The Truth about Cycling and Weight Loss
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I started a thread about this very subject.
I think for *some* folks, riding a LOT could cause weight gain. It ramps up your metabolism, which makes you hungrier, and then you eat more, and then it's harder to deficit.
The big event I train for is the first week in June. (Just completed it.) Training usually starts in January. I got a fancy Withings scale and planned to be very smart during training and the weight would just melt off. Yeah, that didn't happen. I've stayed within the same 5 pound range all year so far. The riding has gone up. My calves are huge. My quads poke through the fat. However my waist is the same and my weight is the same. At least I haven't regained a bunch.
I don't want to lose weight just to lose weight. I want to lose weight because I want to go faster and I think it's more efficient to drop weight rather than get stronger. If I can figure out how to keep the muscle I've gained while just dropping fat I bet I'd get much faster. I'm already faster than I was last year and about 15lb heavier, so I know I'm stronger. However the weight I've lost so far was done with a very moderate level of exercise and a pretty extreme calorie budget. I still haven't figured out how to ride the amount I want to ride and eat the right amount to lose weight at that level.
I think for *some* folks, riding a LOT could cause weight gain. It ramps up your metabolism, which makes you hungrier, and then you eat more, and then it's harder to deficit.
The big event I train for is the first week in June. (Just completed it.) Training usually starts in January. I got a fancy Withings scale and planned to be very smart during training and the weight would just melt off. Yeah, that didn't happen. I've stayed within the same 5 pound range all year so far. The riding has gone up. My calves are huge. My quads poke through the fat. However my waist is the same and my weight is the same. At least I haven't regained a bunch.
I don't want to lose weight just to lose weight. I want to lose weight because I want to go faster and I think it's more efficient to drop weight rather than get stronger. If I can figure out how to keep the muscle I've gained while just dropping fat I bet I'd get much faster. I'm already faster than I was last year and about 15lb heavier, so I know I'm stronger. However the weight I've lost so far was done with a very moderate level of exercise and a pretty extreme calorie budget. I still haven't figured out how to ride the amount I want to ride and eat the right amount to lose weight at that level.
#77
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I quit drinking soda pop and that alone made me lose 10 lbs of weight. I went from 250 to 240 in a couple weeks just by cutting out the pop. I then decided to start riding my bike (this was a month ago) and I thought for sure I would have dropped another 10 lbs by now. I look better, feel better, and my clothes are falling off me, but to my surprise (and disappointment) I discovered that I GAINED 5 lbs since riding. I know this is the fat to muscle ratio working on me, so I started changing my eating habits. We will see!
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I have not read the entire thread, so I'm sorry if some of my contribution is repetitive.
My experience is that I went from 215 lb to 185 lb primarily through diet and secondarily through cycling. Lessons I learned:
1. Weight loss is #1, #2, and #3 about eating fewer calories. You (anyway I) can eat 600 calories in a few minutes, it takes an hour of aggressive exercise to burn that off.
2. Knowing how many calories we are eating is a skill that has to be developed and it takes work. Foods vary so much in calorie density, a bite of celery and a bit of cookie are worlds apart, and who wants to give up the variety and pleasure of eating both celery and cookie? It took me a year or rigorously counting my calories, using food scale and smartphone calorie logging app, to develop an accurate sense of caloric intake.
3. Not all calories are the same for me, but I'm not certain if the differences are the same for everyone. I know that for me, high-carbohyrate foods and alcohol are waistline inflators, while the same calories in the form of meat, veggies, etc are not. Doesn't mean I don't eat bread and drink beer, but I limit how much. Doesn't mean everyone similarly has to limit those foods, each person has to find out how their own body behaves.
4. Cycling burns calories, but the more you ride, the less effective this becomes. When we do something a lot, we get efficient at it, and cycling is no different. Our pedal stroke gets efficient, we use the most efficient gears, we learn to conserve energy, and I think in a deeper sense our body somehow gets more efficient. Also, as we lose weight, the energy required to move us on the bike also declines. At 215 lb, taking up bike commuting was challenging and really took the weight off. Now at 185 lb the same commute (same route, same miles, higher speed) just barely maintains my weight.
5. You have to do something other than cycling. That is partly because of the efficiency gains discussed above. But also because cycling is an incomplete exercise. It doesn't do much for your upper body, your core muscles, your flexibility, or your ability to squat or bend or push or pull beyond the range of motion and muscle groups used to turn pedals in a 7 inch circle. You need to lift weights, do pilates, play another sport, at very minimum do pushups, planks, pullups and dumbbells at home.
6. You have to keep pushing yourself when you do cycle. We get more efficient at cycling as we cycle more, so to burn the same calories we have to ride longer. But we (anyway I) have jobs, families, limited time, and can't spend dozens of hours each week on the bike. So one option is to ride harder. Find a good hill, do hill repeats, push harder each week, push a bigger gear, sprint up at a higher speed, drive your heart rate higher. If you start out climbing that hill once at 8 mph, by the end of the season being doing it five times at 10 mph and next season make your goal 10 times at 12 mph. The other option is to make cycling part of your daily life, meaning commute to work on your bike, buy groceries on your bike, go to the pub on your bike.
My experience is that I went from 215 lb to 185 lb primarily through diet and secondarily through cycling. Lessons I learned:
1. Weight loss is #1, #2, and #3 about eating fewer calories. You (anyway I) can eat 600 calories in a few minutes, it takes an hour of aggressive exercise to burn that off.
2. Knowing how many calories we are eating is a skill that has to be developed and it takes work. Foods vary so much in calorie density, a bite of celery and a bit of cookie are worlds apart, and who wants to give up the variety and pleasure of eating both celery and cookie? It took me a year or rigorously counting my calories, using food scale and smartphone calorie logging app, to develop an accurate sense of caloric intake.
3. Not all calories are the same for me, but I'm not certain if the differences are the same for everyone. I know that for me, high-carbohyrate foods and alcohol are waistline inflators, while the same calories in the form of meat, veggies, etc are not. Doesn't mean I don't eat bread and drink beer, but I limit how much. Doesn't mean everyone similarly has to limit those foods, each person has to find out how their own body behaves.
4. Cycling burns calories, but the more you ride, the less effective this becomes. When we do something a lot, we get efficient at it, and cycling is no different. Our pedal stroke gets efficient, we use the most efficient gears, we learn to conserve energy, and I think in a deeper sense our body somehow gets more efficient. Also, as we lose weight, the energy required to move us on the bike also declines. At 215 lb, taking up bike commuting was challenging and really took the weight off. Now at 185 lb the same commute (same route, same miles, higher speed) just barely maintains my weight.
5. You have to do something other than cycling. That is partly because of the efficiency gains discussed above. But also because cycling is an incomplete exercise. It doesn't do much for your upper body, your core muscles, your flexibility, or your ability to squat or bend or push or pull beyond the range of motion and muscle groups used to turn pedals in a 7 inch circle. You need to lift weights, do pilates, play another sport, at very minimum do pushups, planks, pullups and dumbbells at home.
6. You have to keep pushing yourself when you do cycle. We get more efficient at cycling as we cycle more, so to burn the same calories we have to ride longer. But we (anyway I) have jobs, families, limited time, and can't spend dozens of hours each week on the bike. So one option is to ride harder. Find a good hill, do hill repeats, push harder each week, push a bigger gear, sprint up at a higher speed, drive your heart rate higher. If you start out climbing that hill once at 8 mph, by the end of the season being doing it five times at 10 mph and next season make your goal 10 times at 12 mph. The other option is to make cycling part of your daily life, meaning commute to work on your bike, buy groceries on your bike, go to the pub on your bike.
Last edited by jyl; 06-10-14 at 04:51 PM.
#79
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I didnt read the thread, but did want to reply.
Weight does not equal fitness.
I have two people in my life that if you looked at them, you would not call fat, but would by no means call "fit" / thin / athletic.
Their fitness is off the charts.
My wife with absolutely no training went out and ran a half marathon in 1:42...never did over a 5 mile run in her life.
My friend without ever doing a run (unless a bear was chasing her) went out and did a marathon in 4:15
Both of them are fitness queens, but I suppose like to eat.
Weight does not equal fitness.
I have two people in my life that if you looked at them, you would not call fat, but would by no means call "fit" / thin / athletic.
Their fitness is off the charts.
My wife with absolutely no training went out and ran a half marathon in 1:42...never did over a 5 mile run in her life.
My friend without ever doing a run (unless a bear was chasing her) went out and did a marathon in 4:15
Both of them are fitness queens, but I suppose like to eat.
#80
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My wife with absolutely no training went out and ran a half marathon in 1:42...never did over a 5 mile run in her life.
My friend without ever doing a run (unless a bear was chasing her) went out and did a marathon in 4:15
Both of them are fitness queens, but I suppose like to eat.
#81
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Sorta like a freind telling me he rode his bike 15 miles (first time ride in a decade) and I would be proud even though it took me a several days to be able to do 15 miles and I am in better shape than him.
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I didnt read the thread, but did want to reply.
Weight does not equal fitness.
I have two people in my life that if you looked at them, you would not call fat, but would by no means call "fit" / thin / athletic.
Their fitness is off the charts.
My wife with absolutely no training went out and ran a half marathon in 1:42...never did over a 5 mile run in her life.
My friend without ever doing a run (unless a bear was chasing her) went out and did a marathon in 4:15
Both of them are fitness queens, but I suppose like to eat.
Weight does not equal fitness.
I have two people in my life that if you looked at them, you would not call fat, but would by no means call "fit" / thin / athletic.
Their fitness is off the charts.
My wife with absolutely no training went out and ran a half marathon in 1:42...never did over a 5 mile run in her life.
My friend without ever doing a run (unless a bear was chasing her) went out and did a marathon in 4:15
Both of them are fitness queens, but I suppose like to eat.
Have a nice day
#83
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You and me both. I'm backing off the intensity and a bit of the distance. Trying to find that sweet spot where I can ride enough but not stop the weight loss. I'm of a mind to concentrate on the weight even if it means having to earn a bit of fitness back. This week I'll be around 100 miles and have not blown my diet.
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When I ride, I only replace half the estimated calories I burn. I have lost 70 pounds using this formula. I may have been aboe to loose this wieght without bike riding, but I am convinced that my bike riding made a siginifanct difference.
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Thank you for the wishes for a nice day, I will. And to you as well.
#86
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100W out of 184 (95% of my top 20 minutes) which is about 360 Calories per hour +5, -20% at typical metabolic efficiencies doesn't increase my hunger or make me feel worse after not eating enough for at least 30 miles and probably a lot more, although longer rides involving hills where I run out of gears and work a lot harder aren't relevant data points.
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when you have a bunch of overweight guys talking about fitness, the meaning is completely different than when you have a bunch of iron men talking about fitness. I am in manufacturing, so collecting and analyzing data is what I get paid to do. Perspective is everything.
A 4:15 marathon is hardly top tier. Its better than the average score for women in her age group, but not by all that much. So I would say her time ranks in the top 40%.
I said she never ran, and thats true, but what I didnt tell you is she is one of the few women I know who have completed the triple crown of hiking, as in doing the AT, the PCT, and the CDT. She also did these in some of the worst snow years in recent history. For those that dont follow long distance hiking, thats approaching 10K miles on the trail and about 15 months total of living outdoors. As I said she is a fitness queen. All that being said, she carries some fat. Not ugly, but not skinny average runner, average cyclist build. But her cardio is outstanding. She was just with me this week and told me it only hurt after mile 18 and she simply plugged in her itunes and hammered on to 26. Crazy chick went hiking the next day.
A 4:15 marathon is hardly top tier. Its better than the average score for women in her age group, but not by all that much. So I would say her time ranks in the top 40%.
I said she never ran, and thats true, but what I didnt tell you is she is one of the few women I know who have completed the triple crown of hiking, as in doing the AT, the PCT, and the CDT. She also did these in some of the worst snow years in recent history. For those that dont follow long distance hiking, thats approaching 10K miles on the trail and about 15 months total of living outdoors. As I said she is a fitness queen. All that being said, she carries some fat. Not ugly, but not skinny average runner, average cyclist build. But her cardio is outstanding. She was just with me this week and told me it only hurt after mile 18 and she simply plugged in her itunes and hammered on to 26. Crazy chick went hiking the next day.
#88
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I convert food into miles to run or miles to ride. For example a typical small round donut sitting on the counter at work is around 1 mile running at a 3 percent incline. A bagel 1-1/2 miles. Dinner might be 5 miles of running or a 15-20 mile bike ride. Don't eat seconds or you'll have to double up.
After a while I got really good at converting food to miles in my head. It allows me to eat whatever I want but not too much. Because my brain will associate the food with another activity and switch off the mindless eating.
After a while I got really good at converting food to miles in my head. It allows me to eat whatever I want but not too much. Because my brain will associate the food with another activity and switch off the mindless eating.
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I'm sure many have already said this in this thread. It's about calories in way more than its about calories out.
So starting in early 2013, I've made these changes:
131 lbs. down
2,637 miles since I started riding the bike in May 2013
From 54" to 40" waist on pants/shorts
From 5X to XL on shirts
When I tell folks that they tend to go, "I need to get me a bicycle!"
But the bicycle played a very small part in that really. The main thing was tracking and reducing my caloric intake via the LoseIt.com smartphone app. Don't get me wrong, the bike helped, but I would have had similar results just modifying my caloric intake.
Last year, I was riding 20+ miles a day Monday-Friday and doing 40 mile rides on the weekend.
This year I do a couple of 15 mile rides during the week and that's it.
Weight loss is occurring just the same.
That said, I do really enjoy riding my bikes, but they only played a small part in my success so far.
So starting in early 2013, I've made these changes:
131 lbs. down
2,637 miles since I started riding the bike in May 2013
From 54" to 40" waist on pants/shorts
From 5X to XL on shirts
When I tell folks that they tend to go, "I need to get me a bicycle!"
But the bicycle played a very small part in that really. The main thing was tracking and reducing my caloric intake via the LoseIt.com smartphone app. Don't get me wrong, the bike helped, but I would have had similar results just modifying my caloric intake.
Last year, I was riding 20+ miles a day Monday-Friday and doing 40 mile rides on the weekend.
This year I do a couple of 15 mile rides during the week and that's it.
Weight loss is occurring just the same.
That said, I do really enjoy riding my bikes, but they only played a small part in my success so far.
#90
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I said she never ran, and thats true, but what I didnt tell you is she is one of the few women I know who have completed the triple crown of hiking, as in doing the AT, the PCT, and the CDT. She also did these in some of the worst snow years in recent history. For those that dont follow long distance hiking, thats approaching 10K miles on the trail and about 15 months total of living outdoors. As I said she is a fitness queen.
My wife is a runner, but I hate it. I will have to take it up though as I want to start to do some tri's
#92
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I didn't read through the whole thread, because I'm a lazy old fart lol - but I'll just share my personal experience. If I'm riding 2 hours per day or longer, averaging over 4 rides per week, there is nothing I can do to gain weight. It doesn't matter what I eat or how much, I don't gain, and I settle in around 215 pounds. (I'm 6'5" so 215 is pretty thin lol). If I'm riding less than 2 hours per day, then I have to count calories to maintain or lose weight. This is just my personal experience, I know everyone is different. I have always been like this through my 40+ years of riding.
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#93
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I didn't read through the whole thread, because I'm a lazy old fart lol - but I'll just share my personal experience. If I'm riding 2 hours per day or longer, averaging over 4 rides per week, there is nothing I can do to gain weight. It doesn't matter what I eat or how much, I don't gain, and I settle in around 215 pounds. (I'm 6'5" so 215 is pretty thin lol). If I'm riding less than 2 hours per day, then I have to count calories to maintain or lose weight. This is just my personal experience, I know everyone is different. I have always been like this through my 40+ years of riding.
#94
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I didnt read the thread, but did want to reply.
Weight does not equal fitness.
I have two people in my life that if you looked at them, you would not call fat, but would by no means call "fit" / thin / athletic.
Their fitness is off the charts.
My wife with absolutely no training went out and ran a half marathon in 1:42...never did over a 5 mile run in her life.
My friend without ever doing a run (unless a bear was chasing her) went out and did a marathon in 4:15
Both of them are fitness queens, but I suppose like to eat.
Weight does not equal fitness.
I have two people in my life that if you looked at them, you would not call fat, but would by no means call "fit" / thin / athletic.
Their fitness is off the charts.
My wife with absolutely no training went out and ran a half marathon in 1:42...never did over a 5 mile run in her life.
My friend without ever doing a run (unless a bear was chasing her) went out and did a marathon in 4:15
Both of them are fitness queens, but I suppose like to eat.
Nothing like a fit healthy women...
I speak from first hand knowledge. My SO rides, lifts, does yoga, and assorted other stuff... She carries a good bit of muscle. She "thinks" she's too heavy, but frankly she's drop dead gorgeous...
#96
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Interestingly, there's a study that seems to show it's inherent, like males over confidence.
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On the other hand, some cultures where mass media is not present at all, women still feel the need (instilled or inherent)to adorn themselves to attract the opposite sex as in the animal world(after all we are animals). As far as OVER confidence is concerned that is more inane than innate.
Now to be on-topic, I have started a new job and not on the road any more. I have only been on my bike 2 or 3 times in the last 2 weeks and still lost a few pounds. So in my case, weight loss has more to do with the change in eating lifestyle than with the miles of cycling. I am keeping my caloric intake at or just below my BMR and it seem to work FOR ME. When I am accustomed to the new work I will fit in cycling again hopefully there will be a difference again.
Last edited by daviddavieboy; 06-14-14 at 08:44 AM.
#98
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Studies showed that most cardio activities were associated with compensatory eating and reduced activity. However, intervals did not show this, in fact reduced hunger and eating.
We're odd beings.
We're odd beings.
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I'm sorry, Drew, and I respect you a lot, but what you have written here is gobbledegook. I've been around enough to know a little about wattage, but for the average person posting to this thread, even forum, including me, I am damned if I can understand what it means. Maybe you can explain for us.
There's some science behind that - ride slow enough and you're entirely fat powered, ride faster and more comes from glycogen.
Anecdotally glycogen consumption and hunger seem to go together.
I gave one measured data point, one personal empirical example which matched that without hunger for hours, and suggested I thought I could go much farther before getting hungry if I didn't run into hills I couldn't ride at a low intensity without changing equipment.
Some people might read that, eat less, not bonk, and loose more weight. Others with power meters or Strava estimates might have starting points.
I have no clue where the optimum balance is between not riding hard enough to get hungrier and riding harder to burn more calories and boost your metabolism for the next 14 hours.
As an interesting tangent at a given fitness level with unbounded riding time you can ride about 4X as long at 1/2 intensity and burn 2X the Calories.
Last edited by Drew Eckhardt; 06-19-14 at 04:39 PM.