Confessions of a Fat Cyclist aka How Much Are You Weighing

[Javaman]

I remember 20 years ago that I can pretty much eat whatever I want and still maintain my ideal weight (5'9", 165-170 lbs soaking wet). Now I am 198 lbs, same height (maybe a bit shorter) and have to be careful of what I eat. The heaviest I got was 210 lbs! I blamed this on being transfered to place not ideal for cycling...and lots of good cheap eats.
Slowly getting back to being active and lose more so that can finally fit in those Rapha clothing that I bought.

[KJMUNC]

I'm 6'3 and at one point raced pretty well at 165-170lbs, but that was 15yrs ago. Over the xmas break hat was basically one big eating and drinking fest (with no exercise) I hopped on a scale and was mortified to see it read 224. I committed myself to getting back under 200 before Paris Roubaix.

I'm down to 195 and still would like to rebaseline at 188 or so. I e got a couple weeks so it's possible but will be close. I travel for work every week so eating out is the norm and I keep a bike at the hotel, but riding is almost always a 430/5am wake up call so it's tough to do consistently.

Good luck to all those chasing goals.

[johnniecakes]

6' even and 164lbs. Never fluctuate more than 5 pounds. When I started college in 1974 I was solid 142lbs. There should be a "tall and scrawny" department.
.

[zambenini]

Having some goals now.... At 6'2" I have raced from the 160s as a beanpole, in the 180s as a rouleur, and in the 200s dfl. I hung it up a few years ago and have been doing the 190s-200s ice cream rider thing for a while but I am trying to get fit again (my 205ish bod now is more muscle than my previous one it's not all fat, at least not 100%)... anyway, I am Obsessed with two things: 1)SS MTB and since I'm a hoary old 34 year old fat grandpa man with kids of my own now, 2) taking as much lean muscle mass into my forties as possible.

This winter I started doing kettlebells, basic weights, squats, deadlifts etc., A few spirited mountain bike rides per week, plenty of baby trailer miles, etc. I am seeing results from a strength and fitness standpoint (still in the 200s, fluctuating over or under 205ish.)

I don't have a goal number (maybe that's the problem?) But I am still waiting on the six pack to emerge. Maybe I need to get hard about diet? I don't know what to do next. Probably high intensity training. I don't want to lose muscle but I also want to trim down still. I am ok with extra upper body mass as I am not a noodly bike racer anymore .

Any advice appreciated.

[makoti]

5'9" 162.5, down from 166, aiming for 155-158 summer riding weight.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by zambenini

Having some goals now.... At 6'2" I have raced from the 160s as a beanpole, in the 180s as a rouleur, and in the 200s dfl. I hung it up a few years ago and have been doing the 190s-200s ice cream rider thing for a while but I am trying to get fit again (my 205ish bod now is more muscle than my previous one it's not all fat, at least not 100%)... anyway, I am Obsessed with two things: 1)SS MTB and since I'm a hoary old 34 year old fat grandpa man with kids of my own now, 2) taking as much lean muscle mass into my forties as possible.

This winter I started doing kettlebells, basic weights, squats, deadlifts etc., A few spirited mountain bike rides per week, plenty of baby trailer miles, etc. I am seeing results from a strength and fitness standpoint (still in the 200s, fluctuating over or under 205ish.)

I don't have a goal number (maybe that's the problem?) But I am still waiting on the six pack to emerge. Maybe I need to get hard about diet? I don't know what to do next. Probably high intensity training. I don't want to lose muscle but I also want to trim down still. I am ok with extra upper body mass as I am not a noodly bike racer anymore .

Any advice appreciated.

As a friend pointed out, you can have rocks in your belly but you'll never see them covered with fat. It's diet to get those abs to pop.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by makoti

As a friend pointed out, you can have rocks in your belly but you'll never see them covered with fat. It's diet to get those abs to pop.

Instead of the shallow rectus abdominis ("six pack") focus on your transverse abdominis (the deepest, most instrinsic ab muscles) which are fundamental to movement and help prevent injury.

[Mikej]

Coming up on the old 5-0 I'm in at 155lbs 72" tall. Its a gift from God.
He forgot to grace me with wealth, however.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Mikej

Coming up on the old 5-0 I'm in at 155lbs 72" tall. Its a gift from God.
He forgot to grace me with wealth, however.

"You can get richer and thinner but ya can't get younger"
-anon

[benb]

I mentioned last year how I don't think I can eat the calories required to gain so much weight over the winter that people mention.

Definitely another winter went by without that changing. I peaked out at 6lbs higher than my lowest in-season weight, but that's only about 3lbs where I like to be for my average weight.

This was a tough winter.. I was sick a lot and missed almost 5 weeks between going on vacation & being stuck not biking & such due to stitches in my leg.

That vacation.. we were with my in-laws. They eat in a way that would get me to gain weight... I do indeed feel pretty sick after a day or two of it.

The amount of food that I feel comfortable eating & the types of food (healthy stuff, whole grains, vegetables, potatoes, rice, lean meats & fish, etc.. ) I feel comfortable eating just keep me from gaining weight.

Yah I can eat that greasy burger one in a while with a heavy beer and french fries, and i get that if I did that multiple times a week I might gain a bunch of weight, but that meal makes me feel off for a little while and controls how often I might eat it. That meal might give me the extra calories needed to have a 700-800 excesse of calories for the day but I just couldn't eat it regularly and end up gaining 20+ lbs or something. I probably actually put down way more beer calories than usual this winter as I ended up with the equivalent of about 3 cases of home brew that was definitely not low cal and I have about 4 pints left.

I think I could actually pig out and not feel sick more when I was younger than I can now. I would probably gain 10-15lbs of fat above race weight in the winter in my 20s... but even then, I'm 6'1", anytime I hit 180lbs my body starts screaming at me for less food and more exercise.

[Red Tornado]

When I began riding I was 5'11" and bounced around in the 160-165 pound range. The guys I rode with jokingly called me a heavy rider, said I could get down to 150-155 if I wanted to. Didn't want to; enjoyed eating too much. Always ate what I considered sensible, lots of riding and a healthy metabolism allowed me to keep it there.
Fast forward to 28 years later, I'm now 5'10" and a wispy 215 pounds. Up from 175 two years ago, the last time I can remember having decent form/fitness. Several physical issues, some caused by who knows what and some caused by work stress, kept me more-or-less sidelined for about 20 months. Never thought I would gain an average of 5 pounds per month though!
Right now the first goal is to get under 200 by mid-to-late summer. After that, I'll set another goal. Be interesting to see how it goes.

[rzthomas]

The lightest I ever was 157 pounds back in 2005 when I was racing and doing well on the road, plus was on my feet as a backserver at a restaurant. 5'11" in height.

I'm now at 168-170 and could stand to lose a few. I get pretty lean at 164. I also don't ride nearly as much as I used to (4-5 45-60 minute rides a week vs. 200+ mileage weeks 10 years ago), as a parent of two young kids and a crazy busy director-level job.

[Drmojo]

Dude I ride with weighed 380
then
took up cycling whole um whole hog
now he races Cat 3
3 years in
he now weighs 190!
he lost half his body weight
and be is a great guy
a true inspiration
stretch marks are is biggest problem
I told him he should write a book

[duff_duffy]

I was pushing 184 Jan. 1 and am now 148.6.....cut all sugar, dairy, and carbs and replaced with meat, fish and greens only, started to walk 1 hour at lunch. .5 hour run at night, and bike if warm. Trying to get to my high school weight of 145 within 2 weeks because of a greatest loser challenge I’m doing at work. I plan on putting weight back on just as quick at end of contest I miss dessert at night bad...if your struggling to lose weight starting a greatest loser challenge with competitive colleagues maybe the ticket.

[oliver1850]

I am at least 15 lbs overweight, 5' 11" and 163 lbs. No muscle no matter how much manual labor I do. I would like to drop about 20 lbs. of fat and retain what little muscle I have.