Biking to lose weight?but not!

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ladydeathstar66
ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been biking to and from work for 16 months now. I also bike on the weekends for about 3-4 hours. I haven't lost an ounce!! I am told I'm building muscles but I really don't think that's the case. I see zero muscle tonage and all my measurements are about the same?
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  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
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    So I have to eat LESS calories than I burn? I think I'd be starving at that point
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Eat less
  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
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    I have no idea what this calorie deficit stuff is all about.
  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
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    If I consume any less than 2,000 calories per day I can't perform on my bike...
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ladydeathstar66 wrote: »
    If I consume any less than 2,000 calories per day I can't perform on my bike...

    Are you weighing and measuring everything you eat?
  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
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    @tavistock road I barely eat that much lol..
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,954 Member
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    ladydeathstar66 wrote: »
    So I have to eat LESS calories than I burn?

    I have no idea what this calorie deficit stuff is all about.

    Yes, of course.

    Enter your details into MFP.
    Select sedentary as your activity level.
    Select to lose 1 lb/week.
    MFP will give you the number of calories you need to eat ... that amount, no more.

    If you exercise, enter that, but enter a very realistic amount. I choose the slow/low/light options and round the time down.

    Eat about half your exercise calories back ... unless you go for a really long ride on the weekend, in which case you'll want to eat about 75% of your calories back.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ladydeathstar66 wrote: »
    @tavistock road I barely eat that much lol..

    But are you weighing what you eat?

    You just said you can't cycle that far without eating 2000 cals... so either you're eating that much or you're not?
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,954 Member
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    ladydeathstar66 wrote: »
    If I consume any less than 2,000 calories per day I can't perform on my bike...

    How far are you cycling on your commutes?
  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
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    I get you're saying eat less. If I eat three very small meals a day without exceeding 2,000 which seems like not much to me. I'm STARVING by the evening and I've already met my calorie count for the day. I couldn't imagine eating less than that lol
  • Misssynth
    Misssynth Posts: 179 Member
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    You're obviously not using MFP right. Put in your stats and how much you want to lose a week. It will tell you how many calories to eat. You can work out and then eat those calories you burned back if you want or bank them for extra loss/cheat day (whatever works for you). Of course you can perform on your bike! I eat under 2000 every single day and run/swim/gym 6 out of 7 days a week. You just need the right nutrition.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,954 Member
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    Misssynth wrote: »
    You're obviously not using MFP right. Put in your stats and how much you want to lose a week. It will tell you how many calories to eat. You can work out and then eat those calories you burned back if you want or bank them for extra loss/cheat day (whatever works for you). Of course you can perform on your bike! I eat under 2000 every single day and run/swim/gym 6 out of 7 days a week. You just need the right nutrition.

    +1

    I exercise every day (often cycling) but rarely eat 2000 calories. It does take a few days to kind of settle into eating less and getting the right foods, but then it's OK.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    ladydeathstar66 wrote: »
    If I consume any less than 2,000 calories per day I can't perform on my bike...

    See, to lose weight calories need to be restricted. No two ways around it. If you are not losing weight you more than likely are eating enough to make up for what you burn. See what kind of sacrifice you are willing to make, maybe accept a temporary drop in performance if it really is being affected. Or accept your current weight and focus on performance. If I were you I would go for the first option because the lighter you are the better you are able to perform.

    Log your food as accurately as possible and make sure you are not overestimating your exercise to make sure you are eating within a calorie budget that allows you to lose weight and it's guaranteed to work.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,954 Member
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    My maintenance is 1500 calories ... so if I want to maintain my weight on a day when I don't exercise (rare!), I eat 1500 calories. If I want to lose, I have to drop it to about 1350 calories.

    Then, when I cycle, I burn about 100 calories for every 5 km ... so if I want to maintain, I can eat the whole amount, but if I want to lose, I need to eat less than that.

    An hour's ride might burn 400 calories, if I'm moving briskly. Therefore my maintenance (1500 calories) + what I burned (400 calories) = 1900 calories. If I want to lose, I'll go with 1350 calories + 200 for the cycling = 1550 calories. And that's a reasonably satisfying amount while still being in deficit.

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