, biking helps everything!



My PCP (whose specialty is heart conditions) says the charts say I should weight 105 but I'd be too weak at that weight to cycle or do martial arts.

oh. my. god. i'm also 5'1". i haven't weighed 105 since i was 12, when my boobs were much smaller and i had no hips. i would look like i was starving to death if i weighed that little-- i inherited my mom's german 'rubanesque' figure. i think 'should' weights are misleading, but i generally think doctors are full of crap for the most part. (any doctors here? :p )



Thought I had appendicitis, but it's a kidney stone waiting to be "birthed". BEtter living though painkillers.

well, good luck, irulan. they say there is good and bad to every situation, but i think this one leans toward bad!:)

[grannydea]

Irulan

One word "OUCH"
Hope you are better quickly.
If its anything like gall stones I don't envy you. Been there done that.
Sending prayers for a fast recovery.
Dea

[pedalfaster]

Originally posted by spokes
portion is a huuuuge part of it. i've started putting my dinner on side plates so my brain thinks i'm eating more than i am. (seriously, it works!)


Here's a fascinating tidbit for those interested in portion control. I collect old plates and dishes. My "vintage" (1930s-1950s) dinner plates measure 9" across. My "modern" stoneware from Target? 10.5". No wonder we are all getting fat!



p.s. good healing thoughts to Irulan too! :)

[annie]

Oh, Irulan! Yikes! Never had a kidney stone myself but have watched my husband suffer through them more than once. I am hoping by the time you read this, you've passed the stone and are done with it!
Have you had them before? What type of stone is it? Miserable things no matter what.

annie

[Irulan]

Originally posted by annie
Oh, Irulan! Yikes! Never had a kidney stone myself but have watched my husband suffer through them more than once. I am hoping by the time you read this, you've passed the stone and are done with it!
Have you had them before? What type of stone is it? Miserable things no matter what.

annie
all I know about it is that the radiologist measuered it off the cat scan at 3mm which I guess is huge. I don't think its out yet ( have to strain the pee) but I just want to be doen..now I"m so nauseus I can't drink and that's not going to help things at all.

sorrry for being so graphic, it's either lay in bed, TV or internet...

i,

[sno4rent]

Get better soon Irulan!!!

~ Wendi

[kelrunran]

I'm 4 11 1/2 (yes the 1/2 matters :)) and weigh 106ish. This is the time of year when I start to get back "in shape". I am a runner that became a triathlete last year. However, during the winter I'm primarily a runner. By February I start to work cycling and swimming back into the routine. This winter I changed my "usual" game plan of running a marathon and decided to focus on lifting weights. After my first cycling season last year I found that my legs need a lot of help. Now, I'm actually kind of hooked on lifting - there is actually some muscle that I can see.

After going on my first road ride outstide on Sunday - I chased three men around for about 30 miles. Wow, "out of shape"! It got me thinking about the things I try to accomplish in a week; swimming, biking, running, lifting, two kids, working - was it all worth it? I'm happy to report with a resounding "yes" that I truly enjoy everything I do. So I don't get to one of my activities in the week - who cares! But I do love all this fitness stuff and some day hope to throw mountain biking into he mix.

Sorry to ramble....I'm getting in shape :D

[jobob]

Originally posted by Irulan
sorrry for being so graphic, it's either lay in bed, TV or internet... No worries, that's what we're here for
{hug}

[doctorfrau]

What is "in shape" for me?

More than I am now:(

I am currently the heaviest that I have ever been in my life (185lbs at 5'4"). Graduated college at about 125 lbs(20 years ago), but was doing nothing. I'm also not exactly petite - I wear a men's 9EEEE running shoe, and have big hands and a "generous" pelvic girdle. Let's just say I havent' seen a size 8 since Jr High!!

Went up and down with 3 pregnancies but was always able to get most of it back off again w/ power-walking.

Then came the mid-life crisis 4 years ago, and the depression that came along for the ride. Lost 27 pounds in 3 months.

Got counselling, got good meds, got a divorce, got a tattoo, got into medical school.... and got heavier. Studying is deadly -- not only are you sedentary doing it, but eating to stay awake happens too. I do the treadmill as often as I can, but the weight just keeps creeping.

Bought my used bike last year for my 40th birthday,and had a ball with it. I still havent' conquered the weight-creep, but I'm still wearing the same size, so maybe some of it is muscle?

Now I want a "new" bike (Specialized Sequoia), and am selling stuff on E-bay to raise the money - haha!

Anyway, it is heartening to read that you can be in decent shape and still not weigh what the supermodels do. I so glad to have found you all "REAL" women!!!
Thanks Ladies!!:D

[podium junkie]

I'm five foot seven and have weighed anywhere from 140 pounds to my recent winter weight of 120 pounds. I've been through anorexia, did the binge and purge on and off throughout high school, would exercise for hours a day, every day. I was never overweight, I just wanted to look like all those models on the covers of magazines.

I finally got my eating habits under control after I became pregnant with my first child. It has been eight years since I've conquered my eating disorders.

Last year I took up MTB racing and it was so weird being able to think of food as being "good" for me. I could eat and eat all the healthy stuff I wanted and I never gained a pound all season. By my last race I weighed 115 pounds but I swear I wasn't restricting my food at all!!

So in shape for me is any weight as long as I'm feeling energetic and strong!

I've been biking all winter at least twice a week, through blizzards and snow, and now that the roads I use as my training routes are dry, I'm upping my mileage and starting my "real" race training instead of just playing around. I also can't wait to get on my rollerblades again! Spring can't come soon enough!

Long Live the Bike!!!