weight

[SAMbike]

Glad to hear it! There's such a range of weights that work well for different heights. Again, it's all about what works best for you. Check out this chart:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?.../rider_weights

Happy riding!

[7rider]

Glad to hear it! There's such a range of weights that work well for different heights. Again, it's all about what works best for you. Check out this chart:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?.../rider_weights

Happy riding!

Wow. Interesting....
Well....I can't make myself any shorter, as I'm a bit taller than all those women's points. But I'd have to drop 20 pounds to be in their range....30 pounds if I want to be a successful climber.
Yikes!
Good think I have no dreams of being a "top pro" on the bike!

[GLC1968]

Wow. Maybe I'm looking at that chart incorrectly, but the women's weights seemed very, very normal. The men, on the other hand, seemed extremely light.

I looked up my height....and in comparison to women pro's my height, I'm about 10-15 lbs from being in the smack middle of the range...about what I expected seeing as how I'm about 10-15 lbs from my ideal weight.

When I looked up my husband's height, I was was shocked. For his height, he is almost 30 lbs over the men pros average. And my husband is not even slightly overweight! He just dropped 15 lbs at the beginning of the season to get where he is now and he doesn't have much spare weight to lose! He really would have to let his upper body atrophy significantly to compete (not that he plans to). I'll have to make sure he doesn't see this chart!

[7rider]

I'm 20 pounds from dead center, but geez, my DH is right there - just south of dead center in the "climbers" range. My whole family thinks he's some tall, skinny oddity!! I come from a family of hearty eaters!

[solveig]

Ok, so after looking at that chart, it seems I'm a bit on the light side. I'm 5'4", 105 lbs, and have built a lot of muscle since starting to ride more this year. I'm also a vegetable farmer, and schlepping sweet corn and cucumbers helps with the upper body. I feel good and strong - but I'm 5# lighter than the lightest climber for my height.

So do I aim to just try and build muscle? Is it even possible to build that much muscle? I just have my doubts that gaining weight via the baked goods route is really healthy...

Any insights? Thanks.

[run it, ride it]

okay--I've been there. High performance athlete (varsity running), 5'5", 115lbs, 17% body fat. Yes, even -heavier- than the original poster. But that was muscle, and let me tell you, my genetics do NOT dictate a thin build.

I looked like a freak. My period stopped, I lost my boobs; I -thought- I was eating too much because I kept collecting fat around my jaw and middle, but that was just my body going into starvation mode. I had to stop running due to injury; thought it would be a few weeks offtime.

Two years later, I think I -might- be ready to go back into light speed training. But with my injuries I simply cannot push the speed. Cycling has been a godsend: non-impact excercise that I can't hurt myself with the same way I did running; easy on the asthma; builds all the right muscles. When I was too injured to run a track practice, the workout was modified and I sentenced to the stationary bike. Now, I hardly think of cycling as a second-rate sentence!

I am finally getting my curves in the right places. The weight under my chin is dissipating. I know when I'm hungry and don't just have to guess. My metabolism isn't going to speed up any and my digestive system is a nightmare, so I have to be extremely careful of what I eat--but damn it, I look like a girl!

I look THINNER now at 124lbs because I have a jawline and a waistline. My hormonal levels are normal. I feel emotion again; trust me, going from 'training too hard to feel anything' to 'experiencing all repressed emotions from aforementioned time period' is no walk in the park.

What I'm trying to articulate is: DON'T push your body past its normal function. Doctors will tell you it's 'normal' for high-performance athletes to stop menstruating. Normal does not mean healthy. Your hormonal levels are worth more than a few percent body fat.

[hellosunshine]

bother,ill come clean,usede to have anorexia,over the last year its been nipping at my heels,now im more under weight and depressio n has kicked in i havent the energy to be happy and bike performance in decline,need to get on top of this NOW dr has prescribed antidepressants and ive had to rehome my dog as its another stress.so,does anyone know of a sports nutritionalist that would understand the bike and eating disorders,one prob im having over here is as im 48kg im not considered a liability even though im 5'5 1/2" so the medical staff keep ignoring my weight loss.i know it needs to be adressed,surley there are some sports people that do offer paid advice through the world of email etc.i feel daft now as ive kinda touched on the topic but time to be more honest now.

im ususally such a bright bubbly spark too,need to get myself back together asap!

[Dogmama]

A few thoughts from a person who suffers from depression when she isn't actively treating it:

Carbs are "feel good" foods. They need to be complex carbs - think oatmeal, whole grain breads, etc. This will boost your serotonin level.

Are you getting therapy? Talk therapy combined with antidepressents has been shown to be the best combination.

Are you getting your meds from a psychiatrist or from a regular MD?

Regular exercise is good but limit yourself. One hour on the bike every other day, for example.

Do you suffer from SAD? Are you more depressed in the winter? Light therapy might help.

How is your alcohol consumption? Drugs?

[Pedal Wench]

You might try getting in touch with someone who's been down your path: www.dotsiecowden.net. Dotsie is a pro-racer, who's overcome her eating disorder, and even more. Plus, she's just a sweetheart. You can use the 'contact us' on her website. Since she's interested in training, she would be more than happy to help you with your issues. I've emailed with her about a bunch of things, and she's very willing to help.

Good luck, and keep us posted. Don't suffer this alone.

[CycleChic06]

okay--I've been there. High performance athlete (varsity running), 5'5", 115lbs, 17% body fat. Yes, even -heavier- than the original poster. But that was muscle, and let me tell you, my genetics do NOT dictate a thin build.

I looked like a freak. My period stopped, I lost my boobs; I -thought- I was eating too much because I kept collecting fat around my jaw and middle, but that was just my body going into starvation mode. I had to stop running due to injury; thought it would be a few weeks offtime.

Two years later, I think I -might- be ready to go back into light speed training. But with my injuries I simply cannot push the speed. Cycling has been a godsend: non-impact excercise that I can't hurt myself with the same way I did running; easy on the asthma; builds all the right muscles. When I was too injured to run a track practice, the workout was modified and I sentenced to the stationary bike. Now, I hardly think of cycling as a second-rate sentence!

I am finally getting my curves in the right places. The weight under my chin is dissipating. I know when I'm hungry and don't just have to guess. My metabolism isn't going to speed up any and my digestive system is a nightmare, so I have to be extremely careful of what I eat--but damn it, I look like a girl!

I look THINNER now at 124lbs because I have a jawline and a waistline. My hormonal levels are normal. I feel emotion again; trust me, going from 'training too hard to feel anything' to 'experiencing all repressed emotions from aforementioned time period' is no walk in the park.

What I'm trying to articulate is: DON'T push your body past its normal function. Doctors will tell you it's 'normal' for high-performance athletes to stop menstruating. Normal does not mean healthy. Your hormonal levels are worth more than a few percent body fat.

So happy to hear that I'm not the only one that has experienced this. I went through the same thing. Swim team did it for me, I am 5'4, and somewhere around 105 lbs. My period stopped, I had almost no body fat, I was a stick. I can't imagine what was going on with my body because at the time I know I wasn't getting enough nutrients to keep myself healthy, who knows what kind of long term damage I've done to my bones and organs. Worst of all I just looked sickly thin.

Here I am a 8 years later, I weigh 135lbs - yes 30lbs is a lot and it's a little more than I would want, but that's ok (I'm vowing to take off 10lbs). I feel good, I look healthy and people I haven't seen since I weighed 105lbs tell me how good I look. And I still get comments on how skinny I am - even at this weight (I guess I hide it well).

But just really think about the long term damage you are doing to your body, it's not worth it. When you're old and gray you still want to be riding, or just even walking for that matter.

[spokewench]

I'm a little above average - but my husband is still in the climber arena at the age of 52! He is disgusting! He has the highest metabolism I have ever seen.

If I could bottle that metabolism, I could make a fortune.

[Brandi]

Wow 110 and 5'5 sounds good to me I would take that! I guess we all need to be different in our own minds. I have been the same weight for years now (give or take a pound or two) and I ride almost every day, yoga etc... And i seem to stay the same. I am not as tone as I used to be but i should be happy that I am built pretty good. OK I ACCEPT MYSELF! There I said it! Who is going to join me!

[Bluetree]

Being underweight definitely means loss of performance. Last year after a nasty car accident, I could no longer exercise and burn the calories I was taking in. Afraid of getting fat, my "solution" was pretty stupid... I stopped eating. After a while, the lack of exercise and reduced intake made me lose my appetite all together. I also slept a lot more, my period slowed by half, and I had no energy or inclination to go out and do things. When my weight dipped into the low 90s my parents became so worried that they hinted at an intervention.

The light switched back on after I put on a pair of pants and they fell off. At the time, my chagrin had less to do with my weight and more like, "I paid $250 for these pants so I better be able to wear them!"

After that I started eating regularly again. When it was back to a normal 105-106, I resumed my fitness activities and started feeling healthier all round. Now at around 112, I feel as strong as I have ever been. Much stringer than at 105. And I really don't care about being thin anymore... the feeling of sheer POWER I can feel coursing through my legs offset any vanity or insecurity about body image. And my pants fit again!

Confucious may not agree, but for me DOING is more rewarding than simply BEING.

[spokewench]

Okay, I'm going to tell you my story of weight and it may not seem so hard cause I've never been heavy, but it does describe how being too thin can just not be too healthy!

In my late teens, early 20's, I was an exercise girl on the thoroughbred race track. I wanted to be a jockey, but never quite made it that far (but that's another story). At that time, I was a skinny kid; I never weighed much more than 103 pounds and most of the time closer to 100 (I'm 5'4"). Remember I wanted to be a jockey and that is one profession where being obsessive about your weight is pretty important AND VERY DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR HEALTH. Being a girl and young and just thin naturally helped me out. I didn't have to take Lasix (diuretics), sit in a hot box, starve myself, throw up everything I ate, or anything like that. BUT, there were many days when I was not feeling too good and really should have been eating more so that I could feel strong. Some days those horses would just pull my arms out of the sockets and I can remember one day when I wish I had more strength cause I had a horse bolt right thru the outside rail - talk about scary. (Me and the horse ended up okay, scraped up real bad, but not seriously injured) My sister thought I looked sickly and she was probably right. Looking back, I would have been a lot better off if I had weighed more and had more muscle. The guys were not as lucky as I was since they were mostly bulkier and more muscle bound being the guys they were so they were doing all those things listed above and more! Suffice it to say, most jockeys do not live long and healthy lives because of the practices they have to keep to stay thin

So, later in my 20's when I took up cycling, I was weighing more in the range of 110 pounds and let me tell you this was really a lot better for me. I was stronger, fitter, more full of energy and feeling pretty healthy. However, I was never a very good climber (some of this was because I was a new cyclist, but some of this was because I did not have the strength at that weight). It is different for everyone.

So, in my 30's, I went up to 115-118 and this was probably my ideal weight. I was strong, but still light enough. I got to be a decent climber at that weight.

Now, in my mid 40's, I weigh around 123-125. Wow, that's a lot more than I was when I was young huh. Am I slower up hill - Well, surprise, surprise, No, if I train, I'm just as fast uphill if maybe not faster.

So, remember, weight is not everything. It has a lot to do with training, fitness, strength to weight ratio, etc. Lighter does not mean better!

[hellosunshine]

you darlings!all i need now is a printer,print off these experiences and post them around my room,thatd be fantastic motivation,THANKYOU.


FEEL SO MUCH BETTER BEING HONEST AND SHARING IT ALL.