Boy, you're gonna carry that weight

Boy, you're gonna carry that weight

Carry that weight

A long time

The Beatles "Carry that weight"

 

There are few sports that penalize a few extra pounds more than cycling. 5 pounds can make the difference between flying up the hills and having each one be a long slog. I've struggled with weight gain my whole life. Well, strictly speaking this isn't true. I was pretty thin up until after grad school when working 80 hours/week sitting at a desk took its toll. Since then, it's been a constant battle. There are a number of reasons for this:

1. I'm "gifted" genetically with the metabolism of a hibernating bear.
2. I have the self control of a 4 year old when it comes to food.
3. I like the occasional malted beverage.
4. Although I'm not a glutton, the fact is that I enjoy a good meal.
5. I was raised in the "clean your plate" generation. Put it in front of me and I will eat until it's gone.

Typically, my weight is a step function: in normal times it's fairly stable for months or years plus or minus a pound or two. When I'm inactive due to injury or travel for a week or more: boom! Plus 5 pounds. And that's my new "normal". I'll remain at this new weight for months until the next time I'm unable to exercise when I add another 5. This process repeats until I reach a level that's unacceptable to me and I go on a "starvation" diet. It's important to note that cycling in and of itself is not enough for me to lose weight, it has to be in conjunction with a fairly restrictive diet.

 

I know what you're thinking: I could of course modify my intake to match my activity level so when it looks like I'm going to have a period of forced inactivity for any length of time I could just not eat/drink as much so I wouldn't gain weight.

 

But that's just crazy! I don't know where you get those nutty ideas!

 

How much "should" I weigh? Well, the US Govt Health and Human Services Dept says that for my height (6'3" or 75") the Body Mass Index (BMI) values are as follows:

• Underweight - below 18.5
• Normal - 18.5-24.9
• Overweight  - 25.0
• Obesity- 30.0 and above

But that's the government. My personal standard (in pounds) is as follows:

• 160-170 - ideal
• 171-180 - a little heavier than I'd like, but I can live with it
• 181-190 - fat
• 190+ obese

It probably goes without saying that the repeated and extended times off the bike last year weren't helpful. Right now according to the Government, my weight is "normal" but by my cycling standard I'm obese.

Sigh.

Here's the thing though. My rides post back surgery have been fairly short duration (40 miles or less on average) and low intensity. I've had a few sessions of dieting and basically have accomplished nothing other than making myself miserable. As I've said here in the past: you've got $10 of will power and you can spend it however you'd like. I've been spending it on trying to ride more and longer and don't have any more willpower to spend on dieting. Further, as I said above the "secret sauce" is diet and exercise so on a program of shorter/lower intensity rides I simply won't lose weight, I'll just make myself miserable.

The current plan therefore is to continue to focus on longer distance (I did my first 100K Populaire today) and get that to a reasonable level and then hit the dieting hard once I'm riding 1000+ miles per month. I expect that'll be April at the earliest or more likely May so this means my April brevets are going to be slogfests.

Stay tuned!