January/February weight management challenge

[Veronica]

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

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

[tealtreak]

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

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! (:

[Crankin]

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?

[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.

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

[maillotpois]

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.

Nicely said.

[salsabike]

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.

Yes, that.

[SadieKate]

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.

Owlie, ditto what everyone else said about this.

[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.

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

[SadieKate]

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

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.

[SadieKate]

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

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.