When looking at the benefits of commuting regularly, in my experience, my body gets used to an increased distance quite easily. The result is that I get a bit of benefit (lung, leg and weight) as a result of the initial rides, but that is plateaus quite quickly. I have found that to continue to see improvement, I must continue to challenge myself. The commute is no longer adequate, and I have to add in other exercise and rides to keep seeing improvements. That's not a negative though, it just means that I'm fitter, so I require more work to challenge my body, and that I have good reason to ride more.

So, my advice is to RIDE MORE! Yaay!

Oh, and for weight loss, the only thing virtually any regular person needs to know is "calories in < calories out = weight loss". There's little point in complicating it more than that unless you're an elite athlete or working off those last 4 lbs. Just know how many calories you're taking in. A soda is often about a third refined sugar. A third. Think about pouring a third of a cup of sugar into your glass to make a cup of a drink. A serving of meat is the size of a pack of cards, not a 12oz. sirloin. Modern, western "servings" are ********. Restaurants regularly add insane amounts of butter and other fats to things where you wouldn't bother to at home.