Roody

Tell us about it.

daihard 

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 190 lbs (February 2010) --> 130 lbs (August 2011) --> 140 lbs (September 2013)

I want to get back down to 130 lbs.

B. Carfree

I've gotten fat twice in my life. Once when I had a depressing situation at work I gained ten pounds a month for four months. After changing jobs, I lost ten pounds a month for four months. Just after I "retired", I briefly put on about twenty extra pounds because I just wasn't getting enough exercise. I took a job that involved a hundred mile round-trip commute which I did by bike and that took care of those pounds in a hurry.

FWIW, I'm 6'2" and weigh in at about 185. When I was a bit fitter, I weighed ten pounds more but had <10% body fat. I'm thinking about doing that again, but I'm not positive this old body can manage it. We'll see.

Machka 

I've peaked at the weight I am now twice in my life, now and in mid-1990. I'm a little bit overweight now, and was for a few months in 1990 too.

But for the rest of my life I've been "normal" or underweight.


As for now ... I gained a bit of weight on our 8-month Round The World tour (June 2012 to February 2013) ... too many delicious ice creams in Europe!! And definitely not enough activity on the US portion of the tour. I lost about 5 kg over Christmas 2012 when Rowan and I joined a gym in Canada for a month. But since February, our life situation has been unsettled and it has been very hard to a) fit exercise in, and b) get motivated to focus on fitness.

However, it looks like things may be settling soon, and it's spring with a long summer ahead of us, so if all goes well, I'll be back to a normal weight again soon.


Back in 1990, I stepped on the scale, realised how much I weighed ... realised that would never do ... and proceeded to lose 20 lbs that month, and another 20 lbs over the next few months.


During the years when I was car-free, and using my bicycles and foot power to get around, I was underweight. I had a tough time eating enough.

wolfchild

I've never been overweight...Have been lean and slim all my life, I think it's because of all the physical activity. I am 6 foot tall and only weigh 164 pounds, very little fat. At 43 years of age my waist is 32 inches the same as when I was 19 years old.

Sixty Fiver

I have never weighed more than 160 pounds... my "race weight" had always been 142 pounds. I have a very light frame and am five foot nine.

While remaining exceptionally fit and lifting a lot of weights I have gone up to 158 pounds, just about all the weight gain has been in my upper body and a point where I seem to peak out.

After a back injury in 2008 (I was 43 at the time) I dropped back from that high of 158 and after a long period of recovery had gotten back to a healthier 145 with a little more body fat than I had when I was riding 10,000 miles a year and wrestling steel for a living.

A fall down my stairs in December of 2011 sidelined me for quite some time and my weight went up to nearly 160 and this was not good weight... the rapid onset and additional loss of conditioning caused me to really look at my diet and it was here when I adopted a lower carb diet that I practice to this day. The extra weight came off before I could really be as active as I would like and before my ankles healed sufficiently for me to walk or ride any distances.

Now I am a relatively fit 48 year old (save for chronic pain issues and neuropathy)... I manage to stay fairly active and with this a combination of a healthy diet I don't worry about gaining any extra weight.

I also avoid stairs...

wahoonc

I am on the way back down...

When I was racing back in the 70's I was 6'-2" 138# ate 5000 calories a day. I was probably at my best weight around 2000 weighed in around 174, old age, desk job and too much windshield time got me up to around 235# now I am on my way back down. I am currently around 210#, doc says I have at least another 25# to go...

Aaron

Ekdog

No, in my fifty-six years I've never been fat.

I put this down to a healthy, piscatarian/Mediterranean diet, eschewing American-style fast 'food', cycling, walking and taking the stairs most of the time instead of the lift.

Rootman

3 years ago I was 400+ pounds, not sure exactly how much because I didn't have a scale that read that high and frankly I didn't want to know. Started having health issues big time and decided on weight loss surgery. If I waited for insurance it would be 6 months to a year for surgery so I went self pay. Went on a crash diet was 380 when I went in for surgery a few months later, had the surgery got down to 205 and have since put on 10 pounds of fat or muscle. It appears to be mostly muscle as I am the same size I was at 205 but more defined. So I lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 pounds.

It saved and changed my life. While weather is good I ride more than 100 miles a week, when it's cold I swim a lot.

squegeeboo

Fat. BMI sits either side of 30 based on the month/week. I've been as low as 170, was stable in the mid 180's for a year or two. But I always end up creeping back up to right around 200. I bike a lot, I run a lot...I drink a lot-er.

Every so often I go on a diet for a month or two, drop 20ish pounds, but then within 1-2 years it's all back on.

Blue_Bulldog

I dunno if I'd qualify as having "been fat", but I was pretty out of shape.

Since I'm such a huge boxing fan, I kinda had to think of it in terms of weight classes. I went from being a Middleweight and almost a Light Heavyweight back to being a Welterweight, which I haven't been a Welterweight since I was a Junior in college.

I'm 5'7" and when I moved back to Greenville in Feb, I was 185lbs. Once I lost the 210lbs that was my psychotic ex girlfriend, I got on the bike, lived car free... by early May, I was at 143lbs.

However, when I was training for my century ride, I put about 8-10lbs of muscle back on, but then lost some other weight towards the end. I've evened out to a walking around weight of about 148lbs last time I was at the doctor's (which, being Jewish, is often).

All I can say is that for the first time in my life, I like what I see in the mirror when my shirt is off. And getting second glances in public isn't too bad for the self esteem either.

High five to everyone here on choosing to live healthy!!!

Roody

Congratulations, Rootman! I think that's amazing.

I have always yo-yoed with my weight. I got up over 320 pounds in 2000 and then had a heart attack. After that, I went down to 180 for a while, but mostly I've fluctuated between 200 and 240. I actually feel best around 225.

My internist and cardiologist are both of the opinion that you can be "fat but fit." They tell me that I can keep my BMI in the "overweight" range, but not "obese". They say to eat the Mediterranean diet and exercise 60 to 90 minutes a day. They test my blood glucose and lipid profile (cholesterol) every 6 months.

Lately my weight has been creeping up to 240. I've been exercising less since I moved closer to work. Also my son and his family moved in with me and my diet changed. So now I'm embarking on a new lifestyle that I hope will get me leaner and healthier.

rockmom

I've always been thin. That has been a problem once or twice.

DX-MAN

Rootman wins.

I've been called 'fat' a few times, just because I have a barrel-shaped torso (genetics); my BMI is a touch under 30, for what that's worth (I tend not to trust these body composition numbers). I like to joke that I have a six-pack (abs), but I keep it in this (rubbing the belly) soft-sided cooler. (I can knock out 30+ sit-ups any time of day or night.)

I wear an XXL shirt, because of the chest & shoulders (48's bind across the shoulders, especially); my waist rings in at 40 -- yes, I am an absolute Clyde, at 230-235. Joint issues keep me from running, but I can ride the legs off quite a few people. My health numbers look good for someone 20 years younger. (54....)

I'm not a Sumo, by any means, but I do know how to use my weight to advantage, especially at work.

That's where I am, and I'm good with it.

gerv 

I weighed about 230 at one point in the 1990s. Nowadays running just under 190.

Of course I was a bit taller in those days. So losing on all fronts

Cycling though didn't seem to help me much with weight loss... although my belt size went down quite a bit.

wahoonc

I had not thought about BMI, mine is 27.5 doctor has no real issues with it, my "ideal" weight is around 185, but other than cholesterol everything else is great. I pretty much eat a Mediterranean diet, with a few minor detours.

Aaron

Lanovran

I was somewhat chubby before I went off to college. Instead of gaining the "freshman fifteen," though, I actually lost it (and then some) due to being away from my mother's deep-fried cooking, no longer setting foot inside fast food establishments, and riding a bike and walking a lot more than I did before. I slimmed down quite a bit, shed a lot of excess body fat, and gained a good bit of muscle. Just the other day, I had a visitor at one of my workplaces remark that I "look like a triathlete" (little did she know that I can't swim to save my life, and would much rather ride than run given the opportunity).

Bluish Green

A year and a half ago, I was 305 lbs and had high blood pressure and had developed high cholesterol. My doctor was not happy. Now I am down to 245 lbs and have been holding steady there for a few months. I lost the 60 pounds (and also controlled my blood pressure and cholesterol) by doing two things: giving up my car for bicycle commuting, and eating better. I am a full-time bicycle commuter now (gave up my car almost a year ago). The bicycling has me in my best physical shape since the 1980's. My endurance is back, and even my nagging lower back pain is history. As far as improving what I eat, I did a substitution, giving up a few of the worst things in my previous diet (chips, sweets, fruit juices, fast food, etc.) and replacing them with healthier alternatives (homemade granola, almonds, fruit, etc.). I still don't "diet", I just eliminated a few of the worst items I used to eat. For whatever reason, my personality type does better with full substitution than attempting portion control.

My doctor says my health turnaround is the best he has seen in his 30 years of practice. The funny thing is, I really enjoy the bicycling and wish I had tried that years ago. I had no idea what a sweet 6-mile bicycle commute I had until I tried it once, then I knew I had to switch. It is so much better than the gym. I'm saving money on car expenses too, and it does my pro-environment heart proud, but the fun and health benefits are the biggies. I also like the re-connection with mother nature, the challenge of beating the nastiest days, and getting to know the streets of my city better. I don't miss most of the bad foods either, especially the fast food. That stuff seems really unappetizing to me now.

I'm still not thin, but being taller and built like a football player, that isn't necessarily the goal for me. I feel great and my numbers are all good. I'm glad I made the changes I did, because I was headed down a bad path.

enigmaT120

Good job, Bluish Green.

I probably wouldn't be very fat even if I didn't exercise. I'd be one of those skinny old guys with a pot gut. That's what my dad looked like, and I'm built pretty much like him but I work out. 5' 11", 175 pounds. I haven't been bicycling as much as I wish to, but I hope I don't have to give up my motorcycles to make myself do it.

MEversbergII

I used to be fat.

I still am, but I used to be too.

M.

Smallwheels

I'm skinny fat. That means I fit into skinny clothes but don't have a lot of muscles anywhere but my legs. I suspect that if I were toned I would weigh about the same but with more definition.

plustax

No. I was fat from 11-14, and then shot up. Wen't from 5'8" 220lb to 6'2" 190lbs over the course of 6 years or so.

gerv 

Aha! classic cyclist. You can always spot them in a crowd. Pretty ordinary from the waist up.

fietsbob

65, too.. Im still within the upper weight limit of my thudbuster seat post elastomer choice range .

Roody

I bet you're a great climber on the bike! Even at my leanest, I will be a starter and a sprinter... Good legs but just too much weight wasted on my upper body muscles.