Cycling to lose weight

[A_Silver]

Hello, I have been uncomfortable with my body for many years now and two years ago i started cycling again. Only in the past 3 months have i started cycling every day with the intention to lose weight. I cycle anywhere from 40 minutes to over an hour every day and usually travel over 10 miles a day. What are some suggestions to make the most of my workouts and loose weight as fast as possible. I have noticed I have lost some stomach fat but I still have a long way to go.

[bazzo]

Hi,
In my opinion, I don't have a weight problem. My wife thinks differently. I have always cycled, in 2015 I joined a local club and subsequently upped my mileage. Lost 10lb over 4 months and now remain at 11 stone. I am 5' 11" and my wife says I'm to thin. I think if you just keep going you will loose the weight over 6 to 12 months. If you want to shed it faster than that up the mileage and reduce sugar. What ever anyone tells you weight loss and gain is calories consumed v calories burned. Incidentally Strava tells you calories used. My wife looks at my Strava account then tries to force feed me the calories I've used.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/losi ... -flk7t8jpn

[flat tyre]

I've lost nearly one stone over the past 2 years. I increased my cycling and my annual mileage doubled to 5,000 miles a year during this time. I have to say that I didn't really start to lose any weight until I reduced my food intake. I don't subscribe to the theory that calories in must equal calories burnt through the exercise as I think that the fitter you get the more efficient the body gets with its use of food energy.

[Vorpal]

If you want to lose weight as fast as possible, do a cycle tour. I've lost upwards of two stone in a couple of weeks that way. Long distance walking does the same for me.

[landsurfer]

Returned to Cycling 4 years ago and in the first year lost 4 stone, which i have kept off.
I am now a svelte 18 stone ...!
16 stone is the goal.
iI ride 200 - 250 miles a month at a good pace.
BUT
To quote Mike Oldfield " I like beer and i like cheese."

[ebor62]

Having retired I am able to cycle more and have lost three stone since February. As doing a couple of club rides a week, plus one or two long solos i decided not to go on a diet, as I agree with the post from *flat tyre*, your body becomes more efficient at using fuel, so it is harder to loose weight. Instead I cut out treats and for normal eating try and pick a lower calorie alternative. Also agree with the post about tours been good. Rode up to York Rally via Hostels and found it hard to get enough food to keep going. When working and commuting ,I found I had to work hard to loose weight and kept a food and calorie diary. If I listened to my Garmin calories burnt, I should be like a stick insect. Set yourself some targets, stick to them and cycling becomes easier, especially hills. You will become faster, fitter and look and feel better.

[TrevA]

I ride about 600 miles a month at a decent pace - ave about 16mph, and I still don't lose weight! I've been more or less the same weight, around 18st, for years. My weight does go up and down, but I don't see any persistent weight loss unless I reduce food intake too. I rode a 3 week JOGLE Tour and lost 4 pounds!

You might find as a new/returning cyclist that you won't lose much weight but your body shape will change. You'll build muscle on your legs and lose fat from your stomach. Don't just focus on weight. Muscle weighs more than fat.

[meic]

There is a new fad in the world of dieting at the moment being spearheaded by Professor Mann.
Along the lines of it isnt the weight that matters and it merely runs alongside bad health. Personally I think she has mis-read what is happening but what I imagine all would agree on is that doing the 40 minutes of cycling each day will be doing you a lot of good (not just in fitness) even if you dont lose an ounce.
Of course it may be a victory in itself to just not be gaining another ounce.

[NUKe]

Hello, I have been uncomfortable with my body for many years now and two years ago i started cycling again. Only in the past 3 months have i started cycling every day with the intention to loose weight. I cycle anywhere from 40 minutes to over an hour every day and usually travel over 10 miles a day. What are some suggestions to make the most of my workouts and loose weight as fast as possible. I have noticed I have lost some stomach fat but I still have a long way to go.

Great start, but cycling will only help you loose weight if you burn more calories than you consume. However that said, it will help increase health and build muscle which in its self burns calories. Keep going you are doing the right thing, just don't be tempted to eat more when finished. The danger is the reward over compensates for the ride. Another tip is to replace short car journeys with a cycle, these whilst not burning a lot in themselves don't lead to you wanting to eat the fridge and over a week can add up, This is only practicle if you have a bike you can ride in normal clothes and don't need to dress up every ride.

Don't use hydration drinks they can be high in sugar unless you are going for a longer ride.

Use spinning when pedalling, low gear you will feel like you are doing less work, but you will go faster and burn more calories.

But above all else keep going you are doing the right thing

[Alan O]

I've been back to cycling for about a year now, and I haven't lost an ounce - still stuck at around 99kg.

While I'm not knocking cycling at all - it's excellent for improving general fitness and health - it's certainly not a weight-loss thing for me. I find that trying to lose weight at the same time as improving my fitness just doesn't work - I can do one or the other, but not both.

Doing more exercise and burning more calories makes me hungrier, and if I try to eat less to lose weight, I just don't have the energy to ride.

So after a year of greatly improving my cycling fitness (when I started, 5 miles was a push - I did a 100 just over a week ago), my aim over the coming winter will be to concentrate on weight loss. I'll still cycle, but not hard, not as often, and not long distances. Then hopefully next Spring and Summer I'll be able to focus back on cycling fitness with a good bit less weight to carry round.

The bottom line for me is that the only way I can lose weight is the ELYFB approach (eat less you f... you know)

Alan

[mjr]

If you want to shed it faster than that up the mileage and reduce sugar. What ever anyone tells you weight loss and gain is calories consumed v calories burned. Incidentally Strava tells you calories used. My wife looks at my Strava account then tries to force feed me the calories I've used.

There are many sources of calories, of course, and currently some controversy about what the balance of the different categories of sources should be, with sugar now inhabiting the role of pantomime villain previously played by carbs and before that saturated fat. I doubt any are quite as evil as their critics insist, but no-one much seems to be putting protein (4 calories per gram, same as carbs) in the devil horns, do they?

[mjr]

Can I be the first to suggest the My Fitness Pal that seems to get a lot of love on this forum? It sounds sane but I've never used it because it's not in my app store though

[ianrobo]

with sugar now inhabiting the role of pantomime villain previously played by carbs and before that saturated fat. I doubt any are quite as evil as their critics insist, but no-one much seems to be putting protein (4 calories per gram, same as carbs) in the devil horns, do they?

that is you believe a calorie of fat, protein and carbs is processed in the body in exactly the same way ?

Clue - they are not

Oh sugar is carbs and I argue vice versa, the mistake everyone has made the past 3 decades is to believe calories in < calories out will mean less weight. There are so many other factors at play this is simply not true.

In my example. changed my diet a year ago, basically calories in and out the same and lost 12kgs, how does that work ?

[mjr]

with sugar now inhabiting the role of pantomime villain previously played by carbs and before that saturated fat. I doubt any are quite as evil as their critics insist, but no-one much seems to be putting protein (4 calories per gram, same as carbs) in the devil horns, do they?

that is you believe a calorie of fat, protein and carbs is processed in the body in exactly the same way ?

No and that's why I never wrote that. Please stop arguing against nobody.

[meic]

Oh sugar is carbs and I argue vice versa, the mistake everyone has made the past 3 decades is to believe calories in < calories out will mean less weight. There are so many other factors at play this is simply not true.

So you have found something that overturns the existing laws of physics then?

In my example. changed my diet a year ago, basically calories in and out the same and lost 12kgs, how does that work ?

Errors in your calculation of either calories in or out.