roadbuzz's point about the difficulty of getting endurance work in during shorter winter days is well taken. That's why I shelled out a lot of $ for a HID with a 4-6 run time. I ride very early in the morning (4-6am) or shortly after I get home from work and have dinner (6-10pm). The only daytime rides I get in are on weekends, but I haven't let that deter me yet.
As for losing weight during base training, I shed weight easily if I'm active and eating well. No fast food & nothing but what I've cooked myself the last 3 1/2 months. Hence, the 2 lbs/week loss. Compare that to the last two winters where I ate almost nothing but fast food and got zero exercise. I gained 25 pounds that stuck to me until recently. I promised myself that I would be active and eat right this winter. So far so good.
I've never been an endurance/distance type of athlete, always a sprinter. Strength and speed come easier to me. Proof: I've never jogged longer than 2 miles at once. So I'm committed to building a solid base before I move on to strength.
I do fear plateauing though. I've experienced that once before and it sucked. Hopefully this time around, I'll recognize it and find a way out of it.