Have you joined because you want to lose weight and get fit in the New Year?
- Thread starter Shaun
- Start date
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mark_gilmour
Active Member
- Location
- sittingbourne, kent
Bike all serviced and ready to go for the morning. No massive outing planner just a gental few miles to start 
Colnago Master
Active Member
I've cycled for many years, not sure I've ever lost weight doing it. Changing your diet is how you lose weight. Cycling will keep the weight off but not sure it's practical for losing weight due to the amount of time you'd have to spend on your bike. Commuting a decent distance is maybe the best help for weight loss.
lord_humungus
New Member
- Location
- Phoenix
I'm here because I was looking for a biking community that doesn't have a toxic population such as reddit. I'm kinda new to biking and totally new to social media platforms. I definitely hope to loose some weight from cycling and look forward to entering some events as I progress.
Colnago Master
Active Member
Exercise and diet go hand in hand I think. Get an app where you record your food and pretty soon you should see where you can cut down the calories. Then, instead of thinking " cycling to lose weight", think " lose weight for cycling". Losing weight instantly makes hills easier which is always a big help. From here, you enjoy cycling more and are more inclined to go out, burn calories and earn a treat.
dst87
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Falkirk, UK
I think that's a fair point. You need a caloric deficit if you're going to lose weight and it really is as simple as that. Studies have proven that when you track what you eat you are better at losing weight. I'm now a member of WeightWatchers so I use their app and ProPoints system, but last year I lost 2 stone just by counting calories and didn't do any real exercise at all. My app of choice was MyFitnessPal which is fantastic. It has a barcode scanner to easily enter products, or you can quick add products too.
It worked wonders. I also had a pair of WiFi scales that I used once a week, on the same day. Tracking weight is important too as you see progress quite easily and if it's gone wrong one week you want to know about it. The WiFi scales I used linked with MyFitnessPal too, and as the weight comes off the app will amend your daily calorie goal downwards to maintain a weekly weight loss (0.5-, 1-, 1.5-, or 2lb).
However I think exercise should also be encouraged. Every little helps and while it's not the route to weight loss it is the route to a healthy lifestyle. Also I struggle with eating through boredom, but I don't get bored when I'm out for a walk or doing some other activity.
Happy cycling and good luck with the weight loss!
lord_humungus
New Member
- Location
- Phoenix
I cycle, actually, to commute.
I do track my eating habits and log my rides on mapmyride. Weight loss is a bonus to the riding I already have to do. Commuting via bicycle is my only option right now.
I know it is not exactly the new year, but this is the reason I have joined, I want to be fit and 40 not fat and 40 and I had six months to make a start
I started losing weight back in Feb and started to walk to work (2.5 miles each way). I had over 9 stone to lose and therefore thought that I would basically break a bike if I got on it. I had not been on a bike for over 20 years but on Easter Saturday my daughter finally talked me in to giving it a go. I was absolutely terrified but I loved it. I felt like I was flying and I just kept going.
I realised very quickly that the leaning down you do on a mountain bike is no good for me at the moment, I am a big girl and it is a lot of weight on my hands and it really hurt. So after a little research I went to halfords and I have a nice cheap 'sit up and beg' bike to get me to and from work and riding about at weekends. I am still loving it and I am getting a little faster and more confident with every journey.
I know I am not riding huge distances at great speeds, the furthest I have done was nine miles last Saturday but I am getting fitter and it is helping my weight loss and general health and most of all I still love it!
I started losing weight back in Feb and started to walk to work (2.5 miles each way). I had over 9 stone to lose and therefore thought that I would basically break a bike if I got on it. I had not been on a bike for over 20 years but on Easter Saturday my daughter finally talked me in to giving it a go. I was absolutely terrified but I loved it. I felt like I was flying and I just kept going.
I realised very quickly that the leaning down you do on a mountain bike is no good for me at the moment, I am a big girl and it is a lot of weight on my hands and it really hurt. So after a little research I went to halfords and I have a nice cheap 'sit up and beg' bike to get me to and from work and riding about at weekends. I am still loving it and I am getting a little faster and more confident with every journey.
I know I am not riding huge distances at great speeds, the furthest I have done was nine miles last Saturday but I am getting fitter and it is helping my weight loss and general health and most of all I still love it!
Jon Darkwater
New Member
Yup. I'm here because a) I wanna get back in the saddle & b) I need to shift a few pounds and get fitter.
NilByMouth
Member
- Location
- Peterborough
I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. Start when you are ready is my motto - so today I demolished several spiders' homes by getting the hybrid out of the shed and pumping up the tires. Just sorted the bike computer out with a little help from a forum member's post. The plan is to cycle to work daily while the weather holds as a warm-up and then get out and about for longer runs as my fitness improves.
Pope
Regular
- Location
- Huddersfield
Every year we get a little surge in new members after the Christmas and New Year festivities are completed; people who are contemplating their pledge to get fit and lose weight and who look to cycling as a low impact way of doing it.
If that's you then please post here to say hello, tell us what brought you to CycleChat and let us know what your goals are.
There's plenty of people here willing to give you bike and clothing advice, help you get started and get those important first few miles under your belt, and keep you going with lots of health, training and fitness advice and encouragement into February, March and beyond (the spring and summer months are well worth the hard work of winter if you can keep plugging away!).
And don't worry about whether your questions have been asked before or whether you think it might be a stupid thing to ask - go ahead, ask - you've got nothing to lose and you might just learn a thing or two to make your new cycling bug that bit more fun and interesting.
Good luck and we hope you like it here enough to stick around and join our growing little community of cyclists, and keep coming back to update us with your progress.
Cheers,
Shaun
Hi Shaun.
I started cycling to keep fit. The reason why I joined this forum is because I'm a complete novice at cycling. I haven't cycled since I was a kid. Therefore, I joined so I could find answers to any queries that I have, from experienced cyclists as well as people in a similar position to myself.
OP
OP
Welcome to CycleChat - you'll find all sorts here so you're in good company, and you might be surprised how quickly you get used to being back in the saddle too.
Cheers,
Shaun
Total Longo
Member
- Location
- Wirral
I love cycling anyway, but i've found as i've got older (i'm 44 now) it's much easier to gain weight than to lose it, so i need to do a regular exercise regieme (Your fitness on the Xbox, more cycling and some cardio work) as well as keep a diary of the food i eat. MyFitnessPal is excellent, but the biggest thing at this stage is willpower.
I decided last month that i wanted to drop to 11st (i'm currently just under 15st) and to do this i've made some changes, small at first, but hopefully i can build up as it starts to get going. I've cut out booze, hard cheese and stopped having sugar in my coffee or drinking anything other than water with a drop of no added sugar orange cordial in it.
Having just upgraded to a road bike from a hybrid should encourage me to get out a lot more as well.
I decided last month that i wanted to drop to 11st (i'm currently just under 15st) and to do this i've made some changes, small at first, but hopefully i can build up as it starts to get going. I've cut out booze, hard cheese and stopped having sugar in my coffee or drinking anything other than water with a drop of no added sugar orange cordial in it.
Having just upgraded to a road bike from a hybrid should encourage me to get out a lot more as well.
Pope
Regular
- Location
- Huddersfield
What differences do you find between riding a hybrid and a road bike? I'm a novice, so I don't really know the difference between how each type ride.
Total Longo
Member
- Location
- Wirral
A lot lighter and a lot quicker, mainly. Only just got the road bike so at this stage i've not done much, i broke my finger playing football a couple of weeks ago so thats made it even more difficult.
The hybrid wasn't a slouch either (Specialized Sirrus Elite) but it was a struggle uphill on steep hills.
