Weightloss through cycling????

mumbles2013
mumbles2013 Posts: 289 Member
edited April 2016 in Fitness and Exercise
Is anyone out there having successful weightloss whilst on a bike? I have a stationary bike that I'm using right now but I don't find it motivating enough however I think hearing about other people's results would make it worth while.

For the last 2 days I have cycled for 75 minutes each night and covered over 40 miles!!!! I'm really proud of that but I don't know if it's something I can keep up. I actually feel like it isn't doing much till I get off the bike then my legs are like jelly with a completely drenched workout top lol.

It would be great if I could be directed towards a cycling group for more info on cycling.
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Replies

  • KathyApplebaum
    KathyApplebaum Posts: 188 Member
    I run and ride -- this summer I expect to ride about 75-100 miles a week (and run 6-10). Definitely burns up some major calories.

    Between running and riding, I've heard it said many times that riding burns more calories. Not because you burn more per hour (most people don't), but because it's low impact and fun enough that you'll happily do it for a lot more hours.
  • mumbles2013
    mumbles2013 Posts: 289 Member
    Hey Kathy that's amazing that you can put in so many miles!!!! Yes I feel like I'm not really doing anything when I cycle so I get how I can do it longer than any other exercise.
  • faidwen
    faidwen Posts: 131 Member
    I have lost over 160 lbs in the last year from cycling.

    I started, barely able to bike around the block on a mountain bike. NOW, one year later, I do about 50 km per day!!!!

    So much fun!! (in the winter I do 2 sets of 25 km indoor on a recumbent bike)

    IT WORKS!! Start slow, have fun!!!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,959 Member
    It won't hinder it :) So if you like it I'd keep doing it. Feeling proud is a good way to start, even if it doesn't seem motivating now. I'd say try to turn up the resistance so you get more of that burn sooner. You might not go as far at first, but it'll increase. If after a while you end up not liking it, do something else. Watching your food intake will help the most for the weight loss aspect.
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
    edited April 2016
    Cycling is a great way to torch calories, and if you pair it with watching what you eat, it definitely can result in weight loss. If you get off the bike and eat half a gallon of ice cream, it's not really going to work :P It's been my primary form of exercise for three years. The first year or so, I didn't track what I ate and lost no weight. Only by combining MFP style calorie counting/tracking with the cycling did the weight come off.

    We have a monthly bike challenge thread where cyclists of all fitness levels and bike types are welcome - http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10362976/april-2016-bike-bicycle-cycling-challenge - we're a friendly bunch and love newbies!
  • saknight105
    saknight105 Posts: 1 Member
    Yes, I lost 65 pounds! I bike-commute (7 miles round trip), which is an easy way to sneak some calorie-burning into your day. Many evenings I go for 15- to 20-mile rides, and longer ones on weekends.

    I was riding this much and gaining weight before I started WeightWatchers and then MFP, though – the tracking is key! Otherwise it's too easy to mindlessly eat junk all day and think, well, I rode my bike, so it's okay.
  • mumbles2013
    mumbles2013 Posts: 289 Member
    Wow guys thanks for the replies!!!!
    faidwen wrote: »
    I have lost over 160 lbs in the last year from cycling.

    I started, barely able to bike around the block on a mountain bike. NOW, one year later, I do about 50 km per day!!!!

    So much fun!! (in the winter I do 2 sets of 25 km indoor on a recumbent bike)

    IT WORKS!! Start slow, have fun!!!

    That's an amazing result faidwen. Congrats to you.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    There are at least a couple of cycling groups on here.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/344-bicycling-road-and-mountain

    Possibly not quite ready for this one - YET!
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3764-century-plus-cycling

    It's a sport / pastime without limit really. I did my first century ride whilst losing weight and it's my main hobby, exercise and stress reliever all rolled into one.

    Would say you are probably better doing alternate days right now to let yourself recover but you have made a great start.
  • mumbles2013
    mumbles2013 Posts: 289 Member
    saknight105 wrote: »
    Yes, I lost 65 pounds! I bike-commute (7 miles round trip), which is an easy way to sneak some calorie-burning into your day. Many evenings I go for 15- to 20-mile rides, and longer ones on weekends.

    I was riding this much and gaining weight before I started WeightWatchers and then MFP, though – the tracking is key! Otherwise it's too easy to mindlessly eat junk all day and think, well, I rode my bike, so it's okay.

    Congrats on the fab weightloss. So what I'm getting from you guys is go for it but logging the food is key to weightloss xx
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
    saknight105 wrote: »
    I was riding this much and gaining weight before I started WeightWatchers and then MFP, though – the tracking is key! Otherwise it's too easy to mindlessly eat junk all day and think, well, I rode my bike, so it's okay.

    Definitely THIS. Also be wary of fluctuation in how much you're biking (and therefore how much you're burning). Three seasons a year I'm averaging 500-600 miles a month, and I get into a groove about how much I can eat to maintain. During the winter, that drops to 100-150 miles, depending on how cold it is (-50 windchill? Even I'm not that crazy). Biking less, less calories burned, still ate the way I would while I'm biking lots more, and wouldn't you know it, I gained 15 lbs. One would hope that being foolhearty enough to bike through a Minnesota winter would confer magical calorie torching properties on the rides, but alas that was not the case. Bah!
  • mumbles2013
    mumbles2013 Posts: 289 Member
    "magical calorie torching" haha
  • mumbles2013
    mumbles2013 Posts: 289 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    There are at least a couple of cycling groups on here.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/344-bicycling-road-and-mountain

    Possibly not quite ready for this one - YET!
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3764-century-plus-cycling

    It's a sport / pastime without limit really. I did my first century ride whilst losing weight and it's my main hobby, exercise and stress reliever all rolled into one.

    Would say you are probably better doing alternate days right now to let yourself recover but you have made a great start.

    Thanks for the links
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    I use my stationary bike in the mornings for 35 min and about 13 miles. That's all the time I have before work. I set it to resistance 10 mostly, and peddle 20-21 mph. It's a great burn (I give myself about 220 calories) and I love the workout. I had to switch over from jogging after a lifetime of that due to a foot problem. I use it to keep in shape and so I can eat more in maintenance.
  • kuftae
    kuftae Posts: 299 Member
    I bike to work a couple times a week. It's about 8 miles almost all uphill one way and then 8 miles back bombing down hills. I think that it has helped me shed a few pounds but I do it mostly for fun and to get out of my normal weekday routine.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    You lose weight by eating at a deficit. Bike all you want - it will help you get fit, which will help you maintain your weight loss.
  • mumbles2013
    mumbles2013 Posts: 289 Member
    47Jacqueline wrote: »
    You lose weight by eating at a deficit. Bike all you want - it will help you get fit, which will help you maintain your weight loss.

    Surely staying within my calories and riding would yield better and faster results than just eating at a deficit????
  • shagerty777
    shagerty777 Posts: 185 Member
    Yes it will!
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    mumbles2013 wrote: »
    Is anyone out there having successful weightloss whilst on a bike? I have a stationary bike that I'm using right now but I don't find it motivating enough however I think hearing about other people's results would make it worth while.

    For the last 2 days I have cycled for 75 minutes each night and covered over 40 miles!!!! I'm really proud of that but I don't know if it's something I can keep up. I actually feel like it isn't doing much till I get off the bike then my legs are like jelly with a completely drenched workout top lol.

    It would be great if I could be directed towards a cycling group for more info on cycling.

    One loses weight "in the kitchen" by having a deficit in the CICO equation. You can certainly use cycling as a way to boost the CO side of the CICO to create that deficit. 75 minutes is a nice length of time to ride, but I wouldn't get enamored at any readout from a machine that claims high mileage for such an effort. Out on the road on a real bike, you would most like cover 15-19 miles in that time frame.

    Where the calories really start to get burned are on 2-3 hour rides which are perfect durations for Saturdays and Sundays.
  • mumbles2013
    mumbles2013 Posts: 289 Member
    edited April 2016
    SingingSingleTracker wrote: »
    mumbles2013 wrote: »
    Is anyone out there having successful weightloss whilst on a bike? I have a stationary bike that I'm using right now but I don't find it motivating enough however I think hearing about other people's results would make it worth while.

    For the last 2 days I have cycled for 75 minutes each night and covered over 40 miles!!!! I'm really proud of that but I don't know if it's something I can keep up. I actually feel like it isn't doing much till I get off the bike then my legs are like jelly with a completely drenched workout top lol.

    It would be great if I could be directed towards a cycling group for more info on cycling.

    One loses weight "in the kitchen" by having a deficit in the CICO equation. You can certainly use cycling as a way to boost the CO side of the CICO to create that deficit. 75 minutes is a nice length of time to ride, but I wouldn't get enamored at any readout from a machine that claims high mileage for such an effort. Out on the road on a real bike, you would most like cover 15-19 miles in that time frame.

    Where the calories really start to get burned are on 2-3 hour rides which are perfect durations for Saturdays and Sundays.

    Thank you. Definitely going to be working towards the 2 hour mark to really push myself. I feel so good about my fitness journey right now and it's really starting to pay off.

    Thanks for all the great advice everyone xx
  • jswanson69
    jswanson69 Posts: 17 Member
    Hi, lost 63 lbs last year riding over 1700 miles. That was great, but I gained 40 back over the winter :/ I am back at it again this year, riding 20 -30 miles an evening. I am down 10 lbs so far. I love riding.

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