Anyone lose weight from Cycling?

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.

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.

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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.

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!

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 & strength

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.

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.

Me

Sensible eating, riding with friends, great way to burn calories and drop lbs

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.