General Cycling Discussion - Do you have a winter weight?

I find that in winter there is less to be done interms of excersice outside that is appealing (this year will change with extra winter stuff), but it seems in general that gain a few pounds of the winter that immediatly come off the following spring. Surely, others have experienced this phenonomon.

yes. i stay active in the winter, but tend not to do AS much aerobic training (cycling).

i also do a lot more weight training in the winter.

my winter weight is usually between 165 and 170 lbs and my summer weight is about 160 or a little less. my body fat stays roughly constant although a little less in summer.

in the winter i do lots of ski touring (climbing UP and then skiing down), xcountry skiing and running... but these don't end end being AS much total aerobic training as in the summer when i'm riding 3-6 hours every weekend day...

winter is my muscle buidling phase and summer my aerobic phase.

Actually, I generally find it easier to exercise in winter. Sure, summer is great for those who like heatstroke, dehydration and skin cancer. I, for one, am not a fan of those things, hence I prefer winter. If space exploration ever makes it possible, I intend to move to a planet where it's winter for the entire year.

Winter time is for me, fat/lazy bast*rd time. Exercise is harder as it's colder, wetter, windier, darker, sh1ttier. I exercise mostly at the gym now, and I found a new thing to do on the spin bikes: increase the tension and ride standing for 10 mins as fast as I'm able. I really feel good after it. My weight is steadily increasing now, but it's a good muscular weight in response to my workouts.

I saw one of those Tacx IMagic cycle simulators at a bike show. If my gym would get one of those on a big screen, I'd be really at home. It's more entertaining than an ergotrainer.

Summertime in the UK is not the major risk for skin ca as it is elsewhere in sunnier climes. Overall my weight stays within 2-3 kgs, and I'm happy with that. I'd like to lose 10kg to reach 82Kg and then I'd be 100% satisfied but weight training makes that completely impossible.

Of course with Christmas around the corner, the prospect of festive meals (lots of them, slurp, slurp) will put the trousers and jeans on read alert.:D

Sure, summer is great for those who like heatstroke, dehydration and skin cancer. I, for one, am not a fan of those things, hence I prefer winter.

Chris,

well, that may be true for places with only 2 or 3 real seasons (i lived in Texas for 26 years, so i know). but for places with a real winter that is either wet, grey and rainy (like Pacific Northwest) or dark, wet, snowy and cold (like Germany, US Northeast or Midwest or Canada)... it is hard to cycle a whole lot. In my winters in Portland, Massachusetts and Munich, i still bike commute to work every day, but my recreational riding drops to at most once or twice a week during the winter (compared to 3-5 days/week in summer) -- the trails are wet or under snow and riding road is even worse b/c of the windchill

although i personally enjoy living in place with 4 REAL seasons (mainly b/c i like snow sports like ski touring, snowboarding and xc skiing)

If space exploration ever makes it possible, I intend to move to a planet where it's winter for the entire year.

Chris.

You do not need to go to another planet.
Just move to my part of the world

Chris, willic got it right 101%. For the joys of all-year round winter, forget the arctic, antarctic, come to Britain! We'll throw in sleet, driven rain...

I commute year around, but I still notice that I gain a few pounds every winter. I think in the colder months I tend to sit around more when I get home, instead of working in the yard/garden. I still get out a bit though, as one of my favorite winter activities is hiking. I love to hike in the fresh snow.

On this mornings commute the temps were just below freezing. It was a remarkably refreshing ride. Just as long as the ice stays away.

My winter weight usually carries me through to the next winter.
:beer:

When I used to commute in the winter, I found that I didnt ride as hard in the winter because the extra clothes necessary increased the chance of overheating, and you dont want to be sucking in great lungfuls of -15 deg C air.

In the dim days of prehistory, when our ancestors saw the daylight hours waning and felt the temperature fall, they would gather around their campfires to feast on their harvest and fatten themselves for winter survival. Though they did not hibernate like the bears, in Winter they did curtail their activities, spending less energy. Seasonal Affective Disorder is, I think, a remnant of their Winter torpor; our Winter holidays a vestige of their harvest feasts; our tendency to gain weight in Winter a by-product of evolution that is no longer useful to us.

Each Winter I gain about 3 pounds. Now, if I could only lose them in Summer...

Do you have a winter weight?
Actually, my car does pretty well in the snow without one. It's rear-wheel drive, but the rear end of the big GM station-wagon body hangs out over the rear axle far enou--

:eek:

Oh, THAT kind of weight :) At this point, my answer is, "We'll see, won't we!" My temporary health insurance expires soon, and without health insurance, I'll be reluctant to commute by bicycle, especially in the winter. Guess I'll take the bus, or maybe try walking to work (about 3mi / 5km each way). But I expect to put on about 5 pounds or so.

I find that my weight decreases in the winter due to more consistent aerobic activity that I partake in. In the biking season I will miss days because the weather is rainy or too hot for riding but in the winter I rarely miss a day of skiing or snowshoeing even if it is freezing cold out and blizzardy. It's fun to be out snowshoeing in blizzards because I can imaging that I am some extreme mountaineer trying to survive, when in actual fact I am 5 minutes from the suana and hot tub at home. I XC ski both days on the weekend and usually at least once during the week as well as weightlift 4 days a week.

Off-topic, but Captain Crunch, the snowshoeing sounds like great fun, and there's an area nearby that begs for me to try it. Can you recommend any particular equipment for a complete nu-B? :)

my winter weight is about 165 lbs, but during summer and spring, my weight go down to 145 to 150 lbs.......its because i really ride a lot during summer

I prefer to call it my winter layer of beer and nachos :)

Yes I have a winter weight.
Sad to report that it is about 10-20 pounds more than my summer-early fall weight.
:eek:
:o
:(
:cry:
:crash:

Is it April yet??

Originally posted by nathank

but for places with a real winter that is either wet, grey and rainy

Sounding better all the time. Actually, I occasionally chat with people from the Pacific/North-West region of the US. Their summer sounds a lot like Queenslands "winter". :eek:

My weight just hit 189 pounds, down from the 220 area a year and a half ago. This is mostly due to bicycle commuting. I will suppliment it with running and swimming this winter, and expect to loose weight until I'm in the mid-160's, my high school swimming weight. I find that with swimming and fin swimming (distance swimming with long, narrow full-pocket swim fins), I generally gain in conditioning during the winter, and loose it in the summer.

My weight gain was from commuting 187 miles weekly to work by car (city to city) staying in an apartment during the week, and going back. I did this for three and a half years, and gained weight the whole time.

Now, I'm settled into a place just under 4 miles from work, and am bicycle commuting most days (except, so far, Fridays since my May accident was on a Friday).

John

Sounding better all the time. Actually, I occasionally chat with people from the Pacific/North-West region of the US. Their summer sounds a lot like Queenslands "winter".

ahh... summer in the Pacific Northwest...

* almost never rains
* almost never hot (OK, for someone from a place that actually gets hot like Texas it never gets hot - more than 95F/35C)
* relatively dry heat -- not so dry as the other side of the mountains like Idaho or Wyoming, but VERY dry compared to the "humid" places like the US South, Northeast or Midwest or Australia or Southeast Asia -- also much dryer than most of Germany/Alps

of course, then from October to May/June it rains almost every day... probably something like the UK although i've actually never been there

Chris,
i was only in Australia for 2 weeks, but i remember Queensland being pretty humid (i equated the weather to be about like Austin TX) and found NewSouthWales (Melbourne) pretty close to Dallas Texas weather (i.e. not AS humid, and more temperature variance - colder in winter/hotter in summer).

i personally prefer i place with real seasons and "summer sports" and "winter sports"

Yeah, it's the humidity that really bugs me. I remember once doing a quick 70km in 37C heat without even breaking sweat in a less humid place than this. Ahh.. those were the days! Of course, I'd prefer to live somewhere that has four seasons too, but there are more important things in life than weather.

but there are more important things in life than weather.

Except in the UK. Weather spotting is second, I think, only to soccer, and is unofficially therefore, the second national sport.

I once read some quotes about country folk:

1. The only difference between the four seasons is the spelling.
2. If you can't see the hill yonder, it is raining, if you can, it's going to rain.
3. We do get the four seasons, sometimes all in the same day.
4. A farmer once told a tourist motorist that a partially flooded road was safe to drive on. The car got stuck, and the driver had to wade back. He was furious with the farmer. In reply, the farmer said, "well, it only comes halfway up my ducks!" An urban legend maybe.

nathank .... Melbourne is in Victoria ... not NSW.

My adjustments for winter in Southern AZ is usually just a jacket, and full fingered gloves. My fingers get cold easily and hurt. On some days I change my cycling time to afternoons rahter than mornings. I am generally able to find a way to burn the same number of calories in the winter as summer so the weight stays pretty steady.

It was 80 degrees F yesterday, and 75 degrees F today, in the Beaverton/Hillsboro area, just a couple of miles west of Portland, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is having a fine Fall.

:D

John

nathank .... Melbourne is in Victoria ... not NSW.

oops, yeah thanks for the correction... my foreign state/province knowledge/memory is not the best. i also often confuse some of the Canadian provinces more than i should...

here in Munich the "summer riding" season ended about 3-4 weeks ago when it started getting colder. we had a few weeks with lows around freezing and our first snow -- although only 2" and melted in a few hours. although for my weekly Wednesday MTB trail ride that i lead here the weather was great this week -- warm AND dry -- i rode in shorts and short-sleeve shirt! but then it was an anonaly... i'm going skiing/snowboarding this weekend in Austria... solid snow down to about 1200m (3960ft)

mainly it's been raining a lot...

I had a winter weight these past two years, 171lbs. I had to make weight for wrestling. I sucked though, so i'm not doing it again this winter. It did however help bring me from 205 to the 175 that i weigh now. Minute for minute, wrestling is the highest calorie-burning exercise there is. Something about the adrenalin and the fighting for your life seems to make you work harder then you normally would.

Summer 225 to 235 depending on workout I am doing.

Winter 250 to 260 depending on workout I am doing.

so yes I have two very dinstinct weights. :)

195 to 200 year round.