It’s unfortunate that Zwift racing requires a height and weight control procedure. But given the crazy stories we have experienced over the past months I am not sure there is another alternative.
A few weeks ago I was saying there is nothing more creative than a Zwifter finding excuses for having done poorly in a race. But I was wrong and forgot that the most creative plans have always been created to cheat: from robbing banks to performance-enhancing drugs to, yes, lying about your weight or height on Zwift.
(If you have the patience and enough time to waste to read until the end, you will understand why weight is no small topic for me.)
Since starting the Zwift Racing League, I’ve planned my training and food intake like a boxing champion, just to be sure I will “make weight”.
I light a candle each single Friday morning, praying I will not have to go through the infamous video in which you have to tape yourself calibrating the scale, showing the date, stepping up the scale, and measuring your height.
All those riders look sooooooo miserable going through the process.
First of all because I don’t know a single person in this world who would look sexy in bib shorts… George Clooney or Brad Pitt would look as pathetic as Mr. Bean or Sheldon Cooper in bibs.
If bib shorts were the norm, I would have serious doubts about the survival of the human race, as it would dramatically affect our collective libido and therefore the worldwide birth rate. Thankfully, my wife committed to spending the rest of her life with me before she ever saw me wearing them.
Second, because we all look vulnerable in those videos. We are suspects. I can’t prevent myself from seeing similarities between those videos and the mugshots of guys arrested by the police. Again, no one looks nice and sexy in those. If you don’t believe me ask Hugh Grant… (call it jealousy if you want, I am into destroying handsome actors today.)
Even if some of the “lucky ones” are trying to make it fun, if you have to go through the weigh-in process you should plan to lose at least part of your dignity.
In my case it would make no difference, as I have no dignity left since the day I publicly acknowledged I like cauliflower. Plain, steam-cooked cauliflower. The following day 127 people unfriended me on Facebook and my IRL friends started whispering to each other when I entered the room. And since then, my wife has never looked at me with the same blend of love and admiration. Even my dog no longer comes to the door to welcome me with wagging tail.
I have to get something of my chest.
So if my cauliflower addiction was not too much for you to take and, be it by compassion or temerity, you are still with me now, I have a more personal story to share.
My ZwiftPower profile shows 78kg (172 pounds) today. It has been pretty stable for the last six months, varying one kilo up or down. However, that has not always been the case.
In May 2019, my weight was 143kg (315 pounds) and there was nothing I hated more in the world than my scale. Over the years I have been fighting against it, alternating miracle diet periods where I would lose 20kg with rebounds in which I would gain 30kg. And I never stopped exercising. I was even proud of being the super-obese guy still running half-marathons!
Call it denial, but because of those periods where I was losing weight and because I never stopped exercising, I was fooling myself believing I was in control. When confronted with my problem I was passive-aggressive, rejecting any advice or support, even from my close relatives, the people I loved and trusted the most.
One event dramatically changed my perspective: my wife videotaped me in the middle of the night having an episode of sleep apnea where I was not breathing. She was still shaking when she showed me the video and explained how, for a moment, she thought I was dead.
To make a long story short, the following day we arranged all the tests which confirmed I had a chronic moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. I will spare you the details of all the possible complications of sleep apnea. What is important is that three months later, May 10th 2019, l had gastric bypass surgery.
Many say they were born again the day of their gastric bypass surgery. I am more of the belief I was given the opportunity to push the reset button of my body and make the choice to embrace a healthier and happier life.
And you can bet that I am going to make the most out of it. Even if it involves recording myself in bib shorts, stepping onto a scale and, posting it on Facebook.
Well, I know numerous people who do
Well done Luciano. We wear the bib shorts because we have to, not because we like them!
So the Ol’ “I thought you were dead – and here is a video to prove it” rather than NOT taking the video and seeing if in fact you were dead…. Family values….
I made it way shorter than it actually was for the sake of the length of the article… Sleep apnea works by episodes… She did not tape the first one obviously… I was kind of challenging the fact she was saying I was not breathing. Like anything related to my weight by the time I was just in denial. So she taped one episode to show me. Maybe it was the only way to make me react and to face the reality. She was not the only one to shake by the way. When you see yourself immobile for two… Read more »
Well said.
My wife has sleep aphids and appreciated your article, and this response. She is curious… Do you still have apnea or did it go away with the weight loss?
Hello. Totally gone. Four weeks after the surgery was already a lot better. Three months and 35kg loss after the surgery was totally gone and never came back. I wake up totally rested and sleep like a baby
I teared up reading this. My first husband had a fatal heart attack at 38. I took a similar clip of him sleeping months before his sudden death. Good on you and good on your wife. You are very blessed. (And I am remarried to a wonderful man who loves riding as much as I do. I, too, am blessed.)
Hello Laura. I am really sorry about your loss. Thanks for your nice words. And yes, I really feel blessed.
There are people who don’t like cauliflower?
Yes, it seems that if you like it you are in the extreme minority part of the spectrum…😀
Great article and great effort.
I’m more of a broccoli man myself ;D
Ha! What can I say…. nobody´s perfect….
Really admire you commitment and dedication. There is a saying that in weakness there is great strength. Your honesty, vulnerability will be a source of encouragement to many.
Thank you Chris.
Thank you for posting this and being so open, I can completely relate. I was diagnosed with chronic very severe central sleep apnea about 4 weeks ago when I was in hospital for another now clearly related issue – I’m now set up with a CPAP machine and starting to see the benefits all round. I’m at the start of the journey to lose some weight (again) and deal with the condition. Good to know there is light at the end of the tunnel if I stick with it!
CPAP helps a lot for sure and is a great relief. I only had to use it for two months. My sleep apnea was cleary exclusively related to weight and was totally gone only 3 months and 35 kg less after the surgery. Never came back. I sleep like never before.
Get rid of the height, weight and bike advantages for races. Problem fixed. Make rewards cosmetic. Cycle 250 miles in a day and unlock a Darth Vader outfit or whatever.
Yeah, I Zwift at over 7,500′. I’m never catching anyone. I would like the Darth Vader kit though. I saw someone TT in his helmet during Paris-Nice. Nice.
Class.. I have a scale withings+ that links to an app , it has all my details height age , gender, it has my weight history recorded against my profile and knows if someone else is on tge scale…I heard dc rainmaker in one if his videos saying it may be that zwift insists on the use of this type of tech…
People are scary! How is weighing yourself and posting to facebook even a thing? This contradicts massively with the prior articles on Zwifting and eating disorders!
I get everyone is allowed to take anything they want as seriously as they want, but this sounds pretty crazy to me. People do it wilfully?
I don’t think it is pushing you to be lighter or heavier, just to be honest with your weight and height as it has such an impact on your performance on Zwift races. In my opinion, each one of us has a different Zwift practice depending on how you get fun. It can be more or less competitive. So for sure for social rides it would not make any sense, that is why the process is limited to those participating in competitions. For example when you enroll in the Zwift Racing League, you know that you might be randomly picked… Read more »
Didn’t Russell Crowe make a film called ‘Proof of Girth’? Nice article!
Hi Luciano – great story and one i can definitely relate to being not only larger than average but now older too 🙂 A question – is your gastric bypass a permanent thing or will it be removed eventually (if not already) ?
Hello. It’s permanent. Your entire digestive process is altered forever, “bypassing” your stomach, reducing your capacity to absorb nutrients as the digestion process occurs only in the intestine, and limiting your stomach capacity. So you are also limited in the quantity of food. In theory it can be reverted in case of problem, however if everything goes well it’s permanent.
Actually the Assos girl from a few years ago in the mono braces was rather fetching.
HAHAHAHA!!! Well, when I mentioned nobody looks sexy in bib shorts I was referring to actual human beings, not gods and goddesses. 🙂