How long does it take?
 

How long did it take until you started noticing weight loss? I've been biking for about a month now 4 days per week and about 10 miles per session and I've only lost about 1-2lbs. The weight will fluctuate throughout the week and I'm trying to keep it from doing that. I've been watching what I eat and staying away from the candy/soda and also trying to ride a bit farther each time I ride. Is there anything I should be doing differently?

I average 100 miles/week, and in my experience weightloss all about restricting eating, and pretty much not about exercise. If you ever eat until you feel full, you just over-ate.

I had the same experience as Shimagnolo. Even when I was riding a lot (for me a lot was 70-100 miles/week) I didn't lose much weight unless I was very careful with what I ate. I tend to eat more, to get the same level of satiety, when I'm biking. I think the most important aspect of cycling, for weight loss, is that you become more in tune with how you feel when you eat right or not.

Consider the fact you are probably gaining some muscle as well which hides the actual fat weight you may be losing.

So, you are riding 40 miles a week, at say, 30 calories per mile for moderate riding, you are burning 1200 extra calories per week. It takes 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound, so your 1-2 lbs in the four weeks is about right. At this stage, this is why restricting food is so important.

For weight loss, I want to exercise 500 calories per day (3/4 to an hour of exercise) and I want an eating deficit of another 500 calories. That 1,000 calorie a day deficit will cause a two pound per week weight loss.

If I were you, I'd push up my intensity a bit on the ride (do you wear a heart rate monitor? If not get one) and keep your heart rate in the appropriate aerobic zone, and extend your ride to an hour and then monitor your calories as best you can. You will lose rate.

Good luck.

Bob

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm trying to watch how much I eat each day and eating a bit healthier, but I do understand the importance of eating just to eat and eating when your hungry. I do see a small change in the shape of the muscles on my thighs and calves & have noticed an increase in strength. I was just trying to reach my goal of 10 miles per ride and then bumped it up to around 15, but I'm ready to do 20-25 miles per ride. When it was around 10 miles, I'd get done with the ride in around 1h 15m, but have been able to cut 10 minutes off that in the last 2 weeks. I don't have any extra equipment other than my CamelBak & misc tools I carry with me. I'm looking at getting a bike computer next month though to help with my distance and speed.

Cycling alone isn't going to make for anything resembling rapid weight loss. A discernable change in eating habits is required, usually in terms of both quantity and types of foods. You're going to have to consider some substantial limits on calories in.

I lost 23 lbs right off. Felt and looked better.
Loosing weight is about less calorie intake.

Count your calories. Figure out how many calories you are burning (keep in mind the calculation is going to be very rough). http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php

Run a deficit of 500 per day (either through exercise or reduced calories) and you will lose a pound a week.

If you want to lose weight, count the calories you take in and the ones you burn.

Ride for fitness, diet for weight loss!

I plugged my information from my commute on Saturday and it said I burned 834 calories. My Garmin 500 said 450 calories burned. Quite a difference, the website calculator said I burned 85% more.

I think that it's both (diet and exercise). If you didn't have a lot of muscle base to begin with there will be a period of time where you are losing one, building the other and not noticing much change at the scale.

As you build up be sure to challenge yourself more, to longer rides.

Also you need to do more than 'Stay away' from candy & soda - You need to treat that kind of stuff like kryptonite!

Stick with it man! :thumb: It's a worthy cause!

+ 1 - muscle weighs a lot. Try a scale with body-fat percentage (like an impedance scale) and focus upon watching body-fat percentage along with weight to see what happens. Another thing to watch is any post-ride meal. People tend to get hungry post-workout and then overeat, not knowing that they just erased some of the benefits of the exercise.
Tim Ferris (author) has one interesting method that I'll oversimplify: write down your weight/body-fat every day. The psych of knowing that you are measuring yourself makes you more conscious of eating and exercising habits

Weight bearing exercises do better at building muscle which will burn more calories than fat. Do some squats. Walk.

Lots of good advice here. If you've only been at it a month I wouldn't ramp it up so fast. I've lost alot of weight but I've been at it for 22 months. A pound a week doesn't seem like very much but over time it'll add up. Make the changes in a way that they become permanent changes. What good would it be to lose the weight quickly and not learn how to keep it off?

May want to try using a calorie counting website (such as MyFitnessPal). I started doing it recently and was somewhat surprised at how many calories I was taking in a day. I thought I was a good "ballpark" guesser. I was wrong, lol.

It took me a little over 3 months to realize cycling alone won't make you lose weight. So starting January I researched into BMR, calories in calories out, high fiber diets, high protein diets, vitamin supplements, exercises for weight loss, so on and so forth before I decided on my best course of action. I changed my diet, my lifestyle, my general outlook on fitness and just living. Since the start of the year I've lost about 50 pounds, and still losing. My weight will fluctuate throughout the week, even 2-4 pound changes throughout the day. I just don't let it get me down. Do your own research and decide what is best for you. Remember in all things in life, what works for one person, my not work for everyone.

I use an app called nutrition menu for my iPhone. I don't eat anything that doesn't get logged in the journal. I started back again by changing my diet on April 3rd at 297, as of yesterday I was down to 280. I have been riding when I can but the weather here has been raining alot. So a good majority has been from purely diet change. I have a bad habit of scale watching, I really try to only weigh once a week (Sunday's) otherwise the fluctuations are discouraging. At one point last week I was as low as 276, but was up 4 lbs by weigh in day. I personally don't SEE a change but can tell a difference in how my clothes fit for sure. Others around me say they can definitly tell there is a loss.

Riding every day, really watching what I ate, cut out candy, cakes, pie,
sodas. Reduced my overall intake about 1/2.
It took about three months to really see the weight come down. I gained
at first but lost inches.

One year later, 12,000 miles down the road, 70lbs lighter.

Do not give up! Ride every chance you get, even if it is a
mile or two up and down the street.

Cut out all the junk food. Start reading label!

The main thing is!!! It is not what you eat.
It is how much you eat!

Sodas are one of the worst thing. I drink only
water with a bit of lime. Walmart, American Clear.

Riding alone doesn't do it unless you were totally sedentary before. What will.work is running a calorie deficit daily. You srillhave touse more than you eat. There are a number of programs available to help track your food intake and exercise. You just have to be consistent and patient.

Marc

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843

Decent beginner's workout routine. You should also check out the book Starting Strength for some more info and ideas.
But like psalm said, do your own research and find out what works best for you.

Losing 100+ pounds is nice, but you'll still be flabby if you don't build muscle (depending upon skin elasticity and body type).

As far as weight fluctuation, try to measure yourself consistently once a day. Keep in mind that if you drink a couple liters of water and eat lunch, that's at least a couple pounds more inside of you until you..eh heh..."lose" the weight.

I try to weigh myself in the morning after I've "lost" my meals from yesterday but before I eat another meal. Also with as few clothes as possible.

I ride about 100 miles and loose about .5 pounds a week (as in 25 pounds/year) eating enough more than when not riding that I'm not hungry.

A representative hard week includes 1:17 at a tempo pace, 1:01 threshold, and 1:02 zone 5 or harder totaling 3616 kilojoules (about 1 kj/Calorie).

I have to give a thumbs up for that. I am watching and eating healthier but I am not on a "diet". To me it gives the impression that I am going to go back to the way I was eating before. Slowllllyyyy I am eating healthier.