Training & Nutrition - Weighing Good Cycling Weight vs Looking Good

I might have gone to the Road bike forum w/t this but I'd get too many sophomoric and moronic replies. I am 6' 2'' and 172 lbs. This is down 60 Lbs from a year ago due to training and sensible eating. I was not always a fat guy, I had gotten really heavy in the course of 2 years where though I still cycled, I was otherwise sedentary and eating junk. Prior my typical weight was 190-195 lbs.

190-195 was my goal. However, I have come to find the lighter I am, the fitter I feel, and the better a cyclist I get. All of the objective evidence backs me up - from my physical, lab reports etc.and speed, mileage and cadence achieved on the bike. Comparatively speaking, I am air born on the bike! Climbs that I grunted and ground my way up are traversed with minimal alteration in my HR or MPH.

However, my now very cycling specific body is causing me grief w/t my wife, family,freinds, collegues, students, clerks at convenience stores etc. etc. Everybody, says (scolds) some variation of 'you are too thin!' Just this morning my wife said I look like an emaciated rocker!

It occurs to me, I posted a similar story some months back when I may have been about 190. It has gotten worse!

Does anyone Identify with sacrifice feeling and being vital for looking vital?

Do I have to move back to France to be accepted as I am, lacking in excess fat? I like it here!

I might have gone to the Road bike forum w/t this but I'd get too many sophomoric and moronic replies. I am 6' 2'' and 172 lbs. This is down 60 Lbs from a year ago due to training and sensible eating. I was not always a fat guy, I had gotten really heavy in the course of 2 years where though I still cycled, I was otherwise sedentary and eating junk. Prior my typical weight was 190-195 lbs.

190-195 was my goal. However, I have come to find the lighter I am, the fitter I feel, and the better a cyclist I get. All of the objective evidence backs me up - from my physical, lab reports etc.and speed, mileage and cadence achieved on the bike. Comparatively speaking, I am air born on the bike! Climbs that I grunted and ground my way up are traversed with minimal alteration in my HR or MPH.

However, my now very cycling specific body is causing me grief w/t my wife, family,freinds, collegues, students, clerks at convenience stores etc. etc. Everybody, says (scolds) some variation of 'you are too thin!' Just this morning my wife said I look like an emaciated rocker!

It occurs to me, I posted a similar story some months back when I may have been about 190. It has gotten worse!

Does anyone Identify with sacrifice feeling and being vital for looking vital?

Do I have to move back to France to be accepted as I am, lacking in excess fat? I like it here!

your weight loss journey is very simillar to mine. in 2006 i dropped 60 to 70 lbs by finding a love for cycling, running, and eating better. at 6'3'' i was down to 170 lbs near the end of 2006.

however, the comments from the stupid and uneducated didnt and dont bother me. my little pinkie knows more about proper training, eating, and weight loss then anyone and everyone who has made statements to me about being too skinny.

i feel and look better then i ever have. mentally and phsycially i am a better person today. what "they" say means nothing to me.

that is all.

later.

I am always amazed that everyone will tell you you are too thin, but would never tell you that you are too fat.

I am 6'2'' and when I get to my lightest (180) people are always telling me that I am too thin (family & friends) More than half of these people are overweight, some signifigantly. It is an odd thing.

Weigh what you want to weigh, simple as that.

I think once you hold this weight for a while, people will get used to seeing you like that . 60 pounds is a lot to lose.

I am 6'2'' and when I get to my lightest (180) people are always telling me that I am too thin (family & friends) More than half of these people are overweight, some signifigantly. It is an odd thing.


Not so odd. Your making them uncomfortable about themselves. It used to be that the exact opposite. Now that the overweight are the majority and the norm, were the freaks.

I've lost 60 lbs this year (again, i did it in 2005/6 and gained it all back last winter) and still have 30 more to go. My wife, who is overweight (but working on it) is more self concious about it. This is a good thing, as my successes are helping her to see that it can be done and that its a far healthier way to be.

Great job on the weight loss!

The "too thin" comments are idiotic, and you should treat them as such. I'd probably reply with something like, "Well, according to my body mass index and body fat percentage, I'm squarely in the normal/healthy range." You could add, "Do you know what your BMI and/or BF% is?" Of course, adding that question makes it slightly confrontational, since you're turning the attention away from you and onto them.

All of the objective evidence backs me up - from my physical, lab reports etc.
This should be important thing #1...if the doctor says you are doing good and don't need to change to be healthy, both short term and long term.



Just this morning my wife said I look like an emaciated rocker!

This is important thing #2....if you're wife ain't liking it, start hitting the weights. You don't need to get bulked out, but if a little more muscle on the frame is going to make your wife happier I think that's well worth losing a few seconds on a climb or few minutes on a century.

The opinions of anybody else (including me for that matter)? They just don't matter.

Most people who say that too me are at least few pounds overweight, don't exercise and eat tons of junk food. So I just ignore those comments, because I realize that on some level, might not even be contious, they are jealous of my progress and wish themselves they can be thinner.

I might have gone to the Road bike forum w/t this but I'd get too many sophomoric and moronic replies. I am 6' 2'' and 172 lbs. This is down 60 Lbs from a year ago due to training and sensible eating. I was not always a fat guy, I had gotten really heavy in the course of 2 years where though I still cycled, I was otherwise sedentary and eating junk. Prior my typical weight was 190-195 lbs.

190-195 was my goal. However, I have come to find the lighter I am, the fitter I feel, and the better a cyclist I get. All of the objective evidence backs me up - from my physical, lab reports etc.and speed, mileage and cadence achieved on the bike. Comparatively speaking, I am air born on the bike! Climbs that I grunted and ground my way up are traversed with minimal alteration in my HR or MPH.

However, my now very cycling specific body is causing me grief w/t my wife, family,freinds, collegues, students, clerks at convenience stores etc. etc. Everybody, says (scolds) some variation of 'you are too thin!' Just this morning my wife said I look like an emaciated rocker!

It occurs to me, I posted a similar story some months back when I may have been about 190. It has gotten worse!

Does anyone Identify with sacrifice feeling and being vital for looking vital?

Do I have to move back to France to be accepted as I am, lacking in excess fat? I like it here!

You're making them uncomfortable about themselves. It used to be that the exact opposite. Now that the overweight are the majority and the norm, we're the freaks.

Yes, it's funny that in no other country in the world would we be considered "too skinny". Only in supersize land. It doesn't really bother me... I mean, if my biggest problem is people thinking I'm not buff enough, then life is probably pretty good.

Did you look at your BMI? At 190 and 6'2" your BMI is 24.4, just below overweight. At 172 your BMI is 22.1 which is smack in the middle of health. Just as a FYI your weight at a BMI of 20, which is still healthy, would be 156.

Did you look at your BMI? At 190 and 6'2" your BMI is 24.4, just below overweight. At 172 your BMI is 22.1 which is smack in the middle of health. Just as a FYI your weight at a BMI of 20, which is still healthy, would be 156.

Well BMI has a lot more factors than just height and weight. I have a medium frame and at 160 and 6' 2'' and im sure my BMI is less than 20, if only slighly.

Well BMI has a lot more factors than just height and weight.

Incorrect. From the CDC's website:

"Calculating BMI is one of the best methods for population assessment of overweight and obesity. Because calculation requires only height and weight, it is inexpensive and easy to use for clinicians and for the general public."

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_BMI/about_adult_BMI.htm

BMI may have some uses as a broad screening tool. But for assesing an individual's fitness it's pretty poor.

I've managed some decent results in events requiring significant climbing (such as a top ten finish in the Brasstown Bald Century) in spite of the fact that I am morbidly obese by BMI.

I take comfort in the fact that Brad Pitt is also morbidly obese.

BMI is a primary prevention screening tool. It is useful in a generalized way but as said there are factors that it does not account for such as better than average musculature.

It is a point that I make to my wife- that I am right smack in the middle of normal range BMI, however, with my frame, if I were to go down much further I'd say they all would be justified in being critical - me a at the forementioned 156 lbs would be excessive and I'd have to catabolize muscle to get there.

I'd like to thank all for their input here! I feel much better for the support and understanding!! Too bad it has to be on an Internet forum. I think I should hang out with more serious cyclists.

I think we've just gotten to the point in this country that a healthy body looks odd to the average person, who is, statistically speaking, overweight.

FWIW, earlier in the summer my boss asked me if I was sick. He said I looked "emaciated." I'm 5'10, 168lbs. Not emaciated by any means.

I think we've just gotten to the point in this country that a healthy body looks odd to the average person, who is, statistically speaking, overweight.

True. I meant to add that at my BMI of 22.1 I am in the 17th percentile for my sex, age and height. This is a comparison to other Americans. I'm quite sure it would not be the same overseas.

Hi!

I'd like to hit this nail with a different hammer, if I may.

Firstly, I'd like to say that I am quiclky hopping into the same boat as you. I'm nearly 6'4" (192cm) and currently at 208 (11.5% BF) down from 268 and over 20% BF. I was really into powerlifting before the cycling bug bit. Based on my musculature and bone structure, getting below 190 seems impossible. Even now though, I get comments that suggest that I'm getting too thin and if I lost more weight, I'd be too skinny and be less asthetically pleasing. To top that off, I am a personal fitness trainer by trade and looking the part (i.e not anorexic) is important to me and my employers. They try and buy me fatty foods all the time, which I usually eat.

So, how does this effect me?

Firstly, I know that they are right to a certain extent, and that getting below 205 not only makes me appear less professional, but also I begin to get weaker in the upper body and core. I feel weaker, basically. I know that i look less asthetically appealing (based on a muscular male standard) and on top of the shaved legs and weird tanlines and big head make for an ugly baby.
Do I care about how I look?
NO, just as I didnt care when my waist was 40 inches and I wanted to squat 650. In fact being a bit uglier is nice for the GF so she doesnt feel so stressed about how she looks.
I want to be a better cyclist and lighter I must be, so be it. Function before form, if you ask me. Most of my clients understand to a certain degree. My employers are ok so far, too.

BUT,
do I care about being a more one dementional athlete? About being weaker all around?
YES!
This is a conundrum I reached when getting deep into powerlifting: Strength was super high, cardio sucked! I started having chest pain and reconsidered my lifestyle.
This may swing to the other end as I keep losing weight: cardio super high and strength sucking! I may have to reconsider this lifestyle when I have trouble picking up weights for clients or start getting injuries due to lowered strength.

So my question is this: When does our love for racing bikes actually begin to make us less healthy, and: do we care?
Personally, I'm not sure yet.






P.S.- the BMI is a very poor way to assess health, particularly in active adults. Bodyfat is far more valuable IMO.

I guess there are different kinds of fit. Bike fit, Weightlifting fit, Fotball fit. I finally decided..."I wanna be a ROCKSTAR"

So my question is this: When does our love for racing bikes actually begin to make us less healthy, and: do we care?
Personally, I'm not sure yet.

Maybe I've been told too often by my wife that I am unbalanced, obsessed, that I tend to believe it. 'All you ever think about it the bikes!' Or, alternatively, 'Your girlfriends.'

Yes, gradually it has become more than just an activity that I engage in to a way of life, to the point that my body has been remolded showing the the tell tale features (some would say signs and symptoms) of a cyclist ... and now there is the need to go where I feel understood. There are the cute girls in the neighborhood with their vintage Schwinns and Peugeots, but they can't keep up, especially when they ride with heels. My friends have sometimes felt left behind as well as they always hear from me, I can't go, I have to get out on the bike. So socially, I probably crossed the line, becoming imbalanced, hence, 'unhealthy.'

Physically, though having been socially sanctioned since falling below 200 lbs, I am better than I've ever been, not only for cycling but for life. I learn and work in a busy, hectic hospital requiring a lot of energy while keeping my cool, my heart rate, respiration's, bp on an even keel despite the storms and stresses. My riding and the resultant alterations to my body/system have helped me enormously in this respect. The only times where I've suffered are when I've failed to properly rest, reload and rehydrate after a long killer ride and have gone to work/school exhausted, hypovolemic, acidic and F/E imbalanced - but I don't often make that error.

I suppose I can make improvements, efforts towards balance- gain a little weight, get a little softer, spend more time with with my wife and friends. Or not. So, personally I am not sure yet either.

<in Master Po voice>Grasshoppa, I sense in you a need to be amongst like thinkers, yet something tells you that there is wisdom in balance also.</Po voice>

I would recommend this, because it will probably help your cycling, will make you look better, feel stronger, and be able to compete in the "man contests" when the need arises. Get a chin-dip station for the corner of your garage. It's the thing with a chin-up bar, push-up handles, and dip handles. Do two sets of each (pull-ups, push-ups, dips) to failure just about every morning (like say a pre-ride warm-up), and once you get to fifteen of each no need to go any further. You'll put on just a few (five?) pounds of muscle, but they'll pop like a sonofagun on you because you're so lean, and everyone will say you look mahvelous.

I've found that spouses tend to attack the hobbies when a guy isn't doing his fair half of the work around the house and family. Happens to me often (cough).

To begin, I too lost a substantial amount of weight and have received all of the "helpful suggestions" from friends and family that the posters above describe. I could care less about their comments because when I step out of the shower in the morning and face the mirror, I see accomplishment. As a result, I feel stoked the entire rest of the day. It is that vision that keeps me from eating garbage and keeps me exercising.


So my question is this: When does our love for racing bikes actually begin to make us less healthy, and: do we care? Personally, I'm not sure yet.

Personally, I am sure. The love of cycling, or any other elective activity should not result in making us less healthy. I realize that this is a bit of a highjack, but I am responding to a previous post.

The referenced poster describes losing strength as a result of losing muscle mass. That s**ks, but far more important, because bicycling is generally a non-contact sport our bodies don't build the bone mass that an athelete might build in another sport. This is described in other threads.

Where am I going with this? Some of the body weight dropped by cyclists could easily be bone mass. Recent studies have specifically cited cyclists as being high risk for osteoporosis. And don't think that just because you are young that you are immune. You aren't.

So friends, I love being thin. Physically and aesthetically it works for me. But, losing weight as a result of reduced muscle or bone mass is too high a price to pay for our narcissism. So I have incorporated strength training along with my spins and that works even better.

<in Master Po voice>Grasshoppa, I sense in you a need to be amongst like thinkers, yet something tells you that there is wisdom in balance also.</Po voice>

I would recommend this, because it will probably help your cycling, will make you look better, feel stronger, and be able to compete in the "man contests" when the need arises. Get a chin-dip station for the corner of your garage. It's the thing with a chin-up bar, push-up handles, and dip handles. Do two sets of each (pull-ups, push-ups, dips) to failure just about every morning (like say a pre-ride warm-up), and once you get to fifteen of each no need to go any further. You'll put on just a few (five?) pounds of muscle, but they'll pop like a sonofagun on you because you're so lean, and everyone will say you look mahvelous.

I've found that spouses tend to attack the hobbies when a guy isn't doing his fair half of the work around the house and family. Happens to me often (cough).

Yep, this is very true, I only do these exercises + pushups/situps. I think it makes me a better runner/rider as well, despite what people say about how you only need time on the bike.

Not so odd. Your making them uncomfortable about themselves. It used to be that the exact opposite. Now that the overweight are the majority and the norm, were the freaks.

I've lost 60 lbs this year (again, i did it in 2005/6 and gained it all back last winter) and still have 30 more to go. My wife, who is overweight (but working on it) is more self concious about it. This is a good thing, as my successes are helping her to see that it can be done and that its a far healthier way to be.


we have a winner!

later.

I'm in the same boats as you all. I've gone from 208 lbs to 155 lbs (5'10")............. Anyways I have a question, I think my weight loses has leveled out at 155 lbs, but during a normal week my weight will go from 160 to 155; is this normal?

* yes, I weigh myself at the same time every day.

Agreed. Ignore them and do what make YOU happy.

6' 2" @ 172 is not thin at all for a cyclist.

Class climbers run less than 2 pounds per inch of height. When you lose 25 more pounds (which will put you just 1 pound under the maximum weight for a climber), tell them that you now have a climbers body.

Until then, tell them that you are a bit chunky, but are working on it. :D

... Brad

I'm in the same boats as you all. I've gone from 208 lbs to 155 lbs (5'10")............. Anyways I have a question, I think my weight loses has leveled out at 155 lbs, but during a normal week my weight will go from 160 to 155; is this normal?

* yes, I weigh myself at the same time every day.

Yes, I do the same thing, except from 160-163 or so. I think its just water levels.

6' 2" @ 172 is not thin at all for a cyclist.

Class climbers run less than 2 pounds per inch of height. When you lose 25 more pounds (which will put you just 1 pound under the maximum weight for a climber), tell them that you now have a climbers body.

Until then, tell them that you are a bit chunky, but are working on it. :D

... Brad

Och, If I were the fanatical anorexic that some people are suspecting me to be, I'd be there in a month. No, I have my limits on how much mass I am willing to sacrifice. 25 lbs below what I am now would look really bad on me. I'd have to be a climber - I'd have to live alone in a cave on top of a hill as ugly as I'd be.

Just from a youngin's perspective:

I'm 16, 5'8" and weigh in at a mighty 125 lbs. I seem to be at a great weight for a cycler, having read the posts from this thread. Cycling isn't the only physical activity I get - I do weight lifting every other day to balance out the body shape (otherwise I'd be a pair of legs with a head).

I get many comments from peers saying that I'm too scrawny, too small, too whatever. I love being light, though. Makes you feel so powerful when you can whip your body around as if it weighed nothing - it impresses others too!

It's sad, the state of the youth today in respect to physical activity and fitness. I'm considered too light, too scrawny and whatnot and yet I can outperform most of my peers. I'm not a super athlete - I only bike for fun, maybe do 15k a day (when I can), and do the weight lifting every other day (hour-long workout). Not much by your standards, I'm sure. Still, to my friends I'm considered "insane," or a "bike junkie." Most of the kids I know consider walking for an hour to get somewhere a lot of exercise.

I'd love to see some pro-fitness programs develop in my area 'cause these kids around me are not going to grow up to be healthy adults.

Just my two cents!

I was 5'10" 210 before cycling (due to lack of activity and horrible eating). I'm now 160-165 (depending on what phase of training i'm in) and get ragged on by people saying I'm too thin, unhealthy, etc. The key is that you maintain proper nutrition (maybe meet with a nutritionist) and work on keeping lean muscle. I went from 20% BF to 11%, and building lean muscle.

Frankly, BMI isn't a great way to gauge anything. You need to get an assessment done by a trainer if you really want to know where you stand with your body comp.

I was 5'10" 235 when I invested in my first road bike. A year later I was down to 178 pounds. Since then I got sick for a few months and couldn't ride... and you guessed it, I gained weight. I'm back up to around 190. I REALLY notice the difference in my cycling perormance. Maybe not my peak speed averages (they are always improving) but going up hills is now excruciating. My race weight goal is 165-168 pounds but I'm not sure that will ever happen with my "build" especially considering the last time I weighed 168 pounds I was a senior in high school!!! I've always been somewhat stocky with short muscular legs and a longer torso.

Incorrect. From the CDC's website:

"Calculating BMI is one of the best methods for population assessment of overweight and obesity. Because calculation requires only height and weight, it is inexpensive and easy to use for clinicians and for the general public."

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_BMI/about_adult_BMI.htm

BMI may have some uses as a broad screening tool. But for assesing an individual's fitness it's pretty poor.

I've managed some decent results in events requiring significant climbing (such as a top ten finish in the Brasstown Bald Century) in spite of the fact that I am morbidly obese by BMI.

I take comfort in the fact that Brad Pitt is also morbidly obese.

There's no way in hell that Brad Pitt is morbidly obese. There *is* a website funded by the fast food industry that claims that (along with a bunch of other nonsense), but it's simply not true.