Eating disorders?

[NbyNW]

Just wanted to chime in with some support and say that I admire your courage in starting this thread.

The relationship of sports psychology, eating disorders and sports nutrition is one that needs to get more attention.

If you are a teenager, your body is still developing. That means your ideal weight and other stats related to your performance is also still developing. No coach and no amount of sports science can say for sure where you will perform the best, especially if you intend to compete in this sport for a long time. Yes, there are guidelines, but you also need to trust your own intuition.

I've been through the experience of unintentially losing muscle -- due to extreme stress -- and it can definitely take a lot of time and deliberate work to regain that muscle and be in a good place.

Be strong, and be good to yourself!

[shootingstar]

Sunrise, go for some great rides on your own to enjoy. Not sure if you ride alone much, but it can be a great soother. Choose your favourite route and do it over and over. Until you get naturally at your own pace, better.

Keep a cycling diary or blog.

To heck with the rest of the world.

[sunrise]

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply to this thread here. I really appreciate the support and had previously typed up a long reply, but ended up accidentally deleting it. Argh!

I haven't been on my bike in over a week. It was really strange at first, and this Saturday was very hard for me because I skipped a race I had been looking forward to all winter. I did well there last year, and I honestly think I could have done really well if I would have taken better care of my body this winter. But, I didn't. I stayed at home, instead, and tried to stay busy. I ended up cooking (and freezing!) at least 5-6 different meals, so I should be set for a long time now.

I am finally about ready to head out for a ride here soon, I think. I'm actually looking forward to it now, and I think it will be a good warm-up for my soccer game tonight. I love the idea of a cycling diary (or a blog!) and hope that I can get back to riding for fun again, without any pressure to go faster, be lighter, etc.

I also really appreciate the help in reframing my disappointments about last weekend's race. Thank you so much for helping me to see that I really can trust my body to settle at the weight it's healthiest at -- I certainly didn't seem to improve things much by losing the weight in the manner I did. Lesson learned for good this time, I hope!

[redrhodie]

I just came across this article http://cycleandstyle.com/2011/03/the...ower-over-you/ by Nancy Clark on the "Cycle and Style" web magazine. I thought you'd find it interesting.

[sunrise]

Thank you so much for that article, redrhodie! I thought it was great!! I have a few of Nancy Clark's nutrition books, and my nutritionist actually knows her pretty well too, so I think that helped me to "trust" the advice in the article a little more. I have bookmarked the article, and may go back to read again (hopefully more of the info. will soak in when it is not 3am )

My miserable race seems to have been a real turning point for me, and I've had the best eating this past week that I've had in probably a good 6 months now. I also haven't weighed myself in a week, which has been incredibly difficult. I was doing okay with it all until tonight... hoping that I'll have a better attitude when I wake up tomorrow (and the article helped a bit already too!).

I actually think I might be able to race this weekend -- from a physiological perspective, my glycogen stores are likely much better stocked than they were before, and I think my electrolytes are better balanced too. But, mentally, I just don't know that I have it in me...my training has been pretty much non-existent and I don't have any motivation to do much at all lately. Clearly, my mental toughness "skills" leave a lot to be desired...

[KnottedYet]

But, mentally, I just don't know that I have it in me...my training has been pretty much non-existent and I don't have any motivation to do much at all lately. Clearly, my mental toughness "skills" leave a lot to be desired...

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your "mental toughness"!

In fact, I'd praise your lack of motivation: your body sent you a clear signal that things are not going so well, and you held back.

That is what is supposed to happen!

[Crankin]

+ a million to what Knott said.
Go take a fun, slow ride. Smell the roses.
I am not a racer, but I've been hurt enough times because I "thought" I was OK to do something, when I wasn't. It's the reason my season is starting out with some very short rides.