Started cycling to work - help with calorie adjustment

judywoody

I have been cycling to work for the last few weeks and I do track it and it's about 5.5 miles each way. It takes me about 30 minutes one way and most sources claim that I burn about 300 cals each way (I am 5.5" and weigh 200 lb). My average speed is 10 mph but I have to cycle up a few hills. Also, I try to do it 5 times a week but the weather is so bad sometimes that I only manage to do 3-4 times. But I kind of feel the calorie burn is an overestimation. I also walk during lunch and walk everwhere else. At the moment I am not following a diet but I also don't eat more than usual. But I haven't lost any weight, in fact I put on 2 lb. Hence why I don't trust these numbers. So I decided to ise mfp again to track my food. However I am not sure how I should rate my activity level or whether I should put in my own calorie goal. I do sweat after that bike ride but I am not totally pooped (although by the end of the week I am.. lol.. I am a lot more tired than usual)

Any assistance would be appreciated!

judywoody

I forgot to say that other than a sore bum I had no muscle ache despite the fact that I really only started after a period of virtually doing nothing (other than walking an average of 6500 steps a day)

sijomial

"But I kind of feel the calorie burn is an overestimation" - why? Or more pertinently why do you think it's so significant to result in weight gain?

How many calories do you eat a week compared to how many exercise calories you burn in a week? Think you are looking in the wrong place to find the problem. Far more likely you are simply eating too much.

Let's make an assumption that it's really 250 not 300 cals per trip and you manage ten trips a week - that's just 500 cals out. That's going to take seven weeks to make a 1lb difference.

So track your food intake for a month then adjust your calorie goal to achieve the desired result.

Activity setting is your lifestyle/job not your exercise by the way.

CanadianStephen

When did you start?
I once read an article that claimed sometimes when you first lose weight, you body replaces it with water. Which would show up as weight gain. I don't know if it is true but there are times when you have to trust that the exercise is working and the scale is not telling the whole story.
Track what you eat but don't worry too much about weight if you just started a couple of weeks ago.
Give it some time.

meritage4

If you want success at weight loss track your calories eaten. Put your activity level at moderate and don't bother to track your riding to and from work. Try that for 3 weeks and then adjust calories/activity level as needed.