Anyone actually lost weight while biking?

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Cynnie20012
Cynnie20012 Posts: 33 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys, similarly to walking, biking does not seem a very hard exercise to me..
I only have time to do it in the weekend (in the week days I run and do very brisk power walks), but when i bike I usually go 26-30 km going with speeed of 10.5-12 mph all the time. And as my countryside is very flat - that means constant biking.

I have a question: can i REALLY count these 500-600 as burned after biking? That's what both Rutastic and MFP reports... It doesnt feel very tough ...

Did you successfully lost some weight while biking?

Replies

  • dancingfrog58
    dancingfrog58 Posts: 1 Member
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    I lost 56lbs using cycling as my only exercise, am not particularly fast, do live in a hilly area though. Still use cycling to mainatin my weight and always eat back the exercise calories - they 'buy' me chocolate every day!!
  • MORECHABLIS
    MORECHABLIS Posts: 164 Member
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    Its the main thing I do to lose weight, then I get in the gym later... when I didn't use my car for 2 months (on purpose) and just a friends now and then, which was difficult... I LOST LOADS MORE....
  • Danimal718
    Danimal718 Posts: 90 Member
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    Take the websites calories with a grain of salt. I use a Garmin 910xt GPS watch with HR strap. I usually ride 20+ miles when I ride and as of late have been averaging between 16-17mph. My last ride was 24.5 miles at 17mph in 1:25. The Garmin Software said I burned 1400cal, MapMyRide said I burned 2600cal and MFP said I burned 2400 cal. I am 42y\o and currently weigh 261. You can see the drastic differences between the 3 application. I trust the Garmin software but not the other 2. You can definitely lose weight cycling....just like anything it depends on how much effort you put into it. I rarely if ever eat back my exercise calories.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Hi guys, similarly to walking, biking does not seem a very hard exercise to me..
    I only have time to do it in the weekend (in the week days I run and do very brisk power walks), but when i bike I usually go 26-30 km going with speeed of 10.5-12 mph all the time. And as my countryside is very flat - that means constant biking.
    So you ride slowly then ;)
    I have a question: can i REALLY count these 500-600 as burned after biking? That's what both Rutastic and MFP reports... It doesnt feel very tough ...
    Not tough in comparison to what exactly? Clearly it's burning energy.

    What you're probably noting is that your average heart rate is quite a bit lower than it will be if you're running, so you're working very much in a different heart conditioning zone.
    Did you successfully lost some weight while biking?
    Not intentionally, but when I used to cycle 40 miles a day commuting to work I was pretty trim.

    Weight loss boils down to energy in < energy out, but the effects of different types of training vary. Cycling is lower impact so you can train more often. It tends to be a lower intensity, but it means that your heart is being conditioned in a slightly different way.
  • MORECHABLIS
    MORECHABLIS Posts: 164 Member
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    Take the websites calories with a grain of salt. I use a Garmin 910xt GPS watch with HR strap. I usually ride 20+ miles when I ride and as of late have been averaging between 16-17mph. My last ride was 24.5 miles at 17mph in 1:25. The Garmin Software said I burned 1400cal, MapMyRide said I burned 2600cal and MFP said I burned 2400 cal. I am 42y\o and currently weigh 261. You can see the drastic differences between the 3 application. I trust the Garmin software but not the other 2. You can definitely lose weight cycling....just like anything it depends on how much effort you put into it. I rarely if ever eat back my exercise calories.

    Like you I've used GPS Loggers, HRM watches, and MFP and other websites for calories... I haven't used my Galaxy S3, as waiting for software update for bluetooth to use the new low power usage Bluetooth 4.0.

    But after a first few uses, my HRM watch shows lower calorie figures than MFP and GPS logger... So I go with that...
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    ...I usually go 26-30 km going with speeed of 10.5-12 mph all the time. And as my countryside is very flat - that means constant biking.

    Mixed units, gah. 30km is around 18 miles. The rule of thumb is 40 calories/mile. So 700 calories, with the usual plus-or-minus caveat (rider weight, type of bike (MTB is a LOT harder to push than a road bike), and speed (go fast enough and wind resistance starts to matter).
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    it's not what you do that loses weight, it's what you eat. bike 1 mile or a 100 miles, if you don't have your diet in check it won't matter a bit
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    re the calorie burn estimates - for cycling, I generally consistently burn about a third less on my hrm than on mfp or endo. While I recognise they are all just estimates, if I'm logging via mfp / endo estimates, I do tend to knock of 30%.

    Alternately, a TDEE based calculation might give you a better weekly estimate?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    My last ride was 24.5 miles at 17mph in 1:25. The Garmin Software said I burned 1400cal, MapMyRide said I burned 2600cal and MFP said I burned 2400 cal. I am 42y\o and currently weigh 261.

    When I put that into MFP (261 pounds, 86 minutes, 16-20mph), I get 2000 calories, not 2400.
  • rsing557
    rsing557 Posts: 10 Member
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    Diet, biking, and lifting worked for me. 15-20km 4-5 days a week.

    Oh and I did this over the last 154 days with 50lbs lost. So yes it does work.
  • jmadams111
    jmadams111 Posts: 145 Member
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    Yes
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    I burn more calories in less time walking on a treadmill than I do on the bikes at the gym so you really shouldn't discount walking as a good calorie burner - probably because you carry your own weight which requires more effort. Cycling is good too, good cardiac conditioning and any exercise will use more calories than being sat on your bum!
  • majica8
    majica8 Posts: 210 Member
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    Hi guys, similarly to walking, biking does not seem a very hard exercise to me..
    I only have time to do it in the weekend (in the week days I run and do very brisk power walks), but when i bike I usually go 26-30 km going with speeed of 10.5-12 mph all the time. And as my countryside is very flat - that means constant biking.

    I have a question: can i REALLY count these 500-600 as burned after biking? That's what both Rutastic and MFP reports... It doesnt feel very tough ...

    Did you successfully lost some weight while biking?
    Find a hill? Put it in a higher gear than needed?

    If you are finding it too easy then try to find a way to make it challenging. As for how accurate those calorie numbers are....only way to get a better idea on that is to use a HRM. I found that both MFP and Runtastic were severely UNDER-estimating calories burned (by anything up to 50%) I've lost weight from cycling. Not a huge amount but then I haven't been doing it that long (3-4 months maybe, 11 or so pounds lost, but exactly what I've personally been aiming for)
    Cycling is great and it can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. You can find a challenging route, or go a longer distance or stay on the bike longer.
  • AstroRocket
    AstroRocket Posts: 119 Member
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    Cycling is a great and easy way for keeping fit.
  • DanIsACyclingFool
    DanIsACyclingFool Posts: 417 Member
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    40 cal per mile is a pretty rough rule of thumb, IMO.

    Try 0.31 cal/mile/lb of bodyweight for vigorous cycling

    That math holds up here as well:
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/135430-calories-burned-biking-one-mile/

    That link also gives us:

    0.28 cal/mile/lb of bodyweight for moderate cycling

    and

    0.25 cal/mile/lb of bodyweight for light cycling

    A better formula (I don't have one, BTW) would not use bodyweight but rather LBM and not a fixed cal burn/mile but some variable related to the bike, tire size, gearing, etc. It works close enough for me to justify an ice cream cone at the 20 mile mark :)

    It also comes very close to what my HRM reports time and again after many, many rides.

    In the past I've lost LOTS of weight cycling.
  • Alta2000
    Alta2000 Posts: 655 Member
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    You can also carry a backpack/front or back bike basket and increase the weights you carry (start with books/potatoes etc)
  • KittyKitty1991
    KittyKitty1991 Posts: 14 Member
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    I tend To burn around 350-400 for around 20km according to my heart rate monitor, the exercise bike tells me pretty much the same thing.
    I love biking! when it comes down to it calories burnt is calories burnt, no matter how you achieve it or how long it takes you to achieve it
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    I have a question: can i REALLY count these 500-600 as burned after biking? That's what both Rutastic and MFP reports... It doesnt feel very tough ...


    exercise doesn't always have to leave you sore for days for it to be effective. i get a large part of my cardio from cycling.

    and go with what DavPaul said: it's your diet, not your exercise that is most important.
  • John1610
    John1610 Posts: 31 Member
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    I lost a lot of weight last summer from cycling, then my bike broke and I've not got round to fixing it!

    I also found that cycling is a lot more fun than just jogging/other cardio because you can go further, see lots of places etc, therefore you are more likely to continue due to the fact you enjoy it!

    good luck
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
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    I'm losing weight while cyclng. I use my bike as transportation as well as fun, and pack my groceries and toddler on there and go for a few hours. I cycle less than 16mph (I have a four speed street bicycle...typical of Dutch bikes....they dont go fast) but I make sure I'm using my legs to go as fast as I can. Even though you dont 'feel' it like you might after zumba, you are still using your body to propel yourself as well as stay balanced. Its not nothing.

    As far as eating goes, Basically, if I have gone on a short ride, I dont eat back any calories. For a long ride, I eat something (mostly cause I'm hungry,not because I have a deficit to 'adjust').

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