Lose weight cycling

Hi all,

I'm a 27yo male, I weigh 216lbs (98kg) - my BMI is about 27 (im 6'2") and have just discovered the joys of cycling...I've been going on the indoor cycler for the last week and have just stepped up to about 30 minutes of pretty intense action (well it feels it to me anyway as previously I hardly exercised at all). I'm sweating buckets by the end.

I've a couple of questions really...if I continue at 30 minutes a day for say 5 days a week, is that going to help me lose a decent amount of weight? I've lost around 8lbs in the last ten days already so it certainly seems to be working.

What would people suggest is a good amount of cycling to do?

Also, what are foods/drinks to stay clear of in order to lose the flab I currently have? I'm fond of a beer and generally will have a 2/3 a night - is that going to make a big negative difference? Quite broad questions I realise, but any help is much appreciated :)

Thanks

I just wanna add another thing here, I'm pretty impatient and like to see results immediately with things (as in within a day or two) - does anybody have any tips for not getting so impatient with it and taking a longer term view of things?

Losing weight is all about burning more than you consume - you can burn the calories any way you want, and the more you burn, the more you can consume, and still lose weight.

There is nothing you have to do (except maintain a deficit) and no food that you have to avoid to lose weight - use the tools on this site to figure out how much you burn in a normal day, add in any exercise you do, and subtract between 500 to 1000 calories from that number to figure out how much to eat - as long as you are eating at least 1500 calories (for a male) you should be good.  A 500 calorie deficit gives you 1lb lost per week (a pound of fat = 3500 calories), and a 1000 deficit loses 2lb per week. 

Granted, if you only eat crap and beer, you'll not be as healthy and you'll probably be more hungry than if you fill up on veggies and lean protein.

You might want to also consider weight lifting, which some studies suggest can be more effective than cardio for fat loss (helps maintain muscle, so the body doesn't start burning it).

And if you aren't used to counting calories... well, that's kinda what this site is about... but it works. You just need to remember to be consistent and accurate - don't just guess how much cereal you are eating - measure it. Some people even weigh their food, because the weight is more precise (and some things can't be measured in a cup or spoon).

Counting calories also means you can't have a handful of beer nuts, and not count them. The extra slice of pizza, the piece of chocolate - everything counts.

Thanks for that...and my instant reply is to probably open up a can of worms here.... :)

Is calorie counting the be all and end all for real? I ask because I've read about all this low carb stuff...eat as much red meat, cheese blah blah as you want, just cut down on carbs...I presume that's short term though and calories are the building blocks of how to maintain or lose weight?

Original Post by amethystgirl:

A 500 calorie deficit gives you 1lb lost per week (a pound of fat = 3500 calories), and a 1000 deficit loses 2lb per week.

So, as long as I have an intake of roughly 1,500 per day, and burn 2,000 per day - I'll lose around a pound per day, is this right?

I looked at my weightloss as sheer numbers.  The 1 pound 3500 calories really worked for me.  It comes down to numbers.. work it and the numbers come down. 

I lost about 88 pounds that way.  I was doing spinning as well for about 3 years.  I worked my way up to 2 - 1 hour classes back to back.  You burn about 550-650 calories in a 1 hour spinning class.  I lost a lot of weight spinning.  My last 15 kilos came off in 4 months because  I really worked the math.  I didn't restrict my diet so much, but I was exercising 3-4 hours per day. 

If you do the extream on exercise, make sure you eat because you can hurt your muscles if your not feeding them. 

Also lift weights, you are a man and so it is easier to build muscle for you.  The more dense your muscles are the faster you burn fat. 

Try and work your way up to the full class.  Think about your breathing.  The minute you open your mouth, you start to heave harder.. breath through your nose.  I used to substitute for my spinning instructor and there were a couple days I did 3 hours of class in one day.  As long as you learn how to breath, cycling is a lot easier. 

HTH

Original Post by jeffers81:

Original Post by amethystgirl:

A 500 calorie deficit gives you 1lb lost per week (a pound of fat = 3500 calories), and a 1000 deficit loses 2lb per week.

So, as long as I have an intake of roughly 1,500 per day, and burn 2,000 per day - I'll lose around a pound per day, is this right?

Nope - a pound per week - you're gonna need a little more patientce than that :)

Original Post by jeffers81:

Original Post by amethystgirl:

A 500 calorie deficit gives you 1lb lost per week (a pound of fat = 3500 calories), and a 1000 deficit loses 2lb per week.

So, as long as I have an intake of roughly 1,500 per day, and burn 2,000 per day - I'll lose around a pound per day, is this right?

 And just so you know, I am about 8 inches and 80 pounds less than you - and I ate 1500 a day, and lost weight. So you are going to be eating more.

I just ran your stats, and if you don't exercise, you are burning around 2600 a day. If you add in exercise, maybe 3000 total? So you can eat between 2000 and 2500 and lose weight. I wouldn't recommend eating 1500, because it won't be enough - weird thing, but you gotta eat to lose.

Original Post by jeffers81:

Thanks for that...and my instant reply is to probably open up a can of worms here.... :)

Is calorie counting the be all and end all for real? I ask because I've read about all this low carb stuff...eat as much red meat, cheese blah blah as you want, just cut down on carbs...I presume that's short term though and calories are the building blocks of how to maintain or lose weight?

 Is it the be all and end all? Kinda? I mean, you eat calories and you burn calories - if you eat more than you burn, it is stored as fat or muscle, depending how you are using your body. If you burn more, you lose fat or muscle, depending on how you are using your body.

Low carb is a way to cut out calories, it just isn't branded that way. It's hard to eat that much red meat in a day, so you end up losing weight because you are eating less than you used to (there are other things going on with low carb - some people benefit from not having wheat, but I haven't looked at it enough to know details). South Beach, the same - just a way to avoid eating extra calories.

For me, I don't like cutting out anything from my diet, because it won't last - I'll eventually go back to eating it, and I'll be miserable in the mean time. So I eat what I want, just in moderation - some people do "moderation" intuitively, others count. I counted til I met my goal, now I'm trying the intuitive route (so far, it's working, knock on wood.)

Excellent, thanks for your help :)

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Losing weight is all about burning more than you consume - you can burn the calories any way you want, and the more you burn, the more you can consume, and still lose weight.

There is nothing you have to do (except maintain a deficit) and no food that you have to avoid to lose weight - use the tools on this site to figure out how much you burn in a normal day, add in any exercise you do, and subtract between 500 to 1000 calories from that number to figure out how much to eat - as long as you are eating at least 1500 calories (for a male) you should be good.  A 500 calorie deficit gives you 1lb lost per week (a pound of fat = 3500 calories), and a 1000 deficit loses 2lb per week. 

Granted, if you only eat crap and beer, you'll not be as healthy and you'll probably be more hungry than if you fill up on veggies and lean protein.

You might want to also consider weight lifting, which some studies suggest can be more effective than cardio for fat loss (helps maintain muscle, so the body doesn't start burning it).

 I have to disagree with your statements in this post. I have been on this site since Feb and have lost 12 lbs. I am 5' 10" 213 lbs now and have a 1,000 deficit or more most days. At 2 lbs lost per week, I should have been at my goal weight of 190 lbs by now. My BMI is 2030 (2400 burn/sedentary) and I log in from 400 - 700 calories burned about 5-6 days a week. My calorie intake averages about 1893 every week.

I am doing everything possible (even according to what you care claiming here) and even have had many weeks where I eat "clean" (50P, 20C, 30F) with main carbs coming from veggies, protien from lean meats and fats from olive oil etc. Everyone is different and the standard formula does not work for everyone. Just my opinion.

cycling totally opened up my world to weightloss/exercise. like you, i started at 30 minutes or so a night, (eventually upped it to an hour before i joined my high school's track team) and now i've managed to lose over 30 lbs. keep it up!
and someone probably already mentioned this, but the beer isn't the worst thing in the world, but it definitely isn't helping at all. loaded with dead calories that aren't doing anything for your body except hinder you. sounds stupid, but have a glass of juice instead (maybe some naked or odwalla...something healthy) to at least start breaking you of the habit. an occasional beer isn't bad, and i've heard it can be good for you, but if you're trying to lose weight...
good luck!

While I may have only been on this site a few days, I've been doing the diet thing on and off for years.  Being the same age as you and having the same inpatience, I understand how you feel. 

Is counting calories the be all, end all?  Well, yeah, it kind of is.  All the different diets out there, in one way or another, are just a way of cutting back on your caloric intake.  They all may go about it differently and may have different philosophies, but int he end, its about burning more calories than you consume.

However, it is true that everyones body is different and reacts differently to a change in diet.  Some people will see immediate results, others it will take much longer, but in the end if you really stick to it, are honest with yourself and are truthful about what you eat (count everything, from a whole meal right down to that little piece of whatever that you just want a taste of) you will see results. 

The best advice I can offer about being inpatient and wanting to see immediate results is this, don't weigh yourself every day.  Pick one day a week and make that your day to weigh yourself.  Your weight can fluctuate on a daily basis, even when your caloric intake doesn't, so it's better to take a bigger snapshot of your weight over a longer period of time, than to take a little one every day.  This will be especially helpful if you reach a plateau at some point despite a deficit. 

*this plateau happens to just about everyone, don't get stressed out, or give up because you think your diet isn't working.  change something in your routine, eat something different if you've been eating the same things since you started, change your workout, start running every other day instead of cycling every day, lif weights 2 days a week, just change something. 

I think the best advice of all that I can give you though is to stay positive and realize that you are doing this to not only lose weight, but to get healthier.  Good luck and if you ever need help, motivation, support or a place to rant, realize that so many of us are going through exactly what you are and will be more than willing to lend an ear or offer some advice!

My thoughts about cycling and weight loss- 

cycling is the king of calorie burners for wieght lose.  Go to the the activity search and look at the calories burned per hour for road cycling to see what i mean.  you can scream through the calories.  Spinning- a bit less per hour.  Since it will be neccessary for you to make some permenant lifestyle   change in order to maintain your desired weight, are you considering cycling as a long term activity??  I have done many sports but cycling is the thing i continue to do as I get older to stay in shape, lose and maintain weight.  Its a great replacement activity for sittng in front of the tube with a bag of chips.

i find it to be the most efficient way to help me lose weight, without trashing my joints as with running, far more efficient than  walking and it aleviates stress. Plus you get to fly around the block like a little kid again!

Once you get comfy with your spinning consider outdoor cycling.  there's nothing like a beautiful new bicycle to get you riding a couple hundred miles a week!

Exercise, including cycling helps with weight loss. I am one of those math people - calories in minus calories burned equals calorie deficit or overage. Even if you burn 100 calories a day more than you put in, you'll lose one pound per month. But if you just happen to be doing that, there's a likelihood that you're going a little over or a little under. (Wait if you go from 2 beers to 1 beer per day that would be like 200 calories saved and weight loss of 2 pounds per month).

I totally recommend the e-book the Hackers Diet for an explanation of a body as a calorie waterbag system and the all to common broken feedback loop - http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/ I thought it was an entertaining read. It may be too sciency for some, but I am a dork.

The body starts to metabolize differently if you are not putting enough calories into the machine - hence the recommended 1500 minimum for a guy over 18 and 1200 for a woman over 18. You can make educated guesses all you want about how many calories you are burning (the machine says I burned 500 calroies, it must be right!) but unless you can be placed in a closed system that measures the amount of carbon dioxide you give off, the mass of your discharge, etc. it will only be guesses.

The thing that is easy to know is your weight. Get on a scale, and blam! Next that is pretty cloes to accurately measurable is calories in the food you eat. For this you need to keep track of your portions of everything you eat - like in a food journal. Then use those resources here or on the labels of food to figure out how many calories. Add 'em up.

You can tell how many you are burning over time, even if teh burn meter estimate does not seem to be working. Track your weight for a period - say a week - and look at the weight trend number to get a close estimate of how many fat or muscle pounds you've lost. For each pound of trend weight you've lost, you were experiencing a 3500 calorie deficit.

I personally only really trust my trend weight (which takes inputting a number every day). As long as my weigh-in amount is below my trend weight, then I can be reasonably certain I am in a losing weight trend even if I weighed today above the amount I weighed in yesterday (like this morning for example I weighed in at 189.2 which was .4 more than the previous day, but both numbers were lower than my trend weight which is at 191 or so). The Hackers Diet has an excel spread sheet where you can view your calorie deficit trends. It's actually confirmed for me that my Calorie guesses (both in and out) are pretty close, but not exact.

Good luck man. See you around.