Starting out on the road not the gym

[VeloVT]

Lisa, while I totally support your sentiment I'm going to gently disagree with your rather categorical statement that "120 lbs is too thin for someone 5'5" to be."

I'm 5'6" and currently 125. (FWIW I'm 27). Last summer I was 120 & looked and felt better, and I'm trying to get back down. Between biking, running, swimming and **weight training**, I'm pretty strong and I have some seriously big thighs (my bf and I have a running joke that I beat him up hills b/c my "thigh to weight ratio" is bigger than his, because my thighs are in fact an inch bigger than his. I'm alternately proud and a little mortified by this). I also have decidedly curvy hips/butt and that's where the extra five pounds is right now, and it's not muscle . When I was lighter I felt better not because my rear looked a little less jiggly in a bathing suit, but because I felt faster, stronger and more energetic.

I say this only to illustrate that we all have different frames and body types and depending on these factors, women of the same height can be healthy at a very wide range of weights. But I certainly don't mean by sharing this anecdote to encourage a sort of race to the bottom where thinner is always better.

My suggestion to the poster (I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name, promise I'll check after posting and remember next time) is to keep eating healthily (don't "diet"), and to add miles. Cycling burns **around** 40 cals per mile (varies greatly due to speed, wind, bike weight etc), running burns about 100 cals per mile. So if you can work in some longer rides or some runs regularly on weekends or after work, I think you'll start to see some weight loss, along with some gorgeous muscles !

Good luck. I think we've all been there (or are there).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa, while I totally support your sentiment I'm going to gently disagree with your rather categorical statement that "120 lbs is too thin for someone 5'5" to be."

Actually, I said "If you ask me 120 is still too thin for someone your height to be"
which clearly identifies it as my opinion, not as a "categorical statement".

But other than that I agree with everything you said!

[VeloVT]

Actually, I said "If you ask me 120 is still too thin for someone your height to be"
which clearly identifies it as my opinion, not as a "categorical statement".

But other than that I agree with everything you said!

Well, the statement is categorical (regardless of whether or not you explicitly identify the view as your own) because you've applied the characterizations "too thin" and "having no muscle" to an entire category of persons (those 5'5"ish and 120 lbs), without admitting the possibility of exception. There are a lot of folks generally in that category and some of them (me) might object to being thus characterized. (Plus if you saw me, you wouldn't be tempted to call me those things).

However, I'm in complete agreement with the general view that it's much more important to be healthy and strong than it is to be thin.

[mimitabby]

I'm someone who's never had to worry about my weight. after I started seriously riding my bike I GAINED almost 10 pounds. A lot of it was in my abdomen, but most of it was in my legs. I filled out and my thin legs got
bigger and nicer. As I continued to ride and work out this year, I have lost a couple of those pounds and converted some of the fat to muscles in my shoulders and arms and back. So now I weigh about 122 lbs and i am 5' 3.5"

I think the fashion industry has not a clue as to what a woman should look at. THey use anorexic models to hawk their wares and as you all know the average american is rather overweight, there's a big disconnect there.

So like Lisa, I try not to pay attention!

[Velobambina]

I think Lisa's response was well-intended, and I agree w/the essence of her posts.

I'm 5'5" and right now, I'm about 120-125lbs. I have a very small frame, but I am muscular (in addition to riding, I row, hike, and lift weights).

To be honest, I feel comfortable anywhere from 120-140lbs. I don't weigh myself--go by which size clothes I'm wearing. Right now, I prefer being on the lower end of my range because I'm faster on the bike and can really power up hills. I love being strong and get a kick out of people making comments about my "guns." LOL. I'm 44 years old, for crying out loud, and I could do more push ups than most of my male coworkers.

When I was running half- and full marathons, I weighed 105-110, and I looked like I was sick.

Weight is a personal thing. The bottom line is that most people don't care about your weight---they care about how you treat others. People will always find a flaw, if they are looking for one. Please yourself, not others, and be healthy!

[amylc]

I bet your legs are gorgeous!!!! I would kill to have to change my pants because my legs are getting more muscular....That is my goal!!!!!

When I trained for my first half marathon, my hubby was always oogling at my legs and now that my distances are 3-4 miles, my legs aren't as shapely and now I kinda miss that attention. I am hoping I get the same results from riding that you have gotten.

My suggestion is to be proud of how your body is responding to how well you are treating it. Everyone is different it sounds like you are doing a great job being healthy pysically, but I little hard on yourself mentally.

Refocus your picture about yourself. You are a mature, athletic, strong woman.

I'm not crazy about my stretch marks, but they remind me of the two beautiful little girls that made them when they where growing in my belly. I just had to refocus my thinking.

I admire your dedication and accomplishment to diet and exercise.

[sundial]

Tiki, you're body has probably changed in the fat/muscle ratio moreso than weight and cardio wise, you are probably healthier than you were even a year ago. I have weight goals too but for now I'm keeping track of my fat % through my Tanita scale. This measures not only weight, but body fat. It's very encouraging to see that even though my weight hasn't changed much, my body fat is decreasing.

I'm one of those people that lose inches moreso than weight. I can lose 8 lbs and lose a total of 14 inches. I have a muscular build and have always weighed more than what the average is--but I also had a lower body fat for my height and weight.

The Tanita scale is available at Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Linens N Things and other stores. I really like it moreso than a regular scale.

[Teddy]

I really like the idea of using a combination of how you feel, your performance and your overall health as indicators to your ideal weight. I think weight as a number is so much less important than taking all factors into consideration. So, your ideal weight may be far different than that of someone who is the same height and age - and may even change over time. Bone density and size, muscle mass, athletic performance goals all have bearing on what each person's ideal weight will be. Perhaps as you start working toward your ideal weight, you can gauge how you feel and if your overall performance goals are being met along the way. That way you can work towards a goal that is geared toward how you feel and how you perform and your overall wellness, and not so much a hard and fast number on the scale.

I have gone back and forth with the whole weight issue all my life. And I would be lying if I said I never bought into the idea of an "ideal weight". For most of my life, I have been pretty fit and active, but have at different times carried quite a bit more muscle (tried body building), less muscle (was a professional stunt woman), a lot less muscle (aspirations of being a professional kickboxer) and then a lot less muscle and a lot more fat (combo of aging and a very high stress work environment). Now, at the age of 44, I weigh in the neighborhood of 118 to 120 lbs. (I'm 5'3"). I rarely get on a scale and it makes me laugh when people are shocked to hear that I weigh 120 lbs. I suppose that seems heavy for my size (I'm small boned and have a small frame), but my body fat is around 12%, and my resting HR is about 38 BPM. It's funny because I think a lot of people view my physique as not very attractive. I have muscular legs and arms and I have begun to get pretty vascular. I sometimes notice people staring at me and not necessarily in a good way, but I don't really mind. I think I look just like I want to look, I am fit and strong, and more importantly I feel terrific. So, perhaps try to forget about the number on the scale. Your ideal weight is achieved when you feel great, perform great and are in excellent health.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, the statement is categorical (regardless of whether or not you explicitly identify the view as your own) because you've applied the characterizations "too thin" and "having no muscle" to an entire category of persons (those 5'5"ish and 120 lbs), without admitting the possibility of exception. There are a lot of folks generally in that category and some of them (me) might object to being thus characterized. (Plus if you saw me, you wouldn't be tempted to call me those things).
However, I'm in complete agreement with the general view that it's much more important to be healthy and strong than it is to be thin.

It's good to be able to express opinions here, and it's also good to be able to object to them!

[RolliePollie]

I am finding that I carry my weight differently than I did when I was in my early to mid-twenties. And I also care a lot less about what the scale says because I've never been in such good shape. I am 33 years old, 5'6", and about 148 lbs. I wear a size 8 in pants and a small/medium for tops. Here is what fascinates me...when I was in my early 20's, I weighed 130 and I wore a size 8. Now I realize that clothes sizing may have changed somewhat in the last 10 years or so, but if you look at pictures of me then and now, I actually look smaller now. I think I could stand to lose about 10 pounds, but in general, I'm pretty happy with how my body looks. That is definitely not something I would've said when I was in my 20's!

I have a co-worker who is my same height and says she weighs 125. If you put us side-by-side, we look about the same size. Except she has a chest and I don't, and my legs are bigger. That's over 20 pounds difference, so where is my body carrying that weight? My legs aren't THAT much bigger than hers. Interestingly, my mom worked for an OB/GYN for 15 years. She weighed all the patients, and she says she could never accurately guess someone's weight. She said sometimes she'd be shocked that someone weighed so much, or conversely, that they weighed so little. So I guess it's just a very individual thing. I know muscle weighs more than fat, so I'm giving cycling all the credit for my increased weight and apparently descreased size!

[short cut sally]

I am 5.5, and 147 #'s, and 40 (yikes to age and weight), before I started biking I had lost weight from 180 to 136 ish, then biking (and junk food) returned to my life, along with the 10#'s. I've maintained that 147ish for almost 1 1/2 years. I am very pear shaped, always have been. Was told once by a medical student that I had the perfect birthing hips and I was wasting them by not having any children. I do agree that society pushes the fashion to be pencil thin and the younger folks look up to that and feel they have to look like that to fit in to society. When I was in high school, I so wanted to be pencil thin. Now, I am happy with how I look, okay, I still wouldn't pass up a free trip to the surgeon for some lipo, I will be truthful. Sad though, those models that portray that look smoke and drink caffeine non stop and scant amounts of food all day, probably along with inplants and injections, how is that healthy? Every person has a different body structure, how they carry their weight, and how they perceive themselves. I think if you are getting out there and exercising, feel good about yourself, and are enjoying what you are doing, that should be what really matters.

[sundial]

Oh, to be a size 8 again. Sigh.