Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Today's Rant

Why oh why do people assume that if a fat person rides a bike it's because he wants to lose weight? Isn't cycling worth doing for its own sake?

Perhaps because I taught myself to ride as an adult, and learning to ride was a motivation to lose weight, I've never thought to take up cycling for weight control. But for me thinking the motivation to ride is to keep my weight down is akin to taking up chess because I want to improve my pattern recognition skills. It may happen, but it's not the reason I play - or ride.

The idea that riding is fun and brings a feeling of satisfaction doesn't come with a weight parameter. I've said many times that while an overweight person may indeed start riding to lose weight, that some where along the line they become a cyclist who happens to be losing weight.

The idea that riding is fun and brings a feeling of satisfaction doesn't come with a weight parameter. I've said many times that while an overweight person may indeed start riding to lose weight, that some where along the line they become a cyclist who happens to be losing weight.

Very well said sir... I started my biking journey to loose weight, now I am how you describe it. I often think about riding, finding excuses to ride, and when I am riding, finding excuses to stay in the saddle longer and further each time..

If I had to guess it would be due to the non riders perception that biking is work or not enjoyable. The same two descriptors which could be used to describe dieting so maybe that is why they associate the two.

Heh.
I get the "You're so brave and noble!...You are SUCH an inspiration!...YOU ride 4 MILES(?!?!?!) ROUND TRIP? I could never do that AND work, too!" type of comments.

Sometimes it makes me think fondly of mass murder.
Then, I realize these people have no frame of reference.
To them it's impossible, because they've never even considered trying.
(One of these days, I'll convince ONE of them to try though.)

Most "fat" people want to lose weight. I'd think that would hold especially true of those who enjoy cycling. And cycling aids in weight loss. So I think that'd be why they make that assumption.

Of course, many activities provide similar benefits, so one also should assume that the person chose to bicycle over participating in some other activity (racketeball, swimming, treadmill) because they enjoy it. They would realize that some people think cycling is worth doing for purposes other than weight loss because otherwise they would not see so many thinner people doing it too, plus most of them experienced the fun of riding as kids.

Yep, it is like that here as well. Even though commuting by bicycle is very common here with people at all ages, people tend to pigeon-hole most clydes into the "trying to lose weight" category. People like to define stuff like that down to the least-common-denominator.

Lots of people think that I ride just to lose weight because of my size. Other people think that I'm some sort of alternate lifestyle hippy-type because I commute to work on my bicycle, and do most of my grocery shopping using panniers on the way home from work (only work 4 miles from home, and riding is faster and easier due to traffic and parking). Some people think that I "race", because I like to do longer rides on my road bike.

I just like to ride.

The idea that riding is fun and brings a feeling of satisfaction doesn't come with a weight parameter. I've said many times that while an overweight person may indeed start riding to lose weight, that some where along the line they become a cyclist who happens to be losing weight.

*Or a fat cyclist who can now eat more candy

Interesting question. Its the same for certain other sports i.e. running, but not the same for stuff like swimming or football. if you see someone overweight in the pool you don't assume they are doing it for the weight loss but if you see the same person running you do. well thats the way i see it

the only important thing is that you are out doing it no matter what the reason:)

Cycling is different than most other recreational sports, in that you can't "see" how much a person does it by how they look. Racing is different, but if you are talking about recreational riding, then people come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

People that run can look at one another at the starting line, and at least get a sense of who will perform well (that leaned-down, no extra muscles that don't support running, "runner build"). Likewise, people can look at weight lifters and get a general idea where they stack-up.

There are lots of heavier riders that can ride harder and faster than much slimmer or muscular-looking people. Since cycling does not tear up your joints, or build massive muscles, it is just harder to tell by looking at someone, how big their aerobic engine is. People have similar issues estimating the performance of heavier long-distance rowers.

I'm no Mr. Beanz, by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't tell you how many times on group rides that smaller riders that don't ride regularly are totally surprised by how well I take hills compared to them. I can't ride with the fast-groups on hills, but I'm never one of the slowest.

I started back to riding, truly, because I wanted to lose weight. And I have been guilty :rolleyes: of telling posters that he or she was an inspiration to me. But I think that speaks more about me than my expectations of them. I'm just saying, "You're there, doing x and this is what it means to me about me. It's purely self-centered on my part if I am completely honest. But, that being said, now that I am riding on a more or less consistent basis, it's not so much about weight control or fitness. I just really like to feel the wind in my hair (to the extent that you can with a helmet) and remember what it was like to be that 8yo kid racing up and down the street for hours on end for absolutely no purpose.

I'm no Mr. Beanz, by any stretch of the imagination,


Hey, I'm not fast, just consistent!:D

I can't say anything about "assuming" cause everybody does it! They assume of you but you assume of them!;)

I get to ride because it's fun, I get to be more fit, I get to eat what I want and I get to lose weight in the process. This has to be fitness heaven.

John

But for me thinking the motivation to ride is to keep my weight down is akin to taking up chess because I want to improve my pattern recognition skills. It may happen, but it's not the reason I play - or ride.

People who play chess don't do it to celebrate the joy of being stupid.

I'm just sayin.

I rode before I was fat, I will ride while I am fat and if I am ever thin I will ride then. I have been riding ever since I was a kid. We didn't have a lot of money so the fastest way to get somewhere was on a bike. ECB1

People who play chess don't do it to celebrate the joy of being stupid.

I'm just sayin.

Many of them do, however. Some of the dimmest bulbs imaginable are 'lights' at the Marshall.

I started back to riding, truly, because I wanted to lose weight. And I have been guilty :rolleyes: of telling posters that he or she was an inspiration to me. But I think that speaks more about me than my expectations of them. I'm just saying, "You're there, doing x and this is what it means to me about me. It's purely self-centered on my part if I am completely honest. But, that being said, now that I am riding on a more or less consistent basis, it's not so much about weight control or fitness. I just really like to feel the wind in my hair (to the extent that you can with a helmet) and remember what it was like to be that 8yo kid racing up and down the street for hours on end for absolutely no purpose.

There's no "wrong" reason to start riding. My complaint is that people automatically assume that weight loss is the main or sole reason.

And yes folks, this thread was prompted by something. During my June tour someone who should have known better told me I should get an electric bicycle because I'm "only riding to lose weight." I'm still royally pissed off about it.

How exactly would an electric bicycle help you lose weight???

I'd have just looked at them with the confused puppy look. And the more they tried to explain it away, the more confused I'd look. Until they get the hint.

There's no "wrong" reason to start riding. My complaint is that people automatically assume that weight loss is the main or sole reason.

And yes folks, this thread was prompted by something. During my June tour someone who should have known better told me I should get an electric bicycle because I'm "only riding to lose weight." I'm still royally pissed off about it.

One must remember something about the word assume, assume makes an ass out of you and me.

As for only riding to lose weight, the response to that is to come back with DO YOU THINK I AM FAT? If you can do a really good look of horrified shock, it works even better..... :eek:

How exactly would an electric bicycle help you lose weight???

I'd have just looked at them with the confused puppy look. And the more they tried to explain it away, the more confused I'd look. Until they get the hint.

Electrics are heavier to pedal when the battery is turned off. Or so I'm told.

There's no "wrong" reason to start riding. My complaint is that people automatically assume that weight loss is the main or sole reason.

And yes folks, this thread was prompted by something. During my June tour someone who should have known better told me I should get an electric bicycle because I'm "only riding to lose weight." I'm still royally pissed off about it.

You can not control what others think of you or say to you. You can only control how you respond. Life is too short to be royally pissed about what some ignorant a55hat said to you two months ago.

Life is like a bike ride. Try to enjoy the ride without swallowing too many bugs.

Peace brother Historian.

This is an intriguing thread...thanks for the topic to self-reflect.

I never started cycling to lose weight ~ I started as a kid and was encouraged to ride and really to do anything fitness related. Because I was an avid cyclist as a younger person, it was quite natural for me to be on a bike. With weight gain as an adult, I really couldn't use cycling as a weight loss activity - I was so accustomed to it, I really had to do very lengthy and arduous rides on a regular basis to get even the slightest bit of weight loss out of it. It was much more economical/efficient for me to run (well, jog ..."run" is such a strong word...;) to lose weight. Carrying my body over a short distance really took weight off more quickly. My jogging most definitely benefited from my cycling ~ I don't know that I would have had the strength or lung capacity to do as much jogging, had it not been for my cycling. Sadly though, my cycling activity really waned. Cycling became my "treat" activity... my reward for losing weight. After many years of yo-yo ing and enduring numerous weight-bearing injuries, I finally just tried to hold steady at whatever weight I was.... just tried not to gain more, especially during injury-related inactivity. Unfortunately, through injury, I'd gotten my body to a point where cycling was not something I could do.

I always knew though that I would get back to cycling. I started researching everything I could about bikes ... started collecting them... took maintenance classes, etc., all in anticipation of not only riding again... but having cycling again be a part of my "being". Instead of learning how to make a bike lighter and faster, I started learning about how to make my ride more comfortable. Instead of flash I looked for road dampening. :thumb: I learned very quickly that all my adult life I'd been riding bikes that were too big for me, and started looking for manufacturers who made bikes in my size - and have been grateful for every one of them. I've been through fittings and adjustments and measurements... and have finally reached a point where I have customized a right-size fitting bike, to a point where I can tolerate about 30 minutes of riding at a time. I also commute to work now, several days a week. I can feel the strength in my legs returning, and it feels so wonderful to be on a bike again. The level of self-care I practice now with the wisdom I've gained, is most valuable.... and I am so grateful for every ride I am able to do.

I still don't expect lose weight as a result of my 30 minute bike rides... but I do know they are strengthening me physically and emotionally, which will definitely contribute to better self-care, and ultimately perhaps, weight loss.

I just really like to feel the wind in my hair (to the extent that you can with a helmet) and remember what it was like to be that 8yo kid racing up and down the street for hours on end for absolutely no purpose.

well said there is something fantastic about that sort of feeling. find yourself a nice quiet country route (we have plenty of these here) and be mad - take your helmet off and embrace the wind. be a kid again:)

i started re-cycling to lose weight but i really like my bike now. have a route now that takes me best part of an hour. i'm not rushing. if i was a poet i could describe the joy a little better. something about the squishy tyre on the front and the relaxing noise it makes and the fact i dont have to worry bout what gear to go into. i think this bike is perfect:) and even though the scenery is overlooked, its exquisite on this bike. it all adds up:)

sorry, easily known i watched a mushy film last night;)

We need to remember that people who are not us, or our family, or in our circle of friends are generally stupid and "don't know nothin' 'bout nothin'" (I know it is two negatives in one sentence and improper grammer but it's a line from a cartoon I used to watch on line, can anyone guess?). As a result, just ignore the dopey wienie people.

Hmmmm, were do I fit in... I started riding as a kid because it's dang fun. Then one day as an overweight adult I realized that riding was the only fun "exercise" I knew so I went for more miles, started commuting, and lost weight.

Now I commute because it fun, good exercise, lets me see the world, gets me out of the box we all live in, and saves the planet (maybe just a little).

Hmmmmm, I guess that makes me a fat guy who wants to eat more candy :thumb:

I honestly don't know why anyone cares. I don't. I ride for me. If someone assumes I do it to lose weight or whatever, I couldn't care less.

I honestly don't know why anyone cares. I don't. I ride for me. If someone assumes I do it to lose weight or whatever, I couldn't care less.

That's perfectly OK with me as well. I wish people who assumed I, and by extension other fat people, ride to lose weight kept their mouths shut. It reminds me of a problem I had in my office; I had a coworker who assumed the multivitamin and other pills I took were for weight loss. "That's a use of Ibuprofen unknown to medical science" I told the idiot.

Heh.
I get the "You're so brave and noble!...You are SUCH an inspiration!...YOU ride 4 MILES(?!?!?!) ROUND TRIP? I could never do that AND work, too!" type of comments.

Sometimes it makes me think fondly of mass murder.
Then, I realize these people have no frame of reference.
To them it's impossible, because they've never even considered trying.
(One of these days, I'll convince ONE of them to try though.)

I cycle, pardon the expression, between these extremes too. I keep telling myself I'll never encourage another fat person to make changes in their life, and yet time and again I find myself inviting a fat coworker or a novice cyclist or a new poster on the Clyde/Athena forum for a short ride. And time and again I get turned down. I've only had one success - Jude, an adult beginner I taught to ride last year. Incidentally, that's probably my proudest achievement in cycling. :thumb:

Some time after I saw this thread, and before today, I stumbled across the most apropos quote:

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin

Adjusted for point of view, you get: "People don't see you as you are, they see you as they are."

This plays nicely with one of my own, which is:

"English gets it right. In other (latin) languages, you give offense, which is impossible. In English you take offense, which is your own choice."

The reason I started riding for my daily commute was to lose weight, so it never occurs to me that an overweight cyclist is not doing the same. Heck, I lost over 50 lbs in one summer doing that, so it confuses me when I see a long time avid cyclist who is still heavy.

We started riding to lose weight. We needed to "do something" and I had always enjoyed biking as a kid.

Although I'm proud to be down 30 lbs in the past year, this isn't as huge of a drop as some have quoted here. I'm fine with that. Biking over the last 9mo has been as much about getting outdoors and blowing off the stress from work.

It's nice to have a healthy hobby for a change, instead of sitting here in front of this PC from the moment I get home to the moment I go to bed.

Anytime the general public sees a fat person actually trying to move (and rolling on a bike is relatively fast movement) they will assume that weight reduction is all or part of the plan. Most of the time they would be correct. Which one of us here didn't even once consider that extra calories would be burned off?



.

Anytime the general public sees a fat person actually trying to move (and rolling on a bike is relatively fast movement) they will assume that weight reduction is all or part of the plan. Most of the time they would be correct. Which one of us here didn't even once consider that extra calories would be burned off?


Missing my point. Most folks agree increased activity means increased calorie burn. However, does that mean the increased calorie burn is the reason all or most fat folks decide to take up a given activity? I hope to have a good mood when I am on a bike tour; it doesn't mean I tour by bicycle to develop a good mood.

Some time after I saw this thread, and before today, I stumbled across the most apropos quote:

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin

Adjusted for point of view, you get: "People don't see you as you are, they see you as they are."

This plays nicely with one of my own, which is:

"English gets it right. In other (latin) languages, you give offense, which is impossible. In English you take offense, which is your own choice."

English is not a Latin language, it's classed as a Germanic language, old English is a descendant of old German, which also bred modern German. However as England was sacked by different kingdoms and empires (in the early medieval period ), each added some of it's own words to the language, so some English words are derived from Danish and some derived from Norman French, making it more of a creole then a language. This is why English is so difficult to learn and the spelling of some words don't make sense as to their pronunciation.

English is not a Latin language, it's classed as a Germanic language, old English is a descendant of old German, which also bred modern German. However as England was sacked by different kingdoms and empires (in the early medieval period ), each added some of it's own words to the language, so some English words are derived from Danish and some derived from Norman French, making it more of a creole then a language. This is why English is so difficult to learn and the spelling of some words don't make sense as to their pronunciation.

I think the parenthesis around "latin" is causing confusion. What I believe the poster meant was:

"English gets it right. In other languages, such as those derived primarily from Latin, you give offense, which is impossible. In English you take offense, which is your own choice."

Anytime the general public sees ANY person actually trying to move (anything of athletic value) they will assume that weight reduction is all or part of the plan. Most of the time they would be correct. Which one of us here didn't even once consider that extra calories would be burned off?



.

Fixed



most people including my friends usually comment that i have too much motivation. others that make comments clearly feel inadequate and have to somehow make themselves feel better. a couple people made some fat jokes or a fat related remark and cycling and i took it upon myself to call them out in front of all their friends. ones that wouldn't take the challenge got ripped on by their friends and the one that actually did take the challenge i made an example of. i did thank that person for being a good sport after having his expectations of out doing me crushed.

making one lazy person :eek: at a time..... priceless

The reason I started riding for my daily commute was to lose weight, so it never occurs to me that an overweight cyclist is not doing the same. Heck, I lost over 50 lbs in one summer doing that, so it confuses me when I see a long time avid cyclist who is still heavy.

See the earlier post about if you ride you can eat more candy.

Ha cha cha!