Bicycling to and from work?

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Kaypix
Kaypix Posts: 72 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, my boss is super excited for my husband and I to ride our bicycles to work, it's about 7 miles (7.3) each way, taking the bike trails in our city, with a few hilly areas and gravel points. According to MFP I'm burning between 280 - 380 each way that I ride (35 minutes between 11.9 and 13.2 MPH average).

I'm a little concerned if I eat back ALL those calories (let's say 550/day I ride) that I won't lose weight, so I'm just treating them as a buffer for if something other than the normal routine comes up.

My recommended calorie intake is 1540 per day, and I'll eat back enough to keep my net above 1200 basically...And so far we have ridden to work 4 days last week and then today. Any cycling enthusiasts out there who are also working to drop some poundage?

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  • Weezoh
    Weezoh Posts: 171 Member
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    If your set up recommended amount is 1540 that alreay has a deficit built in; if you don't eat the exercise calories back you're making that deficit larger which may not be good depending on how much you have to lose.

    Hoping once we move I'll be able to ride to work when the weather permits. (Although I'll have to buy a singlebike for that also)
  • Kaypix
    Kaypix Posts: 72 Member
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    Alright, new theory, eat back enough calories to stay around 1200? Or should I just go all out, eat back all my total calories for a few weeks and see how it goes?
  • simplyamandak
    simplyamandak Posts: 11
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    I absolutely LOVE cycling!! Before I moved to LA, not only would I bike to and from work, I also went for hours long bike rides just to check out the city. Since moving to LA, I still cycle quite a bit but nowhere as much as I used to. I know people may disagree with me on this, but I feel cycling in LA is pretty risky. There aren't a lot of separate bike paths, very few side streets that aren't bustling with traffic and motorists are still learning how to share the road.

    I'm trying to get back into doing a daily ride because not cycling coupled with an office job is just mean to my body. I'm hoping cycling, along with changing my eating habits and picking up some other exercises routines, will help me shed this extra weight.
  • KateRunsColorado
    KateRunsColorado Posts: 407 Member
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    Do you have a heart rate monitor? I think it's totally fine to eat all of the calories back, but you want to make sure you're getting a pretty accurate calorie burn amount and not overestimating! A HRM would be the best way to figure that out. Otherwise, maybe start by eating about 1/2 to 3/4 of those calories.

    Also - I'm totally jealous, I work 30 miles away from my house, or else I would love to bike to work! (well on nice days at least :)!
  • LadyPakal
    LadyPakal Posts: 256 Member
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    Just a note, as you get fitter your calorie burn will decrease. My commute cycle each way has gone from a burn of around 250 calories, to less than 130 over the last 2 months. Get a HRM so you can measure the change.

    Oh, and don't trust the MFP values - they are often wildly incorrect.
  • Kaypix
    Kaypix Posts: 72 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone! I was reading up on how to calculate your caloric burn and hope to stick within that range for my estimate. I do not have a heart rate monitor but hope to save up for a month or two and get the women's Polar F7 :)
  • Kaypix
    Kaypix Posts: 72 Member
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    Do you have a heart rate monitor? I think it's totally fine to eat all of the calories back, but you want to make sure you're getting a pretty accurate calorie burn amount and not overestimating! A HRM would be the best way to figure that out. Otherwise, maybe start by eating about 1/2 to 3/4 of those calories.

    Also - I'm totally jealous, I work 30 miles away from my house, or else I would love to bike to work! (well on nice days at least :)!

    I didn't realize how convenient it was to work so close to home, the city I'm is only about 20 miles wide total, so realistically it's impossible to have a super long commute :) Still, it's a beautiful sight, this morning I saw baby geese by the water and a deer ran right across the bike path in front of me, it was absolutely breathtaking :)

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