Biking / cycling weight loss?

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jennie_jean
jennie_jean Posts: 12 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My husband and I just bought new bikes and have been going a few times a week. I want to make it a habbit of going 4-5 times a week and I feel like I'm getting a great workout. We go for about 45 - 60 minutes on some beautiful trails around our house and my legs feel like wet noodles by the time we're done, lol. Is there anyone on here that has had success with riding bikes as their form of exercise? I have about 60 pounds to lose and need all the help I can get in accomplishing my goal. I haven't been much of an exercise nut but I really think I've found something that I can stick with because it really is a lot of fun (I feel like a kid again). I would love to hear from other people who have lost weight and toned up from biking! If you have tips or advice on what I should focus on and when you started seeing the weight come off I would appreciate your input!! Thanks!!

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  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I lost a lot from cycling. The only advice is be safe, stay hydrated and have fun!

    Oh, and bringing some grapes, dates, pineapple, nectarines, or something like that, and eating a few bites halfway through your ride helps. It's easier to utilize your fat stores when you have just eaten some fruit.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
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    Last year I lost 25 pounds and THEN started cycling. I love cycling. And I like going fast. (Fast for me, anyway.) In my need for speed, I was more worried about staying properly fueled than I was about losing more weight. As a result, I started gaining weight, even though I was getting more than 100 miles/ week on the bike.

    Keeping an eye on what you're eating is the most important thing in trying to lose weight. Cycling will help your fitness in other ways. It may also help you lose weight, unless you approach it like I did.

    Either way, cycling is fun.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    cycling is great exercise, but your intake is going to have far more to do with your weight loss. I road my bike a lot when I was losing weight and was in a calorie restriction...I lost weight because of the calorie restriction, not the bike riding. I've been in maintenance now for almost a year and I exercise more now maintaining my weight than I did losing weight...so you see, the exercise itself has nothing to do with my weight control.

    Weight control is largely about our consumption; exercise is largely for fitness.
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
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    cycling is great exercise, but your intake is going to have far more to do with your weight loss. I road my bike a lot when I was losing weight and was in a calorie restriction...I lost weight because of the calorie restriction, not the bike riding. I've been in maintenance now for almost a year and I exercise more now maintaining my weight than I did losing weight...so you see, the exercise itself has nothing to do with my weight control.

    Weight control is largely about our consumption; exercise is largely for fitness.

    All of this. I started bike commuting last year, 15 miles a day, 4 days a week, for 5 months, and guess what? I gained weight. 20 lbs worth of weight. Why? Because I thought, hey I'm biking, I don't have to watch my calories closely. I must be torching tons of calories biking so much, so I deserve a treat.

    First half of my profile pic is at the end of my commuting season last September, right before I road a 50 miler. Several hours worth of biking. I then went to smashburger and proceeded to eat back all the calories I burned. Then, because I thought I deserved it, I had popeyes chicken for dinner that night. Hey, I road 50 miles, I can have 2 fast food meals in a row right? Wrong!

    Second half of my profile pic is a few weeks ago. Didn't lose the weight biking - I'm not dedicated enough to bike through a Minnesota winter. Lost it working out at the gym and keeping a close watch on what I ate. Now don't get me wrong, I love biking - I started bike commuting yesterday and am looking forward to doing it well into the fall. But this time around, I'm carefully tracking my calories and sticking to my limits. Biking is definitely going to help, but the amount of food I eat helps more :)

    So in short, my advice is log your food and stick to your calorie limit. Bike for the fitness and the fresh air and the joy of the activity.
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
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    Other, biking related advice:

    1. Check out local fun rides in your area. I'm not a fast rider by any stretch of the imagination, so I'm not going to be doing any races. But, I love community rides, 10, 20, 30, 50 miles with lots of other people out and enjoying the city or the countryside. Picking one would make a good goal to work for, to set a distance goal.

    2. Take a basic bike maintenance class. If you get a flat tire 15 miles from home, it's nice to be able to change the tire yourself, rather than drag your bike all the way back to the bike shop.

    3. If you don't carry your wallet with you, consider getting something like this http://www.roadid.com/

    4. If you're going to be riding on the road, see if a local bike organization offers a class on safe riding.
  • jennie_jean
    jennie_jean Posts: 12 Member
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    Wow! Thanks for all of the great advice. I've noticed that the calculations for the calories you've burned while biking are pretty high so I was thinking I might be safe eating more. I'm glad you've all told me to watch my food intake! I was hoping you would tell me the weight would "melt away" just by biking, ha ha. I'll be sure to take some fruit on our longer rides too. We've been going about 7 -8 miles for now but I'm sure we can start going longer. I can't even imagine going 50 miles! WOW! I think I would feel entitled to eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken after that. Congrats to everyone on their successes! You have inspired me.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
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    Exercise calories are hard to estimate accurately. A lot of people eat back only half their exercise calories, even though MFP's calculations tell you that you can eat more.

    I try to eat back no more than half my exercise calories. There are days when that doesn't work so well, so I try to just keep a couple hundred calories in reserve. Then there are days that that doesn't work so well, so I just try not to go over MFP's calculations. Then there are days . . . .
  • melissawilson61
    melissawilson61 Posts: 18 Member
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    Love biking!!! Last year I not only lost weight but substantially lowered my cholesterol! It is great exercise!
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
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    I think the general consensus of the forum is that MFP overestimates calorie burns. If you're going to eat back your calories, I would only do half. Since I don't have a heart rate monitor, I log my rides one step down from what I'm doing (if I average 13 mph, I log it under 10-12 mph, light, rather than 12-14, moderate) and then only eat back part of the calories.

    If you're looking for gadgets to buy (be careful here, there are lots and lots of bike gadgets that will help your wallet lose weight), I have one of these to measure my distance and speed - http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Protege-5-Function-Computer/dp/B000R9EIES/
  • ga3873
    ga3873 Posts: 10 Member
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    Wow! Thanks for all of the great advice. I've noticed that the calculations for the calories you've burned while biking are pretty high so I was thinking I might be safe eating more. I'm glad you've all told me to watch my food intake! I was hoping you would tell me the weight would "melt away" just by biking, ha ha. I'll be sure to take some fruit on our longer rides too. We've been going about 7 -8 miles for now but I'm sure we can start going longer. I can't even imagine going 50 miles! WOW! I think I would feel entitled to eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken after that. Congrats to everyone on their successes! You have inspired me.


    It won't take you long to get up there...

    I've just started doing 30 - 40 kilometres every second day.... Avg speed 20-25mph... Takes me anywhere between 1hr10 and 1hr30, it just depends on the day. I do it in morning before work because if I left til after I would come up with all sorts of excuses and not do it!
    2 months ago I could barely do 5.

    The type of bike you ride has a lot to do with it. I started on my partners 20yr old mountain bike but recently upgraded to a proper road bike which is more suited to getting out there and going for it....

    Hydration is the most important thing to remember. Forget about snacks, if your goal is to lose weight and get fit after each ride you should be too stuffed to want to eat anything! :)

    Good luck, every little bit helps.


    I've fallen in love with it now but I refuse to wear the Lycra!!!

    Graeme
  • bacamacho
    bacamacho Posts: 306 Member
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    I love all the cycling positivity! It's a great lower body strengthener, a lot of fun (if you ride safely, of course!), and paired with eating right, it's an awesome way to lose weight.

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