Can a Fat Lady Ride

[Trek420]

...the fat lady can kick skinny rider butt.

like this film

http://www.virago-productions.com/wellrounded

I especially like the quote from Lisa Bennett, Rider #6066

"When I'm lifting weights with my trainer at the gym, and she leans down and whispers, 'see that thin girl over there? She can't do half of what you can,' I realize all over again that what society says about large women simply isn't true. You CAN be large and physically fit at the same time." -

[KnottedYet]

I am a tall thin chickie in a stretchy suit! I cannot tell you how much (its almost sick... almost!) I enjoy checking out my own stomach and butt in the bathroom mirror. Would you believe that I need to buy new bike shorts soon because my old ones are getting too big? Who'd've EVER thought that embarrassing skintight leave-nothing-to-the-imagination shorts could get too big and loose?!?!

I love riding a bike. I didn't even think about the fact that I would lose weight, I just loved riding. The freedom of it. Freedom is the biggest part of it for me. I cannot bear the thought of ever giving up the freedom to move myself under my own power like I do on my bike. Whatever bike I have. (my bikes are cheap, and I am fickle. i buy a new one and sell the old one every 4 or 5 years)

Please, even before you buy a new bike, get a pair of bike shorts. Even if you wear them under regular clothes. They will seriously help with the chafed inner thigh issues that come up on longer rides. I don't know how I would've made it without my lycra shorts!

You go, girl! I'm rooting for you!!

[KnottedYet]

Oh, yeah, and think about this: you doing an exercise (of any sort) is like some skinny chickie doing the same exercise with 20-40 lb weights strapped on her arms and legs, and a 40 lb backpack on.

That's some serious muscle!

[Popoki_Nui]

Not so long ago I was where you are now. I've dropped almost 50 pounds, and where I could barely ride 5km, I can do 50km in an afternoon and more.
As the song says, you'll have "good days and bad days and goin' half mad days", but probably the hardest part is done: your decision to air up the old bike and get started. Congratulations!! Take things one step at a time, and I know we will hear lots of successes from you in the coming months!
~Sherry.

[Tuckervill]

I love riding a bike. I didn't even think about the fact that I would lose weight, I just loved riding. The freedom of it. Freedom is the biggest part of it for me. I cannot bear the thought of ever giving up the freedom to move myself under my own power like I do on my bike. Whatever bike I have.

That's the attitude I started with about 2 years ago, when I bought the Buicks off of some guy. I'd had quite a few bikes in my adult years, and always craved the riding like I did when I was a teenager. (I taught myself to ride a bike for my mother's birthday present when I was 4 years old.) But those years between 13 and 42 were taken up with raising children and stuff like that.

Only now am I feeling free again. And part of that is my youngest son is just so cool to hang with, and athletic, and he likes me and we go places and do things together that I didn't have time or money to do with my older sons.

Today I did 11 miles on my mountain bike (on the road ). I wound around all the side streets in my town and a little on the highway, and then I caught up with the trail around the baseball fields and I suddenly had a flashback. I was going over a tiny little hill...tiny hill only about 30 feet long, and I remembered actually *panting* to the top of this tiny hill when I first rode the trail 2 years ago.

Wow. I rode a lot in those two years, until last August, when I got bifocals. I'd never worn glasses before in my life. I got too scared to ride. I could barely walk down stairs without getting dizzy. By the time I adjusted, it was winter, and then I had gotten out of the habit of riding. But during those 2 years while I rode, I rarely went over 2 1/2 miles. To the ballpark, around the loop, and back.

Fast Forward to March. I crave new bike. Take a few spins on the trusty Buick. Really crave new bike. Hubby gets his bonus. Buy new bike, while suffering from the cold-from-hell-that-never ends. Take it to the woods the next day. Ride one mile before the lungs give out. Put bike away until the cold finally does end. Ride every day for one week, first the 2-1/2 miles, then three, then 4. Then 25K charity ride. A few rides in between. Today I did 11 miles, just because I needed that happy feeling of being on the bike--a real stress reliever.

I went from nothing to 11 miles easy in less than 4 weeks. I'm just incredulous writing it all out like that!

And I am FAT. I weigh 198, but no for long.

Karen

[MomOnBike]

Yes, silly, a fat lady can ride. And sing at the same time if she feels like it.

Look, I'm heavier than you are (not gonna say by how much ) and last year I went on a week-long solo bike trip across the midwest. I ride daily. Others on this forum (not all by any means) are heavy too, and do whatever they %*$*#!! want to on a bike. We just tend to do it more slowly.

AND THAT'S OK.

So welcome to the club. You'll find all the moral support you'll ever need right here.

(Did you introduce yourself on the Getting To Know You Thread yet? I haven't gotten there yet.)

[Ellen 06]

I bought my Townie 7 speed last saturday. I had ridden at all for the last three years, and not much before that because of wrist pain. My Townie freed me from the wrist pain. I've put about 36 miles on in the last week. There's a couple hills on my commute I craawl up in the lowest gear and a couple I walk, but it's already getting easier.

I'm way out of shape and weigh twice what I ought to, but I am loving riding my bike. Can't wait for days that I get to ride to work, and I'm looking forward to a longer ride with a friend this weekend.

Keep at it, it will get easier.

Ellen

[Geonz]

You rock :-) You're *DOING SOMETHING* about it.

You're also pushing along a bike that's gotta be pretty hard to push along. I ride a single speed cruiser often, and it's a workout... and it's due for a tuneup. Air in the tires is a biggie... but lubing that chain and, yes, greasing the bearings, can make the bike a lot easier to push around.
When my friend got me a "new" wheel for my cruiser, and put it on, in 15 miles, it started *screaming* when I'd apply the brakes. I like attention and all, but the cruelty-to-machines folks were going to come after me, so I went into the bike shop, and put the wheel on the counter and said, "It screams at me... where should I put the lubrication?" He asked me if I had three different tools which I'd never heard of, and then asked if I had fifteen minutes (it was February) and gave me an apron and we went into the back of the shop.
Well, this is going to turn into another "Drafting story" if I'm not careful! At any rate, suddenly I was a much stronger rider and knew a lot more about ball bearings, and they all had a jolly time admiring this wheel with its old-fashioned spoke nipples and brass brake shoes... they figured it was from pre-WWII.
So get out there and keep riding... you'll soon have stories of your own!!

[oldbikah]

Yeah, you go girl! last summer I rode about 1000 miles. About 10 years ago, I too was really out of shape and could ride only about a couple miles without huffing and puffing. Even tho I ski all winter, that isn't much work or very aerobic. I also developed high blood pressure. Now the bp is down, I lost 30 pounds last summer and feel SO much better both physically and emotionally. I ride alone mostly (can't get fat DH to do much) but I love it and have actually acquired 3 bikes (road, mt, cyclocross) and use them all. (I am 63 by the way). My son is proud of me and gives great encouragement. Family may make remarks at the beginning but they WILL be proud later!

[bikerchick68]

yes, yes, yes... YOU CAN!

Look... I'm not fat. I'm not skinny. I AM 165 lbs of muscle. My first ride hurt. Bad. I did 10 miles and was sure the Grim Reaper was staring in the front window as I lay on my couch trying to recover... I didn't move for almost 4 hours.

Fast forward 3 years. I ignored the naysayers... I beat the odds. At 165 lbs and 5'7" I have ridden NINE centuries. I can climb any hill I want. I can ride as far as I want. I feel stronger than many other "skinny" women... because tho I am heavier I am also solid... and many of them are soft.

I will never be soft again. I will never be "skinny" by societies standards... and I don't care. I am damned proud of my achievements. I look forward to you joining me... and you will if YOU believe it.

[CorsairMac]

*looks around* hmmmmm I don't see any fat ladies here. I DO see a lot of women that ride bikes and love every minute of it! OK..so your first ride in how many years your heart was pounding, you were breathing in gasps, and you felt like a bag of wet cement and you rode last time when??......it's not the weight it's the amount of physical fitness and right now yours is a little lower than it used to be! And you were on a SS with coaster brakes!!! You ROCK!!!! My first time back on a bike I was NOT going to ride anything less than 18 speeds coz I was KNEW I wasn't going to be going anywhere fast!!! Welcome to the wonderful world of cycling!!

If you get a chance wander on over to the "getting to know you thread' and tell us a little bit more about yourself while you learn more about us than most of our mothers know!!

Then hop back on that bike and go kick some skinny booty!!

[CR400]

You go girl!!!!

Everyday you ride even for 10 min. is 10 more towards your goal if its loosing weight or riding farther. Trust me you can go out and ride your bike.

I am a bit younger then you but I started out riding my bike at 240 pounds and I still have a ways to go at 178 but I'll make that 145-150 yet.

My first ride on my Cannondale was eight miles and only averaged 11.92mph. A month later I did my first 50 mile ride and every good sized hill I came to I had to walk. One of them I got down into my lowest gear and 10 feet up the hill I couldn't move the cranks. I was to heavy for my legs to get me up the hill. The next big hill I didn't even try to climb, it was huge and looked almost straight up, it was like a 10% grade. The third hill I was able to climb half way then had to get off becaue it was straining the cranks to get up. The fourth I made up it was more of a shallow grade.

Fast forward six months. Get down to 185 and climb the first hill on my 42 chain ring. (the second ring on what they call a triple crankset). A year later I climbed that second hill with no problem. Now I can climb whatever I want if I take my time. I'm still not a fast climber but capable.

So get out there and ride, and when you get down to 200lbs or less then you can see who's laughing at who.

[bikerz]

Hey bamakathey - yay - another member of the "big gal cycling club"!

I'm another one who's lost 50 pounds on the bike - I still have a ways to go, but wow - has it been fun! (and this after 25+ years of battling my weight, hating to exercise, and feeling like I was doomed to "diet - fail - repeat" for the rest of my life).

My first time out I rode barely 5 totally flat miles and thought OH MY GOD this is impossible! But it did get less impossible, and each ride was more fun, and immensely gratifying. Being outside, riding alone or with friends - it's all great! Also, since we are moving more weight along than the skinny riders do, it seems to me we must be building muscle faster. And it's is a wonderful feeling to feel strong instead of just heavy.

I heartily second the recommendation to get padded shorts - sooner the better - TE has some in plus sizes - I started with the Mt Borah baggy shorts with padded underliner. (In fact, that's how I found this forum - searching for plus-size cycling clothes after my second 5 mile ride! Best google search results ever!)

Welcome! Enjoy the ride!

[Duck on Wheels]

I too am trying to lose weight and get in better shape. The weight loss has been slower than I'd hoped, but I'm down about 4kg since Fall and recently I've noticed that my clothes are getting loose. So today I tried the next size smaller. Yep. They fit. A bit snug still, kinda like the size I'm in felt 6 months ago. I'll wait another kilo or two before down-sizing my wardrobe, but if it hadn't been that the cheapest pair of pants and the best colour was in my "old" size, I might have got a smaller pair already today. And ... I no longer feel like I'll pass out at spin class, I did 43 miles into the wind a few weeks back, and I climbed about half of Ben Nevis (got stopped not by my lungs, heart, or legs, but by my fear of heights). So yes, definitely, biking is a good way to get back in shape!

[tulip]

Do get some bike shorts. Wear them under your regular clothes if you want to. Team Estrogen has a section just for larger bike clothes. They're not cheap (even the smaller ones aren't), but it will make your riding more comfortable.

Pretty soon, you will not identify yourself as a Fat Lady. You will start to see yourself as someone who loves to be active, is strong, and controls her own destiny (if even you decide where and how far to ride!)

As for the naysayers (family and others), just remember that you cannot control what other people say or do. But you CAN control your reaction to them--you can choose to be embarassed and stop riding, or you can choose to smile at them and pedal away.

Best of luck and do keep us posted. We're here for you!