Losing weight by only cycling?

Soldato
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How viable is this? How does it compare to a mix of weights and other cardio like I see other people mention a lot here.

I've been doing more and more cycling for the last few months and did the London to Brighton with some guys from work (cycled up Ditching Beacon :) but Im still a few stone over what I probably should be and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere just yet.

I tend to do at least 3 miles a day just commuting to work but also go out on evening and weekends for 1-2 hours 2-3 times a week too but Im guessing that isnt enough?

Also my diet probably doesn't help since Im too weak willed to be strict about what I eat lol
 
Soldato
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Also my diet probably doesn't help since Im too weak willed to be strict about what I eat lol
Diet is a lot more important than exercise imo. You can cycle 2-3 hours a day and burn maybe a few hundred calories, but if you go home and eat a pizza you're going to eat more calories in that pizza than you've burnt cycling.

You can never out train a bad diet!

Sort your diet out first, then 'supplement' it with your cycling.
 
Soldato
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I'm afraid that you will have to diet too.

Calories in < Calories used = Weight loss.

The fact that you are cycling means that you are using more calories (than a non-cyclist)

Cycling is a very efficient form of transport, you would probably benefit from running once or twice a week as well.
 
Soldato
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When I used to bike to work I was doing 6.7 miles each way on open fen roads in all weathers, and I used to bike to spalding and back (12 miles) at the weekend most weekends, and It certainly helped me loose weight.
Just peddling along isnt enough though, you have to mix it up with some sustained sprints as well.

As people have said above, pointless doing any of it if you are still going to trough burgers when you are done.
 
Soldato
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Diet is a lot more important than exercise imo. You can cycle 2-3 hours a day and burn maybe a few hundred calories, but if you go home and eat a pizza you're going to eat more calories in that pizza than you've burnt cycling.

You can never out train a bad diet!

Sort your diet out first, then 'supplement' it with your cycling.

A 3 hour bike ride should burn well over 1000 calories. That's not miles less than what a pizza contains.
 
Soldato
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A 3 hour bike ride should burn well over 1000 calories. That's not miles less than what a pizza contains.

Cycling really isn't very efficient at burning calories when compared to something like running, rowing or swimming. As you're only recruiting your legs your body utilises less energy.

The more of you that's moving the more energy the body needs to do so. And the more energy you use the more calories you burn.

Cycling is still a good form of exercise, and should still put you into a defecit, however if you are short of time there are more efficient and quicker ways to burn 1000 calories:)
 
Soldato
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The numbers being quoted here as far as calories used by cycling seem rather low compared to various sources Ive found on the internet. Obviously these wont be perfectly accurate but they seem to say more than a mere 1000 calories would be used for a few hours of cycling. I think the calorie multipliers seemed to show that running would burn like 3 times the calories per mile that cycling would but I hate running so I cant be doing with that lol. I guess the only way to get a more accurate read would a good heart rate monitor.

When I do go cycling I try to keep up a good pace unless Im riding to work in which case I might take it easy so I dont get too sweaty :/ and as Ive been getting fitted Ive been able to keep a better pace and been able to get up hills easier and faster etc.

How many calories do people generally try to consume daily if they wanna lose weight? Im 30 and 6'5 and weigh about 17st at the mo
 
Soldato
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I'm 6'4" and I aim to consume about 2000 kcal per day and burn 2500 (the resting rate for someone of my size is about 2100kcal/day), which theoretically means a drop of 1lb per week. I've actually been exceeding that target though, coincidentally since I bought a bike a few weeks ago.

Well, most of the beer belly is gone (cutting back on the beer, as you might expect, helped). But the rest of my diet is atrocious. At least a couple of vending machine snacks per day and very little fruit or veg, but by calorie counting I can keep it under 2000. And an hour and 15 minutes cycling every day burns (if a calorie calculator I found is to be believed) ~700kcal.

I also hate running, and can't keep it up for more than about 30 seconds at a time anyway. But with a bike I can keep going for hours and hours and hours. So yeah. Bikes are good. It sounds like you much prefer cycling to running like me, so in that case it'll be an excellent way to shed some pounds. I'm by no means "fit", but I'm far leaner than I was. :D

Oh and I have the added complication of being diabetic which tends to screw up weight loss efforts, so if you don't have that problem you should be fine.
 
Soldato
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34 miles in two hours a day 5 days a week. I have porridge for breakfast, omlette for lunch and whatever I like for dinner and at weekends.

Have lost 5kg in 4 months. Weight isn't really important though because I've lost 4 inches off my chest and 6 inched off my waist.

I enjoy cycling so I do it more than running and so it makes me fitter than running or weights would. Whenever I cycle though, it's a high intensity; it's always a race.
 
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Man of Honour
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I do 12K a day and I don't hang about. I noticed that although my gut has gone I've toned up all over and I've put on about 1/4 stone in total. My legs have basically gone from cocktail sticks to holding some muscle, so that's where it's gone.

So yes, you can do it but don't expect immediate weight loss because you're going to put muscle on somewhere. You'll shift the weight once your muscles have settled down and you're burning your fat away.

I don't really bother watching my diet but I do have trouble putting my best times in if I've been eating crap.

Edit: though I ought to point out I use a cross trainer in the gym about 3 times a week as well.
 
Associate
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I did this, cycling 10 miles a day for the last year, even though I'm only 16, it has helped massively, I also changed my diet, not eating carbo's. I know this is a completely stupid idea, don't try it, but it worked for me. I agree though, changing diet is a major factor, the end results are worth it, the hardest part I found was getting off the couch and going out for a cycle. However, the achievement after every cycle is great, but no where near the end result!!! :D
 
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Associate
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I Currently bike ride every other morning sometimes on stationary bike others actually going out on the bike. On average its about 12 calories a minute, going at a fair speed. Today I did 34 minutes on stationary bike and managed 380 odd calories.
 
Soldato
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As others have said the key to losing weight is through dieting. No matter how many miles you cycle if you eat too much you won't lose weight.

I also think that tables which state how many calories you'll burn for certain activities are of little value. Everyone has a different metabolism and you'd need some sort of expert testing to work out what applies to you.

FWIW I used to do a fair bit of cycling each summer roughly April - August/September. Probadbly averaging around 175 miles per week. As someone who had a weight problem I never found cycling alone to be good for burning fat, even when I upped my mileage to around 250+ a week.

Cycling won't do you any harm. Its great exercise, especially in the summer. But it won't compensate for a poor diet.
 
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