Originally Posted by
Mithrandir
This makes a lot of sense.
However it brings up another question: Is there room for long-distance rides in a weight-loss regimen? One of the most exciting parts of cycling is being able to ride metrics and imperial centuries, and this summer I had hoped to get into well-enough shape to be able to do a double metric. But will those rides, and the training required to be able to attain them, help with weight loss in any way?
The standard answer is "it depends what you eat". And that is, of course, true: it just doesn't help you much.
In my opinion, which is based on personal experience (though, to be fair, I have never been anywhere near your weight) there most certainly is room for long distance rides in a weight-loss regimen. In fact, I think long, steady distance is much more likely to be helpful than shorter, more intense efforts that burn similar amounts of calories. This is controversial, and lots of people will doubtless jump in to disagree. However, my experience is that I found my appetite much easier to manage when doing the extensive, as opposed to intensive, rides. I burned as many calories (albeit with longer ride times) but wasn't as ravenous when I'd finished.
My speculation about why this was so is that while riding at moderate intensity I was burning mainly fat and did not ccompletely deplete my glycogen stores. And it seems to me that it is that depletion that creates the need to compensate immediately by hoovering down the carbs.
Having said that, it does require taking a sensible approach to eating while on the bike. One cannot ride indefinitely without food or one will simply bonk, and respond by stuffing oneself. But in my opinion, most people overeat while riding long distances. At your weight, even at moderate pace, you are going to be burning well over 500kcal per hour. But eating that much while riding would be counterproductive, because you can't absorb much more than 60 grams of carbs - 240kcal - per hour. So it is worth taking care to figure out how much that is, and to eat that much but no more. In that way you will postpone the bonk almost indefinitely at moderate pace, and avoid being unnecessarily ravenous afterwards, without taking on board more calories than you need for the ride.
That's what has worked for me, anyway. I hope it helps? Incidentally, I passed through Buffalo last year on my way back to Toronto at the end of a mega-tour. The Pearl Street Grill and Brewery proved a nice watering-hole toward the end of a very long ride.