Originally Posted by
Campag4life
You basically wrote things that I believe to be largely irrelevant...only my opinion. Perhaps sweat is even irrelevant. Maybe sweat is a barometer however. Sweat likely correlates to internal body temp. I can't believe internal body temp is irrelevant to calories burned for same level of exertion.
I can only tell you guys what my experience is every year. I drop more 'sustained' weight when I ride hard and sweat. When I ride hard in colder weather and don't sweat as much, I don't drop the same level of weight for the same diet. I know this is anecdotal and am not saying its gospel...just my experience. I am a bit surprised to learn that many believe sweat to be irrelevant to weight loss.
I believe that you lose weight when you sweat ... it's called dehydration. I can ride a century on a hot day and lose 2 or 3 lbs if I don't drink enough.
As for real weight loss, however, how much you sweat is just incidental.
Do you keep track of how much you cycle year round?
If you cycle less frequently and/or for shorter distances in the winter, you burn fewer calories. If you cycle more frequently and/or for longer distances in the summer, you burn more calories.