January/February weight management challenge

HI- I just saw this thread and would love to join. I know I'm late but I need some sort of challenge to keep me motivated.

At first I was hesitant to join because most people don't understand why I need to lose weight. I always tell them that at my height (I can't afford to gain 5 pounds because I go up 2 sizes). However, seeing that there are several ladies in my weight/height category, I'm inspired.

Anyway, I was 110 on Jan 1 and would love to get back to 105 so I can fit into my jeans. If it's not too late, please add me to your list.

If anything can motivate me. I'm sure this board can!!
Thanks!

Veronica - what do you think of this person?

That's three-time U.S. Olympic Hockey Team medal winner Angela Ruggiero, a confident 5 foot 9 inch, 185 pounds. She could wax your a$$ in all its sizes. Chill out about the body image stuff, okay?

Do what you need to do to be fit and healthy, and let others be. If they have a few rolls, it may be healthiest for them.

http://www.womensrunning.com/articles/54

SK - Interesting article - thank you!

Wow. She is amazing. I wish I could remember the magazine that did the swimsuit or underwear shots of the different athletes - all totally different sports and some of those women didn't look rail thin or even traditionally "fit". But they were all strong.

My body fat ranges in the mid to high 20% range, according to triple site caliper testing, but I am riding better than I suspect I would have in my almost anorexic grad school years.

Serena Williams frequently has some rolls and manages to be pretty darn fit.

Hey - just wanted to comment on the article.

I too am conflicted. I absolutely believe that runway models are too skinny and that a majority of women can't identify with them. I think it's important to let women know that they should feel confident even if they are not a size 0 but that doesn't mean that they it's ok to not take care of yourself. The model they showed is beautiful but in my opinion, she didn't look strong or healthy. Neither model looked healthy, toned or strong (not that I should talk as I'm not toned either)

I agree with the reader who said :

'I don’t think the fashion world should support obesity, just as I don’t think it should support anorexia.'

I don't know, I have to noodle on this one as I feel like I'm being wishy/washy.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

That's three-time U.S. Olympic Hockey Team medal winner Angela Ruggiero, a confident 5 foot 9 inch, 185 pounds. She could wax your a$$ in all its sizes. Chill out about the body image stuff, okay?

Do what you need to do to be fit and healthy, and let others be. If they have a few rolls, it may be healthiest for them.

http://www.womensrunning.com/articles/54

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Nice post.

I am sure she could wax my azz. I never judge people's athletic ability by how they "look," after being dropped on the bike by all kinds of people. And i am the slowest runner in the world.
But, I still don't think rolls of fat are healthy or attractive. This may be society's way of influencing my thinking, but I am proud of the fact that I have a flat stomach and no back fat at age 58, after having kids, etc. I'm not anorexic, and I love to cook and eat. While I don't look like Veronica (because I am not quite as disciplined :)), I try to strive for a healthy, fit and strong look. I love my cycling thighs and calves. I don't feel "better" than others, but I am proud of how my athletic endeavors have influenced my life, in terms of what I eat and how I spend my time. I was a skinny, uncoordinated kid and in my mind I still am. The stuff I do has made me a better person in terms of my ability to take risks and feel "strong." And body image plays a good part in this.

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Originally Posted by maillotpois

Wow. She is amazing. I wish I could remember the magazine that did the swimsuit or underwear shots of the different athletes - all totally different sports and some of those women didn't look rail thin or even traditionally "fit". But they were all strong.

My body fat ranges in the mid to high 20% range, according to triple site caliper testing, but I am riding better than I suspect I would have in my almost anorexic grad school years.

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The original photos are kind of hard to find, but here is a blog post where they included all the images. I believe the original spread was to celebrate the diversity of olympic caliber bodies... (and it made me think that I probably should have considered weight lifting since Tara Nott and I have an awful lot in common).

http://ninamatsumoto.wordpress.com/2...e-for-artists/

As someone who has struggled with body image her whole life, I can relate to the need to see more than just one type of image in the media. But I will say that looking at the body of a super model is not much different than looking at the image of an olympic athlete from a young girl's perspective. Both could be classified as 'unattainable'. I was more influenced by the bodies of the women in my life than I was by the media. Though, I will say that the 1980 olympics made me fall in love with watching sports. Mary Lou Retton kind of changed my life, as corny as that sounds. She made me realize that I should appreciate my body more for what it could do and less for what it looked like. I started wearing shorts and short skirts a lot more after seeing her because I felt like my big, muscular legs looked better when you could see the muscles than they did when covered with pants. Thank heaven for leaving the 70's behind. Flat straight hair and flat straight bodies were not attainable for this teen - bring on the 80's!! :p

A great take-away message from the article SK posted:

"Barring any medical conditions such as thyroid imbalances or medication side effects, by exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet based on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, it’s normal to fluctuate within a 10-pound weight range. But to determine how healthy you are, keep track of your energy levels, how well you are performing athletically, and periodically check your standard health markers with your physician. That way, the numbers on the scale won’t matter as much."

Now, I take issue with the 10-lb weight fluctuation mentioned in the article; I personally consider a 2-lb weight fluctuation to be completly normal. But apart from quibbling with the actual number, this makes great sense to me.

It saddens me when people fret over a 0.5 to 1 lb weight gain. I think the body goes thru readjustments, and sometimes body weight will bounce around a bit, it's perfectly normal, imho. Probably has as much to to with your last trip to the bathroom as anything. :o

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

Mary Lou Retton kind of changed my life, as corny as that sounds. She made me realize that I should appreciate my body more for what it could do and less for what it looked like.

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Right on! We've come a long way, baby! :p

Twiggy was not good a role model.

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

The original photos are kind of hard to find, but here is a blog post where they included all the images. I believe the original spread was to celebrate the diversity of olympic caliber bodies... (and it made me think that I probably should have considered weight lifting since Tara Nott and I have an awful lot in common).

http://ninamatsumoto.wordpress.com/2...e-for-artists/

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Those photos are wonderful! Together, they really make a thing of beauty, don't they? Thanks for posting that link.

Here is a good post by Krista Scott-Dixon about embracing your body for what it is... (including those same olympic athletes photos):

http://www.stumptuous.com/why-dont-y...-fitness-model

Great article! My 2 takeaways:


Low bodyfat. By and large, fitness models are photographed only when they are in “contest shape”, which means that they have dieted down to a low bodyfat for a short period of time. In the “offseason”, most carry a higher bodyfat level because extremely low bodyfat levels are physiologically unmanageable. Many fitness shows hosted by models are filmed only a few weeks out of the year for this reason. And by the way, dieting down to 10-12% bodyfat is much, much less exciting than you would think. You do not feel sexy and attractive. You feel hungry. All you can think about is how crappy you feel, how hard it is to concentrate on anything, and how you would kill your own momma for a bag of Cheetos.

Frankly, I’m sick of other people telling me what I should look like.

Thanks, GLC!

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

Here is a good post by Krista Scott-Dixon about embracing your body for what it is... (including those same olympic athletes photos):

http://www.stumptuous.com/why-dont-y...-fitness-model

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Wow, check out Lynne Cox! Formidable swims.

Oh, and in all the excitement...I forgot to post my weight! I'm up to 147.1. Three splurge meals in one weekend will do that to a person. ;) I'm OK with it since my plan is to hold pattern until the 22nd when I will start actively trying to lose again. I don't think I'm *really* up two pounds, either...

"Don’t try to look like someone else. Try to look like yourself, only fitter. If you have big muscular legs, use them to squat with. If you have narrow hips, take up running. If you have wide shoulders and big hands and feet, enjoy beating the hell out of everyone else at swimming."

This is my favorite quote from the article GLC posted. Good reminder for all of us to celebrate what we have.

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Originally Posted by Susan Otcenas

"Don’t try to look like someone else. Try to look like yourself, only fitter. If you have big muscular legs, use them to squat with. If you have narrow hips, take up running. If you have wide shoulders and big hands and feet, enjoy beating the hell out of everyone else at swimming."

This is my favorite quote from the article GLC posted. Good reminder for all of us to celebrate what we have.

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Amen to that and not to sound preachy...........but how about celebrate being free of ALS, Cancer, or even yeah! I was born with all my limbs and my eyesight...........

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Originally Posted by Crankin

This may be society's way of influencing my thinking, but I am proud of the fact that I have a flat stomach and no back fat at age 58, after having kids, etc. I'm not anorexic, and I love to cook and eat.

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You are also most likely genetically blessed. I am about your size (weight and height-wise) and yet starting at around age 45, I started getting more tummy fat, more hip fat (love handles), and yes, back fat. At 50, these things have only gotten worse, especially since I've also put on a few lbs. lately. I also wear a C cup bra so have more fat there as well. I run, I bike, I walk, I do yoga, I don't even own a car, I have strong legs and a reasonably strong upper body for my size, and yet I have a higher % of body fat than is ideal and than I feel comfortable with. I would have to get down to about 95 lbs. or less (or have liposuction) to have a flat stomach again. I have rolls of fat on my belly when I sit down, and I hate it. :(

I also have lots of fat people in my family on both my mother and father's side back two generations. I eat a much healthier diet than any of them ever did, and am much more physically fit and active; and those facts are all that is standing between me and obesity. I am quite sure that if I lived the lifestyles most of my relatives did, I would be obese.

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

You are also most likely genetically blessed. I am about your size (weight and height-wise) and yet starting at around age 45, I started getting more tummy fat, more hip fat (love handles), and yes, back fat. At 50, these things have only gotten worse, especially since I've also put on a few lbs. lately. I also wear a C cup bra so have more fat there as well. I run, I bike, I walk, I do yoga, I don't even own a car, I have strong legs and a reasonably strong upper body for my size, and yet I have a higher % of body fat than is ideal and than I feel comfortable with. I would have to get down to about 95 lbs. or less (or have liposuction) to have a flat stomach again. I have rolls of fat on my belly when I sit down, and I hate it. :(

I also have lots of fat people in my family on both my mother and father's side back two generations. I eat a much healthier diet than any of them ever did, and am much more physically fit and active; and those facts are all that is standing between me and obesity. I am quite sure that if I lived the lifestyles most of my relatives did, I would be obese.

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I've never had a flat stomach and always have had a large chest, even when I weighed 95 pounds I was curvy. It is my genetic destiny. All the women in my family are round to one degree or another. I now wear a 32F or G bra. My body fat is higher than I want but the best I can do is be sure to work on staying fit and active, as you do.

Losing a lot of weight in my late 50s has left me with too much skin. Which is a drag but it is what it is.

My genetics are a mixed bag. While my mom was very petite and slim for most of her life (and active at a time when women weren't) she did start gaining in her mid fifties. Then she got diagnosed with an autoimmune liver disease, so all of anything about diet/exercise went out the window. She died at 67. My dad has had thin and quite heavy periods in his life, but I would say he is mostly thin. But, since my mom's death, he eats terribly and still smokes. He's never exercised.
I have very heavy relatives on both sides of my family. My mom's sister is 70 and very overweight. Three of my grandparents had periods of being overweight, with only my paternal grandmother being thin (and strikingly gorgeous) until the day she died. Needless to say, no one was active. My dad thinks i'm nuts, but humors me.
I have not been thin all of my life. I started gaining when I got out of college, lost the weight and was very thin until my early to mid forties. I struggled with an extra 10-20 lbs until I started cycling at age 48. I made a conscious decision, though, to always be vigilant. And, it's not easy, as you said, Emily. DH and I always say that just once, we would like to be like "regular" people, i.e. people who don't care what goes into their bodies and are not active. But, it's not meant to be. As you said, Emily, if I didn't live the lifestyle I do, I would be at least 30 pounds heavier.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

That's three-time U.S. Olympic Hockey Team medal winner Angela Ruggiero, a confident 5 foot 9 inch, 185 pounds. She could wax your a$$ in all its sizes. Chill out about the body image stuff, okay?

Do what you need to do to be fit and healthy, and let others be. If they have a few rolls, it may be healthiest for them.

http://www.womensrunning.com/articles/54

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No, not okay - since I am not about body image and I have never espoused that people should be a certain weight or BMI. Excess fat is NOT healthy. Why did you feel the need to bring in physical violence?

Yes, I am very proud of the hard work I put in to lose nearly forty pounds and keep it off. And I am thrilled with the progress I continue to make. Silly me for thinking that I might be able to encourage others to take charge of their lives and do what they say they want to do.

Veronica

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Originally Posted by Veronica

No, not okay - since I am not about body image and I have never espoused that people should be a certain weight or BMI. Excess fat is NOT healthy. Why did you feel the need to bring in physical violence?

Yes, I am very proud of the hard work I put in to lose nearly forty pounds and keep it off. And I am thrilled with the progress I continue to make. Silly me for thinking that I might be able to encourage others to take charge of their lives and do what they say they want to do.

Veronica

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Please do not be discouraged or discontinue encouraging others, with the myriad complexities in my life now that curtail my training time- I am so thrilled to add my time to the google spreadsheet you made! (:

Veronica, I feel like you do, though as I said before, my accomplishments are different. Why shouldn't I be proud of my healthy body? None of this is easy and if I couldn't get some positive self thoughts from all of my hard work, that would not be good. Yes, looking good and strong and lean enhances my self esteem. Is that bad?

By all means, be proud of what you've accomplished, and keep on doing what you're doing. Just remember that just because some of us have some extra fat (maybe more than is "ideal") doesn't mean that we're not healthy or have let ourselves go. :)

Veronica, I certainly appreciate the encouragement. Once I get my bike back, it's back to the indoor challenge for me.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

By all means, be proud of what you've accomplished, and keep on doing what you're doing. Just remember that just because some of us have some extra fat (maybe more than is "ideal") doesn't mean that we're not healthy or have let ourselves go. :)

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Nicely said.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

By all means, be proud of what you've accomplished, and keep on doing what you're doing. Just remember that just because some of us have some extra fat (maybe more than is "ideal") doesn't mean that we're not healthy or have let ourselves go. :)

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Yes, that.

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Originally Posted by Veronica

No, not okay - since I am not about body image and I have never espoused that people should be a certain weight or BMI. Excess fat is NOT healthy. Why did you feel the need to bring in physical violence?

Yes, I am very proud of the hard work I put in to lose nearly forty pounds and keep it off. And I am thrilled with the progress I continue to make. Silly me for thinking that I might be able to encourage others to take charge of their lives and do what they say they want to do.

Veronica

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You definitely should be proud of what you've accomplished! We're all pleased as punch for you to meet your goal but you have repeatedly implied that we should all have the same insanely low weight goal. Your reaction to the plus-size model and your pinch an inch thread saddened me. You sound like a reformed smoker but on a topic that isn't black and white.

What happened to the woman who encouraged but didn't judge? What happened to the woman who showed up for group rides and rode with the group, enjoying their company? Who never said a word about others' weight challenges other than to encourage everyone to stay positive and keep working. She's the one who got me to try Diablo for the first time and got me seeking other hills to climb. I miss her.

She also had a sense of humor and wouldn't have been deliberately obtuse about "wax your a$$." Nobody ever accused a cyclist of winning a race through physical violence. Well, OK, maybe Mark Cavendish. Oh, and Robbie McEwen. :p

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Originally Posted by Owlie

By all means, be proud of what you've accomplished, and keep on doing what you're doing. Just remember that just because some of us have some extra fat (maybe more than is "ideal") doesn't mean that we're not healthy or have let ourselves go. :)

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Owlie, ditto what everyone else said about this.

Wow, thanks for your honest reply. I hadn't realized I had become one of "those" people. I certainly never wanted to become preachy. :eek:

And I don't think everyone should be aiming for some absurdly low body fat. Everything I've read says the twenties are healthy.

Veronica

I more pound down 198 to 197 today...didn't get a chance to check with the scale last Friday due to the fact that I was off . Hoping to get rid of at least one more pound by this coming Friday.

I am going to chime in here. Its been mentioned that some of you feel you have low body weight, yet have too much fat. In the body recomposition world, this is referred to as 'skinny fat.' This happened to me many years ago when I allowed myself to lose too much weight on weight watchers, on a diet that was too low in protein. When I look back at those records, what I realized is that at a certain moment my percent body fat stayed the same, but I started to catabolize my lean body mass (i.e. muscle). Then, without any change to my diet and exercise program, I started to gain fat. That is because muscle is metabolically active, so as it is lost caloric needs go down. In time I gained more weight, of course putting on muscle as well to carry the fat. But this time, I targeted losing only the fat, by eating a diet high in protein (~1g protein/lb of LBM). So today, I keep my weight in the 140s, with a LBM of 110. That keeps my percent body fat in the low 20s, which seems to be comfortable for me to maintain. However, it terms of clothes size, I can still wear the clothes I bought when I was a 'skinny fat' 115 lb. So, ladies that are losing, consider diets that preserve lean body mass, and set your goal not on an arbitrary number on the scale (or too low a number), but on having a high strength to mass ratio, which is really what we should care about as cyclists.

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Originally Posted by Veronica

Wow, thanks for your honest reply. I hadn't realized I had become one of "those" people. I certainly never wanted to become preachy. :eek:

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I wouldn't have gotten up at the crack of stupid to deliver 'one of "those" people' to the Davis Double, or had ready a recovery milk shake in the middle of the night for when you finished.

I do love your enthusiam and drive, V, I do.

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Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl

....So, ladies that are losing, consider diets that preserve lean body mass, and set your goal not on an arbitrary number on the scale (or too low a number), but on having a high strength to mass ratio, which is really what we should care about as cyclists.

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This is a very good point! I've a high protein diet (medically ordered to preserve stable blood sugar), but I think I need to tweak my carbs more on a seasonal basis... As of this morning my weight is less than 2 pounds more than it was last January, but I KNOW my body fat is higher because of the pants I can't fit in any longer :o I will check into your suggestion.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

I wouldn't have gotten up at the crack of stupid to deliver 'one of "those" people' to the Davis Double, or had ready a recovery milk shake in the middle of the night for when you finished.

I do love your enthusiam and drive, V, I do.

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Thank you! and I truly appreciate you telling me what a real friend would.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program... more explosive push ups today! Ouch! But I got in all ten each time this week. :D

Oh wait... this is the weight management thread. I've been able to maintain through the winter. I'm pleased with that as I had reduced my cardio and I like my Christmas treats - especially champagne!

Veronica

I want to join, if it's not too late!

I read here more than post, but I think I need to start posting more.

My weight back on January 6th was around 163.8 lb (?). I had just gotten back from a trip and lots of eating out.

I'm still eating out like it's the holidays and I need to get back down.

My goal for March 2nd is to be under 160 lbs.

I know it sounds like a little goal, but I lose weight glacially (I have insulin resistance). I would love to be at 155 or less, but I don't think that will happen.

My only concerns right now, which is why I wanted to start posting, is that I am still riding, despite the cold, and I'm finding that I don't know what I should be eating to fuel my rides. We did a 50 mile ride on Sunday and my blood sugar was too low, despite eating carbs BEFORE and AFTER the ride. Any advice would be great.

Oh and one last thing. I don't know how to lose weight and still train!

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Originally Posted by Gypsy

.... We did a 50 mile ride on Sunday and my blood sugar was too low, despite eating carbs BEFORE and AFTER the ride. Any advice would be great.

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I also have insulin resistance, and I've found it is quite important for me to eat DURING the ride. Before/after is good, but during is equally important. After guidance from my specialist and dietician, I actually don't "count" what I consume before/during the ride.

When I first started riding I had to eat during every ride, regardless of length, but that's changed. I still, however, need to eat during any ride > 25-30 miles. <20 miles I just drink water, greater than that I have Heed in either bottle or hydration pack. For on-the-bike food I've learned that my body likes Cliff bars, for road riding I break them up and put them in my Fuel Belt that is mounted on my top tube. For a 50+ mile ride I need to have something like a PB and Banana sandwich stored somewhere and will also have Shot Blocs just in case - if it is hot I will also have a bottle of Accelerade. For mountain biking I judge this more by the amount of time I think I will be on the bike rather than distance as I am quite slow.

Of course our bodies are different, and some couldn't tolerate my Cliff bars as they are rather dense - but I've found that other bars or real food other than what I've mentioned either upsets my stomach or doesn't give me enough.

Considering your insulin resistance, would it be possible for you to visit a sports nutritionist who understands both cycling and insulin problems?

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Originally Posted by Gypsy

Oh and one last thing. I don't know how to lose weight and still train!

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Holysnot, I'm still trying to figure that out, too.

So far, I'm trying to attack it by dieting at the same time as cutting *back* on my cycling, doing more weightlifting. Bigger rides for me means WAY bigger appetite and gaining weight. Haven't found that sweet spot yet. :(

-- gnat!