Overweight Divers

[Joe L]

Heck, I'm out of breath just reading this thread. LOL..

Only kidding. I am happy to say I have seen the light. I'm 6' was 228 and have dropped 12lbs recently. Its tough though when your hooked on sugar products. (was a junk food junkie). Now that I'm 51, I finally put my foot down and been clean (junk food) for a while. I feel BETTER...... I really didn't do it for the diving part of it but, just was always so tired. JOe

[Rockhound76]

Originally Posted by diver-wife

Husky a bad word, my brother used to wear "Husky" brand jeans as a child, looking back, t hat is not the best name, why not just name them "Fat Pants" or maybe phat pants to sound cooler

Funny. My wife got mad at my dad last year for pointing out that I was always heavy.

"Takes after his mother's side, not mine." is what he said.

My wife asked, "He wasn't THAT fat was he? " (THAT fat? Er, thanks, HONEY).

Dad's reply?

"Heck. He we had to by them those fat jeans, what did they call them? Oh, yea, 'Husky.' Them kids used to tease him all the time."

THAT I won't forget, but I live with it. So what, I've been, er, HUSKY my whole life. I look in the mirror and I still see how heavy I am, but I don't/can't let it bother me. I'm just heavy.

I spin 5 days a week. I ride my bicycle 3000-5000 miles a year. Last year, I cycled from Houston to Orlando in a relay ride. My shortest ride was 113miles non-stop, averaging 18.3mph. No one on the team could ride with me when I decided to hammer.

A few months before, I did my first "sub-5-hour Century" and the year before, I cycled to Lake Tahoe, then participated in America's Most Beautiful Bicycle Ride, averaging nearly 20mph at altitude and with two nasty climbs. I finished so early, I ate lunch, cycled back 12 miles and waited on the rest of the team so we could finish together. Plus, I rode from the hotel and back, which was 9 miles from the start. I have ridden up to 154 miles nonstop in a single day.

I bench press my body weight. My resting HR is 58, my max 203, my BP is 117/65. I'm 50 years old.

I might be fat, but I feel pretty dang good.
( re-read this, and realized I sound defensive. I am, a LITTLE. I also gained 70lbs eleven years ago, when my then 2yr. old was diagnosed with cancer. I've lost about 55 of that 70, but I'm still heavy at 6'1", 225lbs.)

[MelissaExplainsItAll]

I'm not the most physically fit diver I've ever seen and I'm a smoker, so I have two things working against me. The problem I really have is carrying almost 40lbs worth of gear. That can really get your heart pumpin!

[LittleOtter]

Originally Posted by FishFood

Where do you usually dive? It's been my experience that divers are usually better than average when it comes to physical fitness.

with me it's physical FATness if you read the 100 pushups Thread it would seem almost impossible. so just read my posts there and you will know why

[SlvrDragon50]

Its the beer belly from chugging down all those beers after diving...

My theory on why underage divers aren't "overweight"

[drako]

I am overweight....gained like 50lbs. However when I was in high school/early college I was part of the swim team and track. I would regularly beat most of my skinny friends especially in the water. Back then I was at 180-190 and I am 5'8.

Now for the science of the matter; sorry if this was already mentioned. The biggest land mammal is the African Elephant correct? (forgive me if im wrong its early in the morning) The largest ocean mammel is the blue whale. Big difference in size eh? The reason being is that larger animals in the water do not have to worry to fight gravity or the mass of their weight.

So naturally big guys, like me can swim all along underwater. If your FIT your fine

[chris7241517]

iam 6'1 and about 205 so iam a little over weight.i smoke but i will challenge anyone out their. iam a rock climmber and a repelling instructor. i dive about 2 to 3 times a week and ant never hade no problem so it dont matter about size its youre endurance and physical strength. even us overweight ppl can keep up so dont forget

[Aussie]

Originally Posted by mudshark

I beg to differ. I know other ladies will agree with me in principle if not specifics. Hugh Jackman immediately comes to mind, for one. And yes, I know the guys are all going "eeeewwwww" as they read this.

Its because he is Australian and all Australian males look great in wetsuits

Aussie

[bigfishK9]

Look at the men in the "Worlds Strongest Man" competition. By medical standards (based on the little chart my Dr. shows me pertaining to height & weight) they would be considered "fat" or overweight. But they are obviously some of the most physically strong and cardio conditioned athletes in the world.

[sravin1]

Originally Posted by bigfishK9

Look at the men in the "Worlds Strongest Man" competition. By medical standards (based on the little chart my Dr. shows me pertaining to height & weight) they would be considered "fat" or overweight. But they are obviously some of the most physically strong and cardio conditioned athletes in the world.

for your health, you go to a doctor. If you want good fitness opinion, you have to go to a physical trainer. the chart that your doctor showed you was the body mass index chart(BMI). this chart does not differentiate between fat and muscle and hence the problem in judgement. you should always take BMI in conjunction with your body fat percentage.

For males, a BMI between 20-25 and a body fat percentage between 10-20 percent is considered healthy. Remember that even if your BMI is low, if your fat % is not, then you are in the danger zone (although you may not be overwight).