It's that time of year again: winter lbs

[whippetgirl]

Hi,
Please be kind to yourself.
I light candles in the winter because, even in No. Cal., I get a little blue because the days are short and I can't be outside as much (I love to be outside).
I make myself a cup of tea, light the candles and....it helps.
I am 51 and have noticed every year I gain about 5 lbs. in the winter, and then, it seems to go away in the spring. This is a pattern that seems to be true for me since I was in college. There are rhythms to the seasons.
Staying active will help you mentally feel good about yourself, too.
Oh, and make sure you are balancing some protein with each of your meals.

[tygab]

Ok, I know this is a late reply, but this caught my eye:

5'5" and 115-118lbs in the summer, 120-124lbs in the winter

Huh?? You are 5'5" and weigh less than 125? That is completely normal for someone who is a "small" frame and less than normal for someone who is average or large boned.

I weigh 115-118 and am 5'3" and I sure wouldn't want to be any skinnier - this is considered the low end for my height by almost all charts. And yeah, I even do have a little softness around the tummy but I don't care, I don't wanna look like a supermodel with every bone sticking out. Of course, that's my opinion.

Anyway I do understand that 5 lbs can seem like a big difference, I've been there (somewhere deep in my parents home are some pictures of me that prove this) but I hope it's really about how you feel when you're being active, and not about how you look. If you feel like the weight is slowing you down when you want to run and ride, that's one thing. I know when I started exercising this year, that was how I felt - my flab was not helping me achieve my goals to ride and run, so I focused on converting it, rather than feeling morose about it! If you are worried about the physical look, that's another. As long as you are being active and eating sensibly, I think you will be just fine.

You mentioned being worried you will end up like your mom. If I read this right, she wasn't active before her weight crept up. So, simple solution - stay active, girl! Ride that trainer, run races, spend time with your chevals, etc. And of course, eat sensibly - but that's not unique to you, we all need to do that. For reasons more than appearances.

By the way I have a big barrel chest too at least it feels like I do. I just wish it contained Lance-esque lungs (hah!).

May I ask what you consider your ideal weight to be?
BTW at 21 you got a loooong way to go . There *will* be physical changes, on average every 7 years or so, and that's just part of the fun. Don't over stress about them... learn how you can use them to your advantage! Of course, I amn't that much older, just coming up on my mid 30s now... and having a blast....

-T

[run it, ride it]

tygab, thank you. Your post made me smile. I -do- have Lance-esque lungs, but the asthma cancels out any benefit I don't want bones sticking out--I'd just like to stick to one chin! And there is no WAY my hipbones will ever stick out. I have obliques as hard as rocks overpowering them, which I'll take over pointy hips any day.

My ideal weight is about 115lbs. In my profile picture (1.5 years old) I'm about 113lbs, because I had built only really lean muscle from the elliptical, which was the only machine I wasn't too injured to use!

The cheval has his own problems that I've had to come to terms with. He is chronically lame (arthritis), but light excercise keeps him mobile and happy. He'll never be the muscley powerhouse he once was with daily hard training, but I actually think he's happier just doing light fun work. I know that I'm definitely happier doing lighter excercise than varsity running!

I've heard it time and time again, especially during some of my more serious injuries when I was running myself into the ground to stay peaked: "don't think of now, think of ten years from now. You want to still be able to run." Watching my horse go lame (due to accidents, not over-training) really made that hit home. He will never be able to walk without a limp. If my being able to still run in ten years means five extra pounds... I'll take that body over one that can't run at all from overtraining.

whippetgirl, no worries: I consume eggs and dairy for protein, as well as whey powder, nuts, and fortified cereal. I also lit a few candles; you're right, very soothing. Thank you!

[KnottedYet]

But I feel good, workouts feel good, I'm in my "thin jeans"...yes, I know by any charts I could drop 25+++ lbs and I probably will lose both lbs and inches by the AIDS ride in June.

But I'm not sweating it; I feel good on and off the bike, that's what counts.

I can vouch for her, she feels *damm* good!

[tygab]

Sorry to hear about your buddy (and about your asthma ). But, it sounds like you and he will enjoy many easier days together, and you have the right attitude. Among my other life stories I've had 2x ACL surgery which gave me a lot of appreciation for being able to be healthy and move around.

115 seems like a pretty reasonable weight for where you are in life. I am happy to be in the 115-118 range and especially to know it's from a healthy lifestyle.

Your last comment reminded me of something I've read in one of my many books on tri training etc. I don't have the citation off the top of my head, but paraphrased, was something like better to be able to do 90% for 20 years, than 100% for 2.

And, just remember, we are NOT that far away before the days get longer! As much as the cold dark days of Nov & Dec drag on, I take great satisfaction knowing that we start gaining the upper hand again before the New Year.

[Trek420]

uhm, thanks for the endorsement hun

that is I did feel good till I went shopping

I hate shopping, unless for bike or athletic stuff

When I shopped in the "round as I am tall" stores there were more choices. 1x, then 22, then 20 petite pants were actually my length.

Now down to 16s whoo hoo but even in petite...way too long (and womens don't tailor like mens....I could go to Nordstrom I think they do) so tooo long is just too long and don't anyone tell me "wear heels", 'cause I ain't gonna.

By June I'll probably be down another size or two. At that size maybe just maybe they finally figure out "oh, 12 and petite....like maybe she's short? "

till then seems like everything I find and like and fits...way too long.

[Bikingmomof3]

Boots make all my pants just the right length.

[lph]

Today I had the day off to take care of evil-infernal-combustion-vehicle so while waiting I hit the gym.

Loved this!

I have a fairly stocky build, medium height, and can easily fluctuate by 2-4 kgs (multiply by 2,2 to get lbs?) according to how much I exercise. Way back when when I rode race horses I dieted and dieted HARD. And decided I'd never diet again. I don't have a scale, but weigh myself every once in a while at the gym. And what I weigh seems to mostly correlate with how much weight training or climbing, i.e. muscle building, I've been doing. I can feel thin but still be "heavy".

So weight is just an irrelevant number to me. If I bike or ski a lot, and eat a lot of protein (I eat a lot no matter what, restricting my intake just makes me antsy) I feel thin and my clothes fit. In winter I get hungrier too, and eat more. Keeping your body warm burns quite a lot, I think, and I often overcompensate. No matter - it goes away again!

And no matter what I weigh - I have no boobs, and no waist, and no hips either actually. Good thing I have some shoulders on the top I'm old enough to appreciate that my body works WAY better than a lot of other people's, even though it's nor particularly petite or feminine.