Mainting a healthy weight... when you're underweight

I'm a pretty tiny person, 5'1" and weigh 95 lbs. I want to get on my bike a few times a week but I don't know how far I should be going.

It is my understanding that you can OVERdo it, and as I am a bit underweight at this time I want to learn how to eat so I can still ride to my hearts desire without risking my health...

Suggestions??

Also going to add, and hoping no one 'throws' anything at me. I eat well throughout the day, maybe not the best foods (which is why I am here), but I am eating. My last check up with Dr showed SLIGHTLY elevated thyroid levels but nothing to warrant the need for medications.

HOw often do you ride now and how far?
Do you do any other physical activity regularily?

If you are eating normal meals, then you could do up to 30 kms. daily with double or triple on weekend days. I used to ride this distance daily, between home and work when I lived in other cities and depending on where I was working.

I'm about 98-100bs. at 5'1". Long time TE forumites know me and know that I'm not starving myself at all.

I've been cycling for about last 19 yrs. Certain years,I have done up to 7,000kms. annually. But not this year. More like one-third of that. Oh well, I still feel good.

On long rides 100 kms or if I'm cycling full double pannier weight on a cycling trip, then I will eat bigger meals at the beginning of day as well as something during the ride.

I've never really analyzed if I'm underweight. No doctor has told me to put on weight, they just tell me I'm in great health, etc. Except at my age (going on 53 in a few months), I just can't consume too much sugar, high glucose food...ie. white rice, etc. That has nothing to do with my weight.

In my personal opinion, I'm average for a small-boned Asian. This is why I don't even worry about being underweight.

Perhaps the best thing is to outline the food/dishes you would normally eat during 1 day. Cruise around some of our meals here: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...=33746&page=85

I was borderline underweight when I started riding. I put on so much muscle, I gained almost 15 pounds in about 5 years of riding.
and it's all in the right places.

This may sound strange: Maintaining a healthy weight or even putting on some pounds should work the same as losing some pounds if you are overweight.

If you make sure you eat various healthy meals throughout the day - it's a bit hard to tell the exact amount you should be eating; some people do better on fewer but bigger meals and some like to eat more, but smaller meals; a lot of people do fine on 3 meals and 1 snack per day - you should do just fine.

Make sure to get enough protein if you do a lot of sports, generally, try to eat a balanced diet by getting protein, veggies and carbs with every meal. Eat a small meal directly after a long ride.

Can you rely on your hunger (do you eat enough if you don't control your portions?) - then you will probably eat more if you ride more. If you have the feeling that you can't rely on that, maybe just track you calories, watch your incoming and outgoing calories and make sure that you eat enough to not produce a calorie-deficit by the end of each day.

Just start riding, monitor your weight, and eat the best diet you possibly can. Experience will tell you what you need to eat during rides (my advice is to have plenty available -- I need more than I would have thought possible, and it feels awful to not eat enough).

Especially in winter, I burn so many calories cycling that I eat all the time. At first, I fell into some bad habits -- filling up on cheese and crackers, for example. I improved my planning/shopping skills, and did much better during my second winter of cycling.

The TE food/nutrition threads are a great resource for ideas and inspiration. One example is this recipe for Almond Butter Brownies -- yummy and nutritious, and I'm just about to make some with pumpkin.