Anyone lose weight from Cycling?
Jmoss4852
Posts: 70 Member
I'm fairly new to the cycling world, but I've read online of some of its great benefits! Just wondering about weight loss. Lately being outside and riding is the only exercise I crave.
Success stories please!?
Success stories please!?
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Replies
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Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit which is established primarily through controlling consumption of food which exercise, cycling included contributes to that, it is but a small part. In other words, you can't out exercise a bad diet.
Having said that, I love cycling. It is winter here now, so there is lots of ice and snow on the roads so mine is all indoors, but I picked up a trainer this year so that I could keep cycling even in the winter regardless of the weather.1 -
Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit which is established primarily through controlling consumption of food which exercise, cycling included contributes to that, it is but a small part. In other words, you can't out exercise a bad diet.
Having said that, I love cycling. It is winter here now, so there is lots of ice and snow on the roads so mine is all indoors, but I picked up a trainer this year so that I could keep cycling even in the winter regardless of the weather.
^^^I'm also a cyclist and it is fantastic exercise...but really, diet for weight control; exercise for fitness. It is most efficient to build an energy deficit into your diet rather than trying to work off calories.0 -
^^^ This I'm afraid. I started cylcing back in March and although I lost a fair bit at the beginning, I stagnated until I took my eating into check, which is tricky if you need more food so that you can cycle more. But my body shape has changed and I've now got thighs of steel. It's a good long cardio exercise (depending on how much you do of course), so any exercise is good but it's the eating that's the painWeight loss comes from a calorie deficit which is established primarily through controlling consumption of food which exercise, cycling included contributes to that, it is but a small part. In other words, you can't out exercise a bad diet.
Having said that, I love cycling. It is winter here now, so there is lots of ice and snow on the roads so mine is all indoors, but I picked up a trainer this year so that I could keep cycling even in the winter regardless of the weather.
^^^I'm also a cyclist and it is fantastic exercise...but really, diet for weight control; exercise for fitness. It is most efficient to build an energy deficit into your diet rather than trying to work off calories.
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I lost about 100bs in a year just from getting from point A to Point B as my main source of transportation. It does work when you watch what you eat and put the efforts in. 0
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Cycling is the best exercise for losing weight! It's more intense than walking, but easier than running, and fun, so it's common to be cycling for hours on end. I lost a lot of weight from cycling.
Google something called "RAGBRAI", or any longer organized trip in your area, and then start training for it.0 -
Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit which is established primarily through controlling consumption of food which exercise, cycling included contributes to that, it is but a small part. In other words, you can't out exercise a bad diet.
Having said that, I love cycling. It is winter here now, so there is lots of ice and snow on the roads so mine is all indoors, but I picked up a trainer this year so that I could keep cycling even in the winter regardless of the weather.
^^^ Excellent sum up... yes it is difficult to out train a bad diet. Exercise just contributes to the burn and / or build.0 -
i did. i was never a great runner, but i jumped on my old mountain bike and started riding around the neighborhood. i found it easier on the joints and more enjoyable than running. i was able to go further and longer than running.
it also appealed to the techie in me, as you can accesorize your bike with gadgets and gear.
and it also had the added benefit of making me better at running. and since i was a collegiate swimmer, i combined those things to start doing triathlon.0 -
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Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit which is established primarily through controlling consumption of food which exercise, cycling included contributes to that, it is but a small part. In other words, you can't out exercise a bad diet.
Having said that, I love cycling. It is winter here now, so there is lots of ice and snow on the roads so mine is all indoors, but I picked up a trainer this year so that I could keep cycling even in the winter regardless of the weather.
^^^I'm also a cyclist and it is fantastic exercise...but really, diet for weight control; exercise for fitness. It is most efficient to build an energy deficit into your diet rather than trying to work off calories.
Same here. I regularly ride 50miles +, but even that isn't enough to make up for poor eating.0 -
Cycling has lots of benefits. It's relatively low impact (I switched from running to cycling because my knees couldn't take running any more). It's easy to vary intensity with choice of gearing, terrain, and speed. It's great for your legs as well as your cardiovascular system. Because you can ride for a very long time, you can burn lots of calories if you have the time. (My last long ride, 111 miles in the Berkshire Hills, burnt over 4000 calories. Note that when your rides get over 40 miles long, you'll need to pay attention to proper nutrition while riding in order to avoid the dreaded bonk.) It gets you outside, which makes it far more interesting than a machine. You can go fast enough to explore places far from home while going slowly enough to appreciate the view. It does help upper body tone, especially if you ride a bike with drop bars and a fairly aggressive position, though I recommend that cyclists who are losing weight also do core and upper body resistance exercises to help maintain lean muscle mass above the waist.
However, as the other posters have said, weight loss comes from calorie restriction. I have gained weight while cycling, and in the last year I have lost weight while cycling. Cycling lets you eat more, but it will also make you hungrier. When I'm cycling 8-10 hours a week, I can eat an extra 600-750 calories a day than when I'm not cycling (usually when I'm traveling or sick), but I still have to exercise the will power to maintain a deficit.
You also have to be careful about estimating calories. My Garmin Edge 800 estimates that I burn only 2/3 of what MFP's database estimates. Based on my results, the Garmin is correct. If I trusted MFP, my real deficit would be a lot smaller than MFP's numbers.
Keep in mind the old adage: You lose weight in the kitchen; you get fit in the gym (or on your bike). Calorie restriction without exercise tends to lead to loss of lean muscle mass and can make you "skinny fat" in the end.
Oh, and if you live where snow and ice are a problem, you can get studded snow tires for your bike. No need to stay inside if you dress properly. The winter cycling forum at BikeForums.net has plenty of good advice.0 -
P.S. A review by D. Mozaffarian et al. of two long-term health studies (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21696306) found that there was no correlation between the amount of exercise people got and their weight. However, there was a negative correlation between increasing the amount of exercise one does and weight gain. That certainly squares with my own experience: while I was building up my cycling miles from late 2008 through spring 2010, I lost some weight without counting calories. I gained it back, though, once my cycling miles stabilized. This past winter, spring, and summer, I ramped up my mileage some more, and found it much easier to run a calorie deficit than I do now that my mileage is stable (or even declining a bit now that it gets dark at 4 pm).
So cycling or any other aerobic exercise might help you lose weight at the beginning, when you're constantly increasing your time or distance from week to week, but it won't help in the long run without also tracking calories and running a deficit.0 -
Ditto to what everyone else said! Cycling is wonderful exercise, and is just plain fun! But it won't help squat without a proper healthful diet.
My husband and I are fortunate enough to be able to bike commute 20 miles round trip to our jobs, and each lost about 60 pounds doing so (AFTER we got our diets in check!). It is a wonderful way to start and end the day, incorporates plentiful exercise into what would ordinarily be a humdrum commute, allows us to spend quality time together, and allows you to take notice of things that you tend to ignore while driving/riding the bus or train. We also enjoy taking long rides on the trails on the weekends.
I highly recommend bike commuting if it's a possibility for you - you'll get in better shape without even realizing it and without it even seeming like a workout! Otherwise, start hitting the trails! Happy cycling!0 -
I don't like to cycle on a stationary bike, but my husband does, and when he does he drops lbs like crazy. When he sticks to it, I can see a difference in a matter of weeks. Hmmm. I need to get him back in there.
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Here's how it all works:
Diet = Weight Loss/Maintainance/Gain
Cardio = Most time efficient way to burn calories, great for cardiovascular health and endurance
Heavy Lifting = Great way to burn calories too, necessary for muscle maintenance/gain & strength0 -
Not trying to sound rude, but I'm aware of the cal deficit and dieting. I'm doing my best with that each day. Just wondering if anyone had seen results from diet and cycling exercise. I suppose I should have been more s0
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Not trying to sound rude, but I'm aware of the cal deficit and dieting. I'm doing my best with that each day. Just wondering if anyone had seen results from diet and cycling exercise. I suppose I should have been more specific.0
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I got about 2/3 to my goal weight by cycling 3 - 4 times a week and counting calories. After a 6 week plateau, I started running to get to the final goal.
(I ride for ice cream!)0 -
Cycling is a fantastic way to not only improve fitness, but to help create a caloric deficit. For many of us, it has been an invaluable tool in our weight loss journeys.0
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I'm fairly new to the cycling world, but I've read online of some of its great benefits! Just wondering about weight loss. Lately being outside and riding is the only exercise I crave.
Success stories please!?
This summer (late summer) I started to cycle again after over 12 years of not. i actually LOVED IT (versus the great hate I had for it previously)... and I did lose weight from it. It's great excercise. It was definitely helping tone my legs a bit as well!0 -
Cycling has been fantastic for me, lowest resting heart rate ever, great VO2 max improvements and the chance to set a PB even at my advanced age and with knackered knees.
It's also so versatile: LISS, intervals, sprints, endurance.
But importantly it's also a fun way to burn calories, I'm lucky to live somewhere with some great cycling roads nearby.
As for losing weight - having huge calorie burns certainly help greatly, not just to burn fat but also to increase daily food intake to stop feeling deprived.0 -
Well, yeah cycling is great. Great way to burn calories, with less impact on your knees. Burn enough and eat right and you'll succeed.
What kinds of results are you referring to? Just weight loss, or something more?
Generally, you're going to find that cycling will only help you build *a little* muscle in your legs, provided your legs are currently untrained/weak, but not very much. Maybe if you do low gear sprints (read: HIIT and/or Wyngates).0 -
Me
Sensible eating, riding with friends, great way to burn calories and drop lbs0 -
Me
Sensible eating, riding with friends, great way to burn calories and drop lbs
yes I have lost about 25% of my body weight from cycling but have got into longer distances, then the food becomes more of an issue.
Do NOT look up Audax, it is very addictive. ;>)0 -
I cycle at the gym. I'm not a 'cyclist' it's just what I do for a workout, among other things. Fitness Pal has several intensity levels but nothing which corresponds MPH. Any ideas?
To answer the original question, you can lose weight with almost any aerobic exercise. Finding something you like doing. Keep moving and have a good time.0
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