Commuting - Weight Loss & Improved Fitness

The main reason I recently started bike commuting was to lose weight and to improve my fitness in a fun way. I recognized that my weekend warrior riding was just not going to cut it for the loss and improvement I want to attain. I almost ditched riding this morning but I pressed on in and was feeling stronger on the bike. Now I'm on week 3 and today a co-worker told me that my stomach is getting smaller. What an encouragement that was! I have a long "weigh" to go but I'm getting there. Anyone else start commuting for the same reasons? How's it going?

Yup. 5'9" started at 202lbs. Now at 169lbs a year later.
My coworkers keep mentioning that i have lost weight. Feels good.
Now they are getting annoyed with me insisting that I still need to drop a few pounds to comfortably fit into a form fitted jersey. Silly people.

I'll tell ya what... Last summer I weighed 185, within 3 months I was down to 165, and now I am at 160. I am more muscular than ever, toned, and havent lost any size. The key, is riding almost everyday, weight training, and a good diet. DONT FORGET THE DIET. many people start excersizing and then think they can eat anythign they want... dont be one of these people.

Make sure you are calorie deficient everyday. You have to consume 3500 fewer calories than you burn for every 1lb of weight loss. Do it gradually though.

Anyway, keep it up. Cycling is a lifetime sport... and you are on your way!

Thats great.

I don't watch calories (do watch 'bad' fats intake), but instead work hard during my commute.

Pounds came off slowly (.1 lbs/day) and steadily.

Doesn't sound like much, but after year that is about 35-40lbs less.

Al

Just got a commuting bike and am prepping to go. Racks and bags to carry the stuff.

Your posts are a tremendous encouragement. I changed jobs in Sept '05 after having a bad mountain bike wreck, which kept me off the bike for three months. At that time I had lost 4" in the waist, but have gained 3" back. I'm in the worst shape I have been in quite some time. Can't wait to get started!!!

Do it fthomas! I've lost 20 pounds, kept it off, and am in the best shape of my life.

Just be patient. That was my biggest issue. :)

Anyhow, I do not watch what I eat. Since I ride 45 miles a day + recreational rides + various errands I have issues with not eating enough.
Having a calorie deficit is nice and all but when you start bonking regularly that is far worse.
That being said, I use common sense to avoid eating everything in the house and try to eat reasonably healthy foods.

I started riding and commuting for the health benifits. I have lost 15 pounds since Jan. 06 and and in better shape than I have been in years. I tell that to people and they say "That's great" but won't consider bike commuting themselves.

Just be patient. That was my biggest issue. :)
.
Thats why I mentioned .1lb/day. Thats a fairly slow rate. I think aggressive and still safe exercise/diet can reach a higher rate, but if you think .1/day, then you calibrate youself to know that if you weigh every day you won't measure a difference and if you weigh every week you barely will (water/digesting food variations will create greater difference). So at this rate you notice a only few pounds a month = patience.

Like I said, over a year period I lost 37lbs though, patience pays off.

Al

That's not the only reason but it is one of the big reasons (literally) that I am riding to work. I started riding off and on and was riding about 2-3 days a week last fall. Then my bike got stolen, and now that I have a new bike I'm riding again. The goal is to be riding 5 miles a day now for the rest of the year. While this may sound silly to most, my commute is only 1.5-2 miles, and I started at around a 62-64" waist (I don't know what I actually weighed, I just know that it is over 425 lbs) Now I'm down to a 58-60" waist and am able to ride more regularly. The hills on my commute aren't as bad anymore either.

I'm riding a recumbent with fenders, and yes, I ride in traffic (I'm averaging about 10mph right now). Just for fun I bought a bumper sticker for the rear fender that says 'burn fat not oil' at our local whole foods co-op (looks like the one on this page (http://www.peaceproject.com/stickers/mini.htm)) which I'm sure is a good laugh for people when they see a guy my size pedal up next to them.

I would be interested to know approximatley how many calories are burned during a ride. I have a 10 mile commute that is 3.5 up and 6.5 down one way, and the opposite the other. It takes me about 45-50 minutes in and 1 hour going home.

Is there a resource that can approximate the calorie burn for that?

PeterMac

PeterMac,

Your calorie consumption depends more on your intensity than on the length of the ride. In my experience, 50 Calories per mile is a good ballpark figure for riding flat pavement at "sustainable" intensity (say 150-160 bpm heart rate, well within my aerobic zone, while I'm able to carry on a normal conversation). There are a few calculators online, but they're not going to be all that accurate. Your best bet is to buy a heart-rate monitor; most include a calorie estimator, accurate within at least 20%.

- Warren

Thanks Warren, I'll look into one of those...

PeterMac

195 lbs at start
160 lbs now

Without commuting I wouldnt be anywhere near that. Its 2 hours of free bike time a day.

Its 2 hours of free bike time a day.

That's my feeling on commuting, free exercise! (and I happen to love bike riding like no other sport)

Losing one pound per week is where it's at. That's an average caloric deficit of 500 calories per day, which is quite sustainable with breaking down muscle tissue instead of burning fat (fat burns only so fast so a huge average daily deficit will in fact lead to muscle breakdown, so say The Carmichael (Lance's coach) and many other sources).

Okay, I'm just starting and I'm not in horrid shape but my blood pressure and weight is a little high which is a little more detrimental to me as I donated a kidney. High blood pressure is extremely hard on kidneys as it is and since I'm asking my remaining one to do double duty I should take the best care of it I can. lol.

I'm hoping to get my strength back in that side as well, lot of muscles cut in the process.

5'11" and 210 to start. I've cut off fast food and started drinking more water. I hope to have one of these success stories on the board at some point. :)

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/124/282/400/scar.2.jpg

I think I've plateau'ed.

A couple of years ago I was 225lbs, and now I'm pretty much sitting at 180.
Granted, I haven't changed my eating habits.

So far today, I've eaten:

1 apple
2x home made low fat apricot muffins
yogourt dipped granola bar
giant raisin cookie from the work vending machine
roast beef sandwich
2 slices of ham and pinapple pizza

...and I've still got that banana to give me a boost before leaving =]

I <3 food and bikes.

I started at 220 and now I am at 205, with the lowest being 187. I miss being 187, I was all motor and no fuel tank! :D

The fastest loss was 20 pounds in 8 weeks. The upright hybrid made me push a lot of wind chasing the roadies on the trail.

Started commuting after I bought a bike to keep up with my kid who had outgrown his toddler bike that I could keep pace with on foot :). Commuting about 12 miles a day helped me take 20 pounds off in about six months. If your commute includes uphill sections, you will get a good workout one way and a nice fast ride the other.

Good luck.

I weigh 170-175. When I started riding, I was at about 187. I climbed there rapidly from 175 and decided to do something. However, I was at 175 for many years; it didn't matter what I did; lay about and eat crap for months on end, 175. Watch what I eat, lift weights, play racquetball 6 hours a week, 175.

I'd kind of like to drop to 160 but I don't think it's possible. I've been riding for almost 3 years, and after the initial drop to 173 or so, I just don't move.

I have certainly GAINED weight the more I bike. But I'm aerobically healthier now. I'm one of those endomorphs who builds muscle while not really losing fat. I was about medium (not fat, not skinny) before I started biking and working out, but my quads/thighs have definitely gotten larger with increased biking -- very noticeable in pants. I've resigned myself to never being a waif, alas. In fact, I've gotten a little vain about my rock-hard quads, heh heh. Feel em! Go on, feel em! Like steel, like platinum, like diamond, am I right?

Commuting is a great way to get more time in the saddle to help lose weight, plus you get to work feeling like the body/mind is primed and ready to go. I'm 510 155 with 10 to lose and wouldn't have a chance to lose it if i didn't commute, the extra miles make the difference. But i took my car off the road so i don't really have a choice.

You are going to kill me.

I just saw my doctor last week and couldn't believe that I weighed 156!! I weighed around 175 (I'm 5'11") for a long time and started bike commuting about 5 years ago, not for weight loss, but because it was fun and to be able to get exercise with 2 small kids. I sort of watch what I eat and I keep waiting for my metabolism to slow (35 years old). I have never been more muscular or had more energy, but I may have crossed into waif-status. I need to hit the weights.

For me the wakeup call came 4 years ago. When I was in college, I used a bike for transportation and was in good shape. After graduation I became more sedentary, and slowly added weight. 4 years ago I was a tad over 200, (I am 5'10"), and I had a heart attack, at age 44. After that I changed my diet and took up exercise, mostly cycling. This year I started commuting rather than driving and then working out separately. My weight is down to 170, and I expect to drop about another 5 lbs, but am pretty comfortable with where I am now. The cardiologist calls me his model patient.

My commute is 15 miles each way, mix of rural and urban riding.

Two years ago, I hit a peak of 195. I'm 6'4". Now I hover around 175, and I don't gain weight while I'm commuting to work by bike. I should probably eat more food than I do, since I'm hungry for most of the day...

Sitting comfortably at 165 +-2 lbs. Riding 75 miles/wk on commute, and adding another 20-30 on trails. I eat a lot more, so the weight is fairly constant. OTOH, my blood pressure and heart rate are much improved, and I think that the fat is being converted to muscle. It's not just about the scale.

That is also what I figure.
202 at start with current being 169 does not equate to 33 lbs of fat loss. Looking at my legs I have huge calf and thigh muscles. I can actually see my quads!
So as a guess, the fat loss maybe somewhere north of 40lbs.