This reminds me of my younger years, maybe sixth or seventh grade.
There were five or six of us friends in or click. We had BMX bikes
that we would ride after school and tinker with them as often as we
could. One of the boys was a "rich kid". He had all the after market
parts on his bike to get it as light as possible. I worked three
paper routes to pay for mine. He would always make fun of my cheap
Huffy while he had a Mongoose (very expensive at the time) with all
the add-ons and lighter after market replacement parts. I could
always outride hime though. I had the benefit of NOT having access to
all the Ho Hos and Twinkies one could eat. To cut it short, the
combined (gross) weight of my light body and my heavy bike was much
lighter than his heavier body and his lighter bike. I also peddled
that bike every morning delivering two paper routes before school
(Washington Post) and one paper route after school (Washington Star),
which kept me fit. Wish I was fit now. I'm about forty five lbs over
right now.

Bryan "The Monk" Chaisone

(JSoar) wrote in message . com...
Good topic. I have heard a rule of thumb for airplanes is that every
15 pounds is worth one horse power. So if you can knock 60 pounds off
your plane's gross take-off weight it would be like adding 4 hp, a
good percentage increase for an ultralight.

The safest and easiest gross take-off weight you could possibly get
rid of is the ugly fat around your gut.

I weighed 220 pounds many years ago and thought it was mostly muscle.
Now I weigh an average of 165 pounds, and that muscle turned out to be
useless fat. I ride a bike 3 or 4 times a week for at least an hour,
or walk about the same in the winter. I watch very carefully what I
eat. Just enough protein, like a little bit of fish, no red meat, and
a lot of vegetables, fruit, cereal grains. No junk foods, candy, ice
cream, soda, etc.

It was easy, the exercise habit replaced the snacking habit. Now I
have to eat more than I really want in the summer to not get too
skinny. My blood pressure is way down and my resting heart rate is in
the 40's.

A word to the wise,
Jerry Booker