Post Christmas Shape

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Oh boy. For once my Christmas involved far more food and alcohol than is safe, and far less cycling or any other exercise than I would like. I hopped on the bike for the first 5 mile commute since mid Dec and really felt the difference.

Do people come out of the "party season" in worse or better shape?
 

Adam4868

Guru
I tend to stay at "worse shape"
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
Pretty much the same shape, heavier, but fitness is still at same level. I trained right upto xmas eve, rode twice mid xmas and have completed my first training ride of 2019 today. I train indoors all winter, so its very easy to jump on the bike and hit TrainerRoad/Zwift.
 

helston90

Eat, sleep, ride, repeat.
Location
Cornwall
December is a terrible month for me with people's birthdays/ christmas/ weather - it all results in great difficulty for the first few weeks of the year, it appears this year is no exception :sad:
 

Slick

Guru
Always worse for me. Back in the day when I had to work for a living, I finished up at work with the usual trials and tribulations and because very few people required my services during that 2 week period, I would deliberately eat drink and be merry and re-emerge 2 weeks later at least a stone heavier but I would lose it again long before January was out.

Takes a bit longer now mind. :shy:
 

mgs315

Senior Member
About 3lbs heavier than pre-Christmas despite fitting in three rides between the 25th and the 1st. I’m hoping most of that will just springboard back off as soon as I get back to normal eating and drinking. Planning on losing about 7lbs more than that by April though. Might prove hard considering my FTP is on the up too.
 

MrPie

Telling it like it is since 1971
Location
Perth, Australia
Spent a week in the French Alps in Sept - not far off racing snake: 77kg and pretty fit. 2 weeks in Florida followed by a few weeks of on-and-off lurgy, stressful work, then Christmas = increase to 84kg. Have lost around 10% of FTP and higher power intervals power is ok, but do fade at the end of the interval. I normally use Nov & Dec as recovery time and then get back into it again come Jan. Snafu really.
 

Jimidh

Veteran
Location
Midlothian
I always eat and drink too much but it’s a great time to be with friends and family.

I’m also 52 and not top tour pro so a few weeks of behaving and i’ll be back on the track of middle aged mediocrity.
 
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