Is Cycling Decent Weight Loss?

[jdtate101]

Well i know this question has been asked on Yahoo Answers tons of times and problably here too but i will ask from people that actually cycle alot

Well im 17 and i weigh 255 pounds.. Yes.. I know im MASSIVE. Im 6'10 (183cm)

I will get a bike tomorrow im not sure which one.. Trek 3500 or 3700 Disc thingy or whatever it is.

I would wake up at 6 or 7 in the morning. Eat something healthy for breakfast and ride for like 30 minutes?

So if i do start losing weight by biking what exactly is good for me to eat? I havent eaten fastfood and sodas for like 2 months now. How much exactly should i drive daily?

I really like Tunafish and any salad that has tunafish in it but it can also be without tunafish. I also like Special K cereal and i suppose theyre healthy? But overall im just asking for ur tips and so. I would really appriciate some help and tips. Because im sick of being so big. (no offence to people that are bigger than me) But i doubt there are any . I actually enjoy cycling thats why i would like to lose weight by Cycling.

When I started cycling I was about the same statistics, 260lbs and 6ft1. 1yrs later I'm closing in on 168lbs and am so much fitter and healthier than before. All I can say is DO IT and stick to it, the benefits are worth all the pain and effort. Initially the weight should drop off quickly, then gradually slow down (as you will loose a lot of fluid to start with, then the fat starts to come off). I didn't diet as restricting the types of things you like to eat just seems like a punishment and can lead to failure as you get to resent the loss of treats. Eat the same stuff (maybe cut out soda and other useless sugary stuff) and just have SMALLER portions, this way you can still have the stuff you like. Equally try and keep a diary of your calorie intake and expenditure (use an online app like strava or mapmyride to get an estimate of the energy burnt on a ride). Always aim for a deficit of around 500 calories per day and the weight will go.

Best of luck and keep popping back here if you need motivation, plenty of people on here have been where you are now and can help.

 

[Chrisc]

Stick with it and it'll come off. A useful thing I found is to learn how much work on the bike is involved in burning off say 100 cals, equate that effort to what it takes to replace it, one slice of white toast. When you get this into your head you soon start to think twice about taking the lid off the biscuit barrel! I'm 5-11 and dropped 12kgs in a few months a couple of years ago to become stable at 11st 8 which is a weight I'm happy with. Cost a few quid in new shirts but boy was it worth it and the best part is that it's so much fun doing it and the hills that I had to stop and rest at the top of are just bumps on the way now.

 

[spursdave]

Keep cycling,eat well and most of all enjoy what you're doing or else it will be a disaster.
I've been back into cycling for about 18 months and have put on two stone!!!!!
That's down to the fact I stopped smoking and enjoy food.
I also go out once a week and down about ten pints.
So the answer is......don't do what I do and you'll reach your target.
Good luck!!!

 

[JDM]

Thanks alot!!! Everybody.

 

[BrumJim]

Stick with it and it'll come off. A useful thing I found is to learn how much work on the bike is involved in burning off say 100 cals, equate that effort to what it takes to replace it, one slice of white toast.

Careful that you get this one the right way round. You might end up eating cream cakes and chocoloate, purely to justify the 50 mile hill-bashing ride that you are desperate to do.

 

[TVC]

Having skipped through this thread quite quickly, I don't believe that anyone has mentioned that cycling will improve your mood and your self confidence, and that will also contribute to you not wanting to reach for the fat and sugar so easily.

Good luck, though you can see by the many examples above (+me 15st to 12st in six months) that it is readily achievable.

 

[Chrisc]

Careful that you get this one the right way round. You might end up eating cream cakes and chocoloate, purely to justify the 50 mile hill-bashing ride that you are desperate to do.

No danger! I was just saying that once you realise the size of the effort required to lose a buns worth you start to think twice about the bun! :-)

 

[Maylian]

Personally when I started I was 23 stone and a bit, I'm now sat at 16 1/2 stone at 6'4". There is a bit left to do but personally happy with the progress over the last year and a half. At first I changed nothing but adding cycling and the weight fell off. In my experience the more overweight you are the faster that first lot will drop off. You will plateau soon enough and need to change something else.

Over the last few months I have drastically changed portion control for my meals and the type of food I eat as well although I do still drink fizzy pop, chocolate bars as a treat. This is countered by a lot of fruit and veg and a lot more exercise than normal. The biggest motivation for me is that I have gone from being a sad sack with virtually no female interest in me to being able to chat to women and getting smiles quite often.

Just savour the things that make you feel good about the changes and it will come with time. The one downside is that I have had to spend almost £1k on new clothes in the past few months to replace my old fat man clothes (upside - charity shops have prospered!)