Biking and lose weight

frenchmaid

Hi everyone...I am new here so I am not sure if i am in the right section...please let me know ok!

So I just started biking in the begining of this week, well only Monday and Tuesday at first...for the next 2 weeks I am planning to do it the 2 full week then I am going on holiday for a bit..but when I come back i will definetely do it again..
but...
My question is ..its seem that I gain weight since I started to bike...I go on the scale and I way more..is this normal..maybe it is since my leg fell bigger...

I bike 18.3 one way...so together 36.60 km daily.....how long will it take to see result of weight lost biking like this anyone would know...

Thanks for your help!!!

xpc316e

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

desweller

It takes time to lose weight. You won't see a difference in one week.

Stick to an exercise and diet regime and weigh yourself again in a month or so.

pilot_pete

To start with, welcome and hope you get to love cycling as much as the rest of us here do!

As for weight loss, well a few things spring to mind. Firstly, cycling is not as good for weight loss as running....so bear that in mind. Secondly, 36km a day is not a huge amount if you are looking at fat burning, especially split between two rides. As mentioned above, to a certain extent it does come down to calories in vs calories out, so if you don't have much of a calorie deficit then it will make weight loss difficult.

Another trap is that many novices think that their cycling will allow them to eat what they like! This is untrue. I have been seriously cycling for 2 years and lost about 6kg thus far, another 6kg to go. This weight loss has been down to dietary changes mainly, cutting out much of the junk and hollow carbs. I do a lot of miles per week and the cycling alone does not seem to be enough for weight loss.

An example is a week long trip in the Algarve hills where I cycled 350 miles in a week and climbed over 30,000ft. I put on 3kg due to eating like a horse and drinking too many cheap beers with my cycling pals each evening! It was great fun though!

So, adjust the diet and eat sensibly, adding veggies and fruit and cutting out sugars and hollow carbohydrates. Up the distances you cycle and it will slowly start to happen!

Good luck.

PP

frenchmaid

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Thanks for your reply!!!!
ok..you right..but I got the feeling that since I bike I need to consume lots of calorie...I don't even know really how much calorie I should take a day...I look at a site on the internet but they all say different stuff its so confusing.. I am 44, mesure 5"3 and weight 153 so..way out of my league regarding the weigh need to go..not healthy...but some site say I should eat 1 200 some other say 1 500 and other 1 800 confusing...so let say I should eat 1 200 cal to lose 1 lbs a day...but if I bike should I eat more....

thanks...should I eat something specific just before I bike?

frenchmaid

DesWeller wrote:

It takes time to lose weight. You won't see a difference in one week.

Stick to an exercise and diet regime and weigh yourself again in a month or so.

ok thanks DesWeller... I just need to figure out how many calorie you burn biking that distance and how many calorie i need for myself in a day...

frenchmaid

Pilot Pete wrote:

To start with, welcome and hope you get to love cycling as much as the rest of us here do!

As for weight loss, well a few things spring to mind. Firstly, cycling is not as good for weight loss as running....so bear that in mind. Secondly, 36km a day is not a huge amount if you are looking at fat burning, especially split between two rides. As mentioned above, to a certain extent it does come down to calories in vs calories out, so if you don't have much of a calorie deficit then it will make weight loss difficult.

Another trap is that many novices think that their cycling will allow them to eat what they like! This is untrue. I have been seriously cycling for 2 years and lost about 6kg thus far, another 6kg to go. This weight loss has been down to dietary changes mainly, cutting out much of the junk and hollow carbs. I do a lot of miles per week and the cycling alone does not seem to be enough for weight loss.

An example is a week long trip in the Algarve hills where I cycled 350 miles in a week and climbed over 30,000ft. I put on 3kg due to eating like a horse and drinking too many cheap beers with my cycling pals each evening! It was great fun though!

So, adjust the diet and eat sensibly, adding veggies and fruit and cutting out sugars and hollow carbohydrates. Up the distances you cycle and it will slowly start to happen!

Good luck.

PP

wow...350 miles...god...lol that is great....I don't think I can do this...
Yes I definetely will work hard on cutting the sugar stuff this is my weekness....
Thanks for the information....oh....it it normal for your heart rate to take a while coming down after biking...I guess after a while I will get better....once I get healthyer!

Thanks so much....

estampida

Part of it is speeding up you metabolism

so many factors to list there

family body type
past history of lifestyle
ect... ect

and muscle weighs more than fat, so muscle gain may offset the loss at the start, but as your general fitness is increasing it should be easy to obtain a realistic tunnage...... :roll:

and enjoy it

frenchmaid

estampida wrote:

Part of it is speeding up you metabolism

so many factors to list there

family body type
past history of lifestyle
ect... ect

and muscle weighs more than fat, so muscle gain may offset the loss at the start, but as your general fitness is increasing it should be easy to obtain a realistic tunnage...... :roll:

and enjoy it

ok thanks so much Estampida...I will try not to want to see result so quick..

cycleclinic

to give you my experience I have been cycling for years. Last July I weighted in at 93 kg by christmas I varied between 86-88kg. Over the last few months I have decended from 85kg to 81.5 this morning. The big changes I have up my weekly milegae to 100+ fast miles (for me). I also time trial this has made a big difference oiver the last months as the weight loss has been quicker. I have not chnaged my diet (wife still cooks) and I eat just as much as I always have. I see a weekly change.

So initially you may not see much of a difference but as your fitness builds and the pace of riding increases you will see a weight change if you do not over eat but more fast miles will be necessary as well.

antfly

Muscle weighs more than fat is a meaningless statement, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is denser than fat.

wishitwasallflat

estampida wrote:

... muscle weighs more than fat, so muscle gain may offset the loss at the start, but as your general fitness is increasing it should be easy to obtain a realistic tunnage...... /quote]

Not withstanding the accurate corretion re density not weight being the issue above - the point is - that you may be getting fitter and loosing fat but if you are also building muscle you may actually gain weight. The easy way to tell is to look in the mirror once a week and feel if you're clothes (especially trouser waist band) get looser.

I find I have to be careful not to eat more especially that day after a long/hard ride.

PS - A lean 16st muscled person will feel much better in himself than a 16st fat person even though they weigh the same.

Teece

Surely, the only way we can tell if your legs are getting more muscular is to post pics of them...?

dewgong

probably just gaining muscle, do you know if you are a healthy weight or not? Try How Much Should I Weigh? and if you are within the range you do not need to worry about it.

t.m.h.n.e.t

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Just to correct you and the others there. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle - by volume only is muscle heavier (15%) denser that fat.

Carry on.

t.m.h.n.e.t

frenchmaid wrote:

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Thanks for your reply!!!!
ok..you right..but I got the feeling that since I bike I need to consume lots of calorie...I don't even know really how much calorie I should take a day...I look at a site on the internet but they all say different stuff its so confusing.. I am 44, mesure 5"3 and weight 153 so..way out of my league regarding the weigh need to go..not healthy...but some site say I should eat 1 200 some other say 1 500 and other 1 800 confusing...so let say I should eat 1 200 cal to lose 1 lbs a day...but if I bike should I eat more....

thanks...should I eat something specific just before I bike?

Start with the harris benedict formula. 1220 is barely more than an 8yr old child and I'm sure you aren't one of those

ps: I really doubt you have built enough muscle in 6 days to change the scales.

antfly

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Just to correct you and the others there. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle - by volume only is muscle heavier (15%) denser that fat.

Carry on.

That exact thing has already been said. Carry on.

t.m.h.n.e.t

antfly wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Just to correct you and the others there. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle - by volume only is muscle heavier (15%) denser that fat.

Carry on.

That exact thing has already been said. Carry on.

Honestly, it really can't be said enough.

wiganwarriors

Create a calorific deficit and train the results will follow, consistancy is also paramount like everything in life.

fearby

Fausto Coppi famously said the most important muscle for cyclists is the forearm when waggling the forefinger to refuse any food being offered to you.

After twenty years of cycling I agree with him. Unless you cut down on intake or change from carbohydratee rich foods it is difficult to lose weight.

Hidden Hippo

If I recall, a pound of fat equates to about 3500 calories deficit. If I burn 500 more than I eat a day I'll lose a pound of fat a week. As everyone has said, exercise is only a part of it, the biggest gain (loss?) is seen through diet and discipline - cut out unnecessary carbs, cut out alcohol, keep exercising and you'll start noticing weight loss.

slowondefy2

Since Feburary this year I've lost an average of 0.6kg per week. There's been plenty of blips up and down (usually around holidays where activity went down and consumption went up temporarily), but roughly speaking the loss has been the same each month. This has been without any change in level of consumption (I like good beer and good food!), only difference has been increasing the level of activity.

My point is, you've got to be in it for the long game - you can't really worry about the week-by-week fluctuations.

g00se

The pace at which you ride is also VERY important. This is a simplfied view but seems to work if you don't want to jump in with using heart rate monitors and the like:

If you predominantly cycle at about 65% of max heart rate, your body will supposedly burn fat (a bit of a sweat on but can chat to someone next to you). Much higher and you start going 'aerobic' (talking becomes laboured) and body will use the glycogen in the blood - so you need to eat as you cycle otherwise you could bonk as you run out of blood sugar. If you push yourself further you go anaerobic (just about able to grunt) and you eat into your muscle tissue.

So to loose weight consistently, an option is to get lots of miles in at a reasonably gentle pace.

I learnt this to my cost - when I started training for my first 100 miler, I was getting lots of solid miles in each week and the weight was falling off. Then I started cycling with the local club and put a lot more effort in. I got fitter up the hills but the weight stayed the same. So now, I'm going to start doing a lot more slow-steady miles again to shift some more weight before the nights draw in.

If you want to really get into using heart rate for training, have a look at: http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/articl ... sts-28838/

teisetrotter

If you have a phone download a free app called myfitnesspal. You can also have it on a computer via their website. It has a huge database and a barcode scanner for foods you eat and their calories. It has the same for exercise. It is not wholly accurate but it is a good enough rough guide for general use.

You can set yourself a goal for weight loss. If you are disciplined, put your activity and your food intake into it you can use it to track what you are doing. I have sensibly and quickly lost a good deal of weight by using this tool. Whilst I exercised reasonably I still ate like a hyperactive 20 year old ......... which equals a 40 year old 'big boned' (fat) bloke in denial until a blunt message from a surgeon friend on why my joints were very painful when exercising.

As a grown man you should not eat anything less than 1200 calories a day as below this you are starving yourself and the weight loss becomes very ineffective and possibly unhealthy as your body will naturally try to slow down it's metabolic rate. That means lethargy, inability to think properly, mood swings etc.

If you exercise you need to eat more as a normal sort of sedentary lifestyle (not complete couch potato) will burn 2000 - 2500 calories a day. So the absolute maximum you should aim at is 1200 calories less than your daily burn.

So the only difference exercise makes when dieting is that you can eat more and have a beer or two whilst doing it. But as has been said before, there are no miracle diets, not accelerators. There is only one cure for fat, less calories in than going out.

frenchmaid

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Just to correct you and the others there. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle - by volume only is muscle heavier (15%) denser that fat.

Carry on.

Ok ....so 1 lbs and fat and 1lbs of muscle weigh the same on a scale..????

t.m.h.n.e.t

frenchmaid wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Just to correct you and the others there. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle - by volume only is muscle heavier (15%) denser that fat.

Carry on.

Ok ....so 1 lbs and fat and 1lbs of muscle weigh the same on a scale..????

What kind of retarded question is that? Of course they do!

pinarellokid

the fat would have more volume though !!!!!

frenchmaid

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

frenchmaid wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Just to correct you and the others there. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle - by volume only is muscle heavier (15%) denser that fat.

Carry on.

Ok ....so 1 lbs and fat and 1lbs of muscle weigh the same on a scale..????

What kind of retarded question is that? Of course they do!

Well for your information..to me its not a retarded question...first of all...I am french..I still try to understand english..so...It would be nice that you don't say that I ask retarded questions i am just trying to understand what people are saying!!!!!!!...THANKS...

frenchmaid

pinarellokid wrote:

the fat would have more volume though !!!!!

Ok thank you Pinarellokid

t.m.h.n.e.t

frenchmaid wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

frenchmaid wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Just to correct you and the others there. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle - by volume only is muscle heavier (15%) denser that fat.

Carry on.

Ok ....so 1 lbs and fat and 1lbs of muscle weigh the same on a scale..????

What kind of retarded question is that? Of course they do!

Well for your information..to me its not a retarded question...first of all...I am french..I still try to understand english..so...It would be nice that you don't say that I ask retarded questions i am just trying to understand what people are saying!!!!!!!...THANKS...

The question was retarded,it actually gave you the answer.

mattshrops

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

frenchmaid wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

frenchmaid wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

xpc316e wrote:

The only method of losing weight is to use more calories than you eat. You can cycle hundreds of km a week, but if you are eating too much, you'll put on weight.

When you start to ride some of your energy is used to build muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. That means your weight loss will not be dramatic. You just need to eat sensibly and continue to ride; the weight will drop in time.

Just to correct you and the others there. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle - by volume only is muscle heavier (15%) denser that fat.

Carry on.

Ok ....so 1 lbs and fat and 1lbs of muscle weigh the same on a scale..????

What kind of retarded question is that? Of course they do!

Well for your information..to me its not a retarded question...first of all...I am french..I still try to understand english..so...It would be nice that you don't say that I ask retarded questions i am just trying to understand what people are saying!!!!!!!...THANKS...

The question was retarded,it actually gave you the answer.

Dont keep digging -you wrong :shock: