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More speed or more distance for weight loss?
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7
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I have been cycling for some months. I started cycling for weight loss, now I am addicted to it.
I have an average speed of about 23 to 28 km/h. I usually ride around 3 to 4 days a week and 80 to 100 km total distance. My weight loss has plateaued which I have not been able to break for some time.
Please guide me in what sort of routine or action I need to follow to overcome this hurdle. Do I go for more average speed or increased distance?
road-bike weight
edited 16 mins ago
Argenti Apparatus
27.3k23168
asked 13 hours ago
Mubb
393
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 |Â
show 6 more comments
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
I have been cycling for some months. I started cycling for weight loss, now I am addicted to it.
I have an average speed of about 23 to 28 km/h. I usually ride around 3 to 4 days a week and 80 to 100 km total distance. My weight loss has plateaued which I have not been able to break for some time.
Please guide me in what sort of routine or action I need to follow to overcome this hurdle. Do I go for more average speed or increased distance?
road-bike weight
edited 16 mins ago
Argenti Apparatus
27.3k23168
asked 13 hours ago
Mubb
393
New contributor
Mubb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
One word for this is "plateau" - as in "I've hit a plateau in my progress"
– Criggie
9 hours ago
5
AFAIK exercise is absolutely awesome for health and strength and a whole range of other stuff - but it sucks for weight loss. Our bodies are ridiculously effective and even the hardest of workouts consume just a few hundred calories. Easily replaced by a single hamburger. Most energy in our body is used simply for staying alive and you can't really influence it in any way. So if you want to lose weight, the only realistic option is to reduce your calorie intake. Eat less, there's no way around it. (But also take care to make the diet balanced or you'll run into other problems)
– Vilx-
9 hours ago
1
Weight lose is 90% diet, I got very good results from avoiding all suger (both natural and added) along with reducing carbs.
– Ian
8 hours ago
2
@Vilx- To say the hardest workouts only consume a few hundred calories is nonsense. It is very easy to burn 1000's on a single bike ride. I burned 4600kcal in a single ride in the Italian Alps last month, and I only weigh 60kg - a heavier rider would have burnt significantly more.
– Andy P
7 hours ago
1
@Vilx- Power meter. I took several cafe stops, so was able to recover and refuel before each of the major climbs. 4600kcal is not an unusual amount, during grand tours professional riders burn up to 7000kcal daily
– Andy P
5 hours ago
 |Â
show 6 more comments
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
up vote
7
down vote
favorite
I have been cycling for some months. I started cycling for weight loss, now I am addicted to it.
I have an average speed of about 23 to 28 km/h. I usually ride around 3 to 4 days a week and 80 to 100 km total distance. My weight loss has plateaued which I have not been able to break for some time.
Please guide me in what sort of routine or action I need to follow to overcome this hurdle. Do I go for more average speed or increased distance?
road-bike weight
edited 16 mins ago
Argenti Apparatus
27.3k23168
asked 13 hours ago
Mubb
393
New contributor
Mubb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I have been cycling for some months. I started cycling for weight loss, now I am addicted to it.
I have an average speed of about 23 to 28 km/h. I usually ride around 3 to 4 days a week and 80 to 100 km total distance. My weight loss has plateaued which I have not been able to break for some time.
Please guide me in what sort of routine or action I need to follow to overcome this hurdle. Do I go for more average speed or increased distance?
road-bike weight
road-bike weight
edited 16 mins ago
Argenti Apparatus
27.3k23168
asked 13 hours ago
Mubb
393
New contributor
Mubb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 16 mins ago
Argenti Apparatus
27.3k23168
asked 13 hours ago
Mubb
393
New contributor
Mubb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 16 mins ago
Argenti Apparatus
27.3k23168
edited 16 mins ago
Argenti Apparatus
27.3k23168
edited 16 mins ago
Argenti Apparatus
27.3k23168
27.3k23168
asked 13 hours ago
Mubb
393
New contributor
Mubb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 13 hours ago
Mubb
393
asked 13 hours ago
Mubb
393
393
New contributor
Mubb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Mubb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Mubb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
One word for this is "plateau" - as in "I've hit a plateau in my progress"
– Criggie
9 hours ago
5
AFAIK exercise is absolutely awesome for health and strength and a whole range of other stuff - but it sucks for weight loss. Our bodies are ridiculously effective and even the hardest of workouts consume just a few hundred calories. Easily replaced by a single hamburger. Most energy in our body is used simply for staying alive and you can't really influence it in any way. So if you want to lose weight, the only realistic option is to reduce your calorie intake. Eat less, there's no way around it. (But also take care to make the diet balanced or you'll run into other problems)
– Vilx-
9 hours ago
1
Weight lose is 90% diet, I got very good results from avoiding all suger (both natural and added) along with reducing carbs.
– Ian
8 hours ago
2
@Vilx- To say the hardest workouts only consume a few hundred calories is nonsense. It is very easy to burn 1000's on a single bike ride. I burned 4600kcal in a single ride in the Italian Alps last month, and I only weigh 60kg - a heavier rider would have burnt significantly more.
– Andy P
7 hours ago
1
@Vilx- Power meter. I took several cafe stops, so was able to recover and refuel before each of the major climbs. 4600kcal is not an unusual amount, during grand tours professional riders burn up to 7000kcal daily
– Andy P
5 hours ago
 |Â
show 6 more comments
1
One word for this is "plateau" - as in "I've hit a plateau in my progress"
– Criggie
9 hours ago
5
AFAIK exercise is absolutely awesome for health and strength and a whole range of other stuff - but it sucks for weight loss. Our bodies are ridiculously effective and even the hardest of workouts consume just a few hundred calories. Easily replaced by a single hamburger. Most energy in our body is used simply for staying alive and you can't really influence it in any way. So if you want to lose weight, the only realistic option is to reduce your calorie intake. Eat less, there's no way around it. (But also take care to make the diet balanced or you'll run into other problems)
– Vilx-
9 hours ago
1
Weight lose is 90% diet, I got very good results from avoiding all suger (both natural and added) along with reducing carbs.
– Ian
8 hours ago
2
@Vilx- To say the hardest workouts only consume a few hundred calories is nonsense. It is very easy to burn 1000's on a single bike ride. I burned 4600kcal in a single ride in the Italian Alps last month, and I only weigh 60kg - a heavier rider would have burnt significantly more.
– Andy P
7 hours ago
1
@Vilx- Power meter. I took several cafe stops, so was able to recover and refuel before each of the major climbs. 4600kcal is not an unusual amount, during grand tours professional riders burn up to 7000kcal daily
– Andy P
5 hours ago
1
1
One word for this is "plateau" - as in "I've hit a plateau in my progress"
– Criggie
9 hours ago
One word for this is "plateau" - as in "I've hit a plateau in my progress"
– Criggie
9 hours ago
5
5
AFAIK exercise is absolutely awesome for health and strength and a whole range of other stuff - but it sucks for weight loss. Our bodies are ridiculously effective and even the hardest of workouts consume just a few hundred calories. Easily replaced by a single hamburger. Most energy in our body is used simply for staying alive and you can't really influence it in any way. So if you want to lose weight, the only realistic option is to reduce your calorie intake. Eat less, there's no way around it. (But also take care to make the diet balanced or you'll run into other problems)
– Vilx-
9 hours ago
AFAIK exercise is absolutely awesome for health and strength and a whole range of other stuff - but it sucks for weight loss. Our bodies are ridiculously effective and even the hardest of workouts consume just a few hundred calories. Easily replaced by a single hamburger. Most energy in our body is used simply for staying alive and you can't really influence it in any way. So if you want to lose weight, the only realistic option is to reduce your calorie intake. Eat less, there's no way around it. (But also take care to make the diet balanced or you'll run into other problems)
– Vilx-
9 hours ago
1
1
Weight lose is 90% diet, I got very good results from avoiding all suger (both natural and added) along with reducing carbs.
– Ian
8 hours ago
Weight lose is 90% diet, I got very good results from avoiding all suger (both natural and added) along with reducing carbs.
– Ian
8 hours ago
2
2
@Vilx- To say the hardest workouts only consume a few hundred calories is nonsense. It is very easy to burn 1000's on a single bike ride. I burned 4600kcal in a single ride in the Italian Alps last month, and I only weigh 60kg - a heavier rider would have burnt significantly more.
– Andy P
7 hours ago
@Vilx- To say the hardest workouts only consume a few hundred calories is nonsense. It is very easy to burn 1000's on a single bike ride. I burned 4600kcal in a single ride in the Italian Alps last month, and I only weigh 60kg - a heavier rider would have burnt significantly more.
– Andy P
7 hours ago
1
1
@Vilx- Power meter. I took several cafe stops, so was able to recover and refuel before each of the major climbs. 4600kcal is not an unusual amount, during grand tours professional riders burn up to 7000kcal daily
– Andy P
5 hours ago
@Vilx- Power meter. I took several cafe stops, so was able to recover and refuel before each of the major climbs. 4600kcal is not an unusual amount, during grand tours professional riders burn up to 7000kcal daily
– Andy P
5 hours ago
 |Â
show 6 more comments
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
up vote
11
down vote
Most important - Well done in loosing weight, what you experiencing is very normal, don't let it put you off.
A word of warning - despite the common perceptions, most people do not loose weight exercising. Their appetite increases to compensate for the the increased calorie demands, this could be whats happening to you.
Personally I think focusing on weight is at the expense of overall health and well being detracts from the progress most people make and demoralizes them needlessly. Take the weight loss as a part of the equation, but focus more on your fitness and progress. When you started, how far and fast, how often were you riding, how does that compare to now? Are you happier now? Focus on the wins.
Exercise builds muscle, which is heavier (and healthier) than fat - if the weight loss has leveled out because you are building muscle, keep doing what your doing. It may be too late, but measurement is a better guide to progress than weight - did you measure yourself before starting? If not, are your cloths looser, are they still getting looser? Are you feeling less flabby?
To continue to make progress you may need to mix it up a bit. Adding resistance exercises would help - I am a fan of body weight exercises - pushups, pull ups, squats, burpees etc will balance out the cycling. No need for expensive gym memberships and machines, the only thing most people are missing at home is a pullups bar.
As far as cycling, you can also mix it up - instead of training all the time at once pace, you need to have sessions of slow, long distance and sessions that are short, high effort. Also look at doing sprints after a good warmup, - 30seconds at absolute maximum effort, 30-60 seconds to recover, repeat 5 -10 times then cool down. Do these in a short session (if you do this properly, it will be short)
A good guide will be 3 - 4 sessions a week, one will be half you weekly distance at a steady, comfortable pace. One will be short and fast.
Have a look on the internet for suggest training program - they will look something like this
Day 1 - 50% of weekly distance at slow steady pace
Day 2 - rest
Day 3 - 20% weekly distance at max effort.
day 4 - rest
day 5 - rest
day 6 - 30% weekly distance at 'race' pace.
day 7 - rest
One of my favorites - "You don't get fit exercising, you get get fit recovering from exercise."
Hopefully this is enough to get you started - there is a lot of information out there, some will not agree with what I believe. We are all different, sift though it and work out whats right for you. If what you doing does not work, or stops working, no matter who says it, change something.
answered 13 hours ago
mattnz
23.1k13173
2
+1 for adding some exercise apart from cycling since it's a repetitious movement with little variation. A few pull-ups, push-ups, squats and deadlifts (unfortunately you need a barbell and quite some weight for those) go a long way to balance it. Strength training is also great fun, especially in the winter when the weather is bad.
– Michael
12 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
In the end it's all about calories in vs calories out. Cycling longer or at higher intensity will both increase the amount of calories you burn. However, the most important factor is what suits you best.
If you enjoy 4h rides, do them. If you enjoy going up a hill/mountain for half an hour as fast a possible, do it.
You could get a power meter if you want real numbers on how much energy expenditure you have on each ride. I think this only makes sense if you are closely monitoring calories though.
answered 13 hours ago
Michael
2,183512
1
I too used to thing it was calories in vs calories out. Its also not about grog going harder for longer. It's just not that simple.
– mattnz
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Skip a meal once or twice a week. With consistent exercise, skipping a meal is a quick way to make your body use fat reserves. I'm not a doctor or dietician, but I've found this to be an extremely effective way to lose weight once I've gotten into a good exercise routine.
Also, check your respiration. You're doing well, but you may be just relying on muscle at this point. One technique I used was to increase my breathing rate and then increase my power output to a rate that I can sustain with the higher breathing rate. Of course, you must avoid hyperventilating, but if you do start breathing at a consistently faster rate, you'll be able to pedal harder and burn more. And, obviously, use your gears to match your increased power output.
answered 6 hours ago
Kylos
1113
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Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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1
Welcome to the site! I haven't tried this but read some good stuff, believe it's known as 'intermittent fasting'
– Swifty
5 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I found that getting more rides in (by bike commuting instead of bus+walk) made me lose quite a bit of weight even though it meant I spent less time in the gym. I wasn't weighing myself but it was visible to others. That may be an option for you.
Another approach is a goal, and not a weight-based one. If you're currently doing up to about 100Â km/week, why not try to find an event of 100Â km or a little more in one go, a couple of months away? Try to get a couple of long training rides in before that.
I find that I can out-ride my appetite, and I need lots of feeding on long rides. Last year I went from doing a similar weekly distance to you, plus occasional rides up to about 60Â km, to riding 200Â km rides. The first few of those lost me around 1Â kg each based on weighing myself a week before and a week after each ride, (fully recovered); overall the trend held for several rides. I've since become more efficient or eat more on the rides, and there's no permanent drop from a single ride, which is just as well or I'd be wasting away. That indicates that it's possible to plateau again.
I don't know what your climate is like or even which hemisphere you're in, but if winter is approaching, keeping riding is important, and dressing for the conditions tricky. The chances are you will burn some extra energy keeping warm if you're not overdressed for the uphills - winter riding canbe quite fatiguing. It's also easy to get dehydrated if you push yourself too hard in the cold so be careful.
Summarising in a way that answers the new title: More or longer rides, rather than trying to go faster.
answered 6 hours ago
Chris H
20.6k13193
add a comment |Â
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
11
down vote
Most important - Well done in loosing weight, what you experiencing is very normal, don't let it put you off.
A word of warning - despite the common perceptions, most people do not loose weight exercising. Their appetite increases to compensate for the the increased calorie demands, this could be whats happening to you.
Personally I think focusing on weight is at the expense of overall health and well being detracts from the progress most people make and demoralizes them needlessly. Take the weight loss as a part of the equation, but focus more on your fitness and progress. When you started, how far and fast, how often were you riding, how does that compare to now? Are you happier now? Focus on the wins.
Exercise builds muscle, which is heavier (and healthier) than fat - if the weight loss has leveled out because you are building muscle, keep doing what your doing. It may be too late, but measurement is a better guide to progress than weight - did you measure yourself before starting? If not, are your cloths looser, are they still getting looser? Are you feeling less flabby?
To continue to make progress you may need to mix it up a bit. Adding resistance exercises would help - I am a fan of body weight exercises - pushups, pull ups, squats, burpees etc will balance out the cycling. No need for expensive gym memberships and machines, the only thing most people are missing at home is a pullups bar.
As far as cycling, you can also mix it up - instead of training all the time at once pace, you need to have sessions of slow, long distance and sessions that are short, high effort. Also look at doing sprints after a good warmup, - 30seconds at absolute maximum effort, 30-60 seconds to recover, repeat 5 -10 times then cool down. Do these in a short session (if you do this properly, it will be short)
A good guide will be 3 - 4 sessions a week, one will be half you weekly distance at a steady, comfortable pace. One will be short and fast.
Have a look on the internet for suggest training program - they will look something like this
Day 1 - 50% of weekly distance at slow steady pace
Day 2 - rest
Day 3 - 20% weekly distance at max effort.
day 4 - rest
day 5 - rest
day 6 - 30% weekly distance at 'race' pace.
day 7 - rest
One of my favorites - "You don't get fit exercising, you get get fit recovering from exercise."
Hopefully this is enough to get you started - there is a lot of information out there, some will not agree with what I believe. We are all different, sift though it and work out whats right for you. If what you doing does not work, or stops working, no matter who says it, change something.
answered 13 hours ago
mattnz
23.1k13173
2
+1 for adding some exercise apart from cycling since it's a repetitious movement with little variation. A few pull-ups, push-ups, squats and deadlifts (unfortunately you need a barbell and quite some weight for those) go a long way to balance it. Strength training is also great fun, especially in the winter when the weather is bad.
– Michael
12 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
11
down vote
Most important - Well done in loosing weight, what you experiencing is very normal, don't let it put you off.
A word of warning - despite the common perceptions, most people do not loose weight exercising. Their appetite increases to compensate for the the increased calorie demands, this could be whats happening to you.
Personally I think focusing on weight is at the expense of overall health and well being detracts from the progress most people make and demoralizes them needlessly. Take the weight loss as a part of the equation, but focus more on your fitness and progress. When you started, how far and fast, how often were you riding, how does that compare to now? Are you happier now? Focus on the wins.
Exercise builds muscle, which is heavier (and healthier) than fat - if the weight loss has leveled out because you are building muscle, keep doing what your doing. It may be too late, but measurement is a better guide to progress than weight - did you measure yourself before starting? If not, are your cloths looser, are they still getting looser? Are you feeling less flabby?
To continue to make progress you may need to mix it up a bit. Adding resistance exercises would help - I am a fan of body weight exercises - pushups, pull ups, squats, burpees etc will balance out the cycling. No need for expensive gym memberships and machines, the only thing most people are missing at home is a pullups bar.
As far as cycling, you can also mix it up - instead of training all the time at once pace, you need to have sessions of slow, long distance and sessions that are short, high effort. Also look at doing sprints after a good warmup, - 30seconds at absolute maximum effort, 30-60 seconds to recover, repeat 5 -10 times then cool down. Do these in a short session (if you do this properly, it will be short)
A good guide will be 3 - 4 sessions a week, one will be half you weekly distance at a steady, comfortable pace. One will be short and fast.
Have a look on the internet for suggest training program - they will look something like this
Day 1 - 50% of weekly distance at slow steady pace
Day 2 - rest
Day 3 - 20% weekly distance at max effort.
day 4 - rest
day 5 - rest
day 6 - 30% weekly distance at 'race' pace.
day 7 - rest
One of my favorites - "You don't get fit exercising, you get get fit recovering from exercise."
Hopefully this is enough to get you started - there is a lot of information out there, some will not agree with what I believe. We are all different, sift though it and work out whats right for you. If what you doing does not work, or stops working, no matter who says it, change something.
answered 13 hours ago
mattnz
23.1k13173
2
+1 for adding some exercise apart from cycling since it's a repetitious movement with little variation. A few pull-ups, push-ups, squats and deadlifts (unfortunately you need a barbell and quite some weight for those) go a long way to balance it. Strength training is also great fun, especially in the winter when the weather is bad.
– Michael
12 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
11
down vote
up vote
11
down vote
Most important - Well done in loosing weight, what you experiencing is very normal, don't let it put you off.
A word of warning - despite the common perceptions, most people do not loose weight exercising. Their appetite increases to compensate for the the increased calorie demands, this could be whats happening to you.
Personally I think focusing on weight is at the expense of overall health and well being detracts from the progress most people make and demoralizes them needlessly. Take the weight loss as a part of the equation, but focus more on your fitness and progress. When you started, how far and fast, how often were you riding, how does that compare to now? Are you happier now? Focus on the wins.
Exercise builds muscle, which is heavier (and healthier) than fat - if the weight loss has leveled out because you are building muscle, keep doing what your doing. It may be too late, but measurement is a better guide to progress than weight - did you measure yourself before starting? If not, are your cloths looser, are they still getting looser? Are you feeling less flabby?
To continue to make progress you may need to mix it up a bit. Adding resistance exercises would help - I am a fan of body weight exercises - pushups, pull ups, squats, burpees etc will balance out the cycling. No need for expensive gym memberships and machines, the only thing most people are missing at home is a pullups bar.
As far as cycling, you can also mix it up - instead of training all the time at once pace, you need to have sessions of slow, long distance and sessions that are short, high effort. Also look at doing sprints after a good warmup, - 30seconds at absolute maximum effort, 30-60 seconds to recover, repeat 5 -10 times then cool down. Do these in a short session (if you do this properly, it will be short)
A good guide will be 3 - 4 sessions a week, one will be half you weekly distance at a steady, comfortable pace. One will be short and fast.
Have a look on the internet for suggest training program - they will look something like this
Day 1 - 50% of weekly distance at slow steady pace
Day 2 - rest
Day 3 - 20% weekly distance at max effort.
day 4 - rest
day 5 - rest
day 6 - 30% weekly distance at 'race' pace.
day 7 - rest
One of my favorites - "You don't get fit exercising, you get get fit recovering from exercise."
Hopefully this is enough to get you started - there is a lot of information out there, some will not agree with what I believe. We are all different, sift though it and work out whats right for you. If what you doing does not work, or stops working, no matter who says it, change something.
answered 13 hours ago
mattnz
23.1k13173
Most important - Well done in loosing weight, what you experiencing is very normal, don't let it put you off.
A word of warning - despite the common perceptions, most people do not loose weight exercising. Their appetite increases to compensate for the the increased calorie demands, this could be whats happening to you.
Personally I think focusing on weight is at the expense of overall health and well being detracts from the progress most people make and demoralizes them needlessly. Take the weight loss as a part of the equation, but focus more on your fitness and progress. When you started, how far and fast, how often were you riding, how does that compare to now? Are you happier now? Focus on the wins.
Exercise builds muscle, which is heavier (and healthier) than fat - if the weight loss has leveled out because you are building muscle, keep doing what your doing. It may be too late, but measurement is a better guide to progress than weight - did you measure yourself before starting? If not, are your cloths looser, are they still getting looser? Are you feeling less flabby?
To continue to make progress you may need to mix it up a bit. Adding resistance exercises would help - I am a fan of body weight exercises - pushups, pull ups, squats, burpees etc will balance out the cycling. No need for expensive gym memberships and machines, the only thing most people are missing at home is a pullups bar.
As far as cycling, you can also mix it up - instead of training all the time at once pace, you need to have sessions of slow, long distance and sessions that are short, high effort. Also look at doing sprints after a good warmup, - 30seconds at absolute maximum effort, 30-60 seconds to recover, repeat 5 -10 times then cool down. Do these in a short session (if you do this properly, it will be short)
A good guide will be 3 - 4 sessions a week, one will be half you weekly distance at a steady, comfortable pace. One will be short and fast.
Have a look on the internet for suggest training program - they will look something like this
Day 1 - 50% of weekly distance at slow steady pace
Day 2 - rest
Day 3 - 20% weekly distance at max effort.
day 4 - rest
day 5 - rest
day 6 - 30% weekly distance at 'race' pace.
day 7 - rest
One of my favorites - "You don't get fit exercising, you get get fit recovering from exercise."
Hopefully this is enough to get you started - there is a lot of information out there, some will not agree with what I believe. We are all different, sift though it and work out whats right for you. If what you doing does not work, or stops working, no matter who says it, change something.
answered 13 hours ago
mattnz
23.1k13173
answered 13 hours ago
mattnz
23.1k13173
answered 13 hours ago
mattnz
23.1k13173
answered 13 hours ago
mattnz
23.1k13173
23.1k13173
2
+1 for adding some exercise apart from cycling since it's a repetitious movement with little variation. A few pull-ups, push-ups, squats and deadlifts (unfortunately you need a barbell and quite some weight for those) go a long way to balance it. Strength training is also great fun, especially in the winter when the weather is bad.
– Michael
12 hours ago
add a comment |Â
2
+1 for adding some exercise apart from cycling since it's a repetitious movement with little variation. A few pull-ups, push-ups, squats and deadlifts (unfortunately you need a barbell and quite some weight for those) go a long way to balance it. Strength training is also great fun, especially in the winter when the weather is bad.
– Michael
12 hours ago
2
2
+1 for adding some exercise apart from cycling since it's a repetitious movement with little variation. A few pull-ups, push-ups, squats and deadlifts (unfortunately you need a barbell and quite some weight for those) go a long way to balance it. Strength training is also great fun, especially in the winter when the weather is bad.
– Michael
12 hours ago
+1 for adding some exercise apart from cycling since it's a repetitious movement with little variation. A few pull-ups, push-ups, squats and deadlifts (unfortunately you need a barbell and quite some weight for those) go a long way to balance it. Strength training is also great fun, especially in the winter when the weather is bad.
– Michael
12 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
In the end it's all about calories in vs calories out. Cycling longer or at higher intensity will both increase the amount of calories you burn. However, the most important factor is what suits you best.
If you enjoy 4h rides, do them. If you enjoy going up a hill/mountain for half an hour as fast a possible, do it.
You could get a power meter if you want real numbers on how much energy expenditure you have on each ride. I think this only makes sense if you are closely monitoring calories though.
answered 13 hours ago
Michael
2,183512
1
I too used to thing it was calories in vs calories out. Its also not about grog going harder for longer. It's just not that simple.
– mattnz
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
In the end it's all about calories in vs calories out. Cycling longer or at higher intensity will both increase the amount of calories you burn. However, the most important factor is what suits you best.
If you enjoy 4h rides, do them. If you enjoy going up a hill/mountain for half an hour as fast a possible, do it.
You could get a power meter if you want real numbers on how much energy expenditure you have on each ride. I think this only makes sense if you are closely monitoring calories though.
answered 13 hours ago
Michael
2,183512
1
I too used to thing it was calories in vs calories out. Its also not about grog going harder for longer. It's just not that simple.
– mattnz
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
In the end it's all about calories in vs calories out. Cycling longer or at higher intensity will both increase the amount of calories you burn. However, the most important factor is what suits you best.
If you enjoy 4h rides, do them. If you enjoy going up a hill/mountain for half an hour as fast a possible, do it.
You could get a power meter if you want real numbers on how much energy expenditure you have on each ride. I think this only makes sense if you are closely monitoring calories though.
answered 13 hours ago
Michael
2,183512
In the end it's all about calories in vs calories out. Cycling longer or at higher intensity will both increase the amount of calories you burn. However, the most important factor is what suits you best.
If you enjoy 4h rides, do them. If you enjoy going up a hill/mountain for half an hour as fast a possible, do it.
You could get a power meter if you want real numbers on how much energy expenditure you have on each ride. I think this only makes sense if you are closely monitoring calories though.
answered 13 hours ago
Michael
2,183512
answered 13 hours ago
Michael
2,183512
answered 13 hours ago
Michael
2,183512
answered 13 hours ago
Michael
2,183512
2,183512
1
I too used to thing it was calories in vs calories out. Its also not about grog going harder for longer. It's just not that simple.
– mattnz
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
1
I too used to thing it was calories in vs calories out. Its also not about grog going harder for longer. It's just not that simple.
– mattnz
1 hour ago
1
1
I too used to thing it was calories in vs calories out. Its also not about grog going harder for longer. It's just not that simple.
– mattnz
1 hour ago
I too used to thing it was calories in vs calories out. Its also not about grog going harder for longer. It's just not that simple.
– mattnz
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Skip a meal once or twice a week. With consistent exercise, skipping a meal is a quick way to make your body use fat reserves. I'm not a doctor or dietician, but I've found this to be an extremely effective way to lose weight once I've gotten into a good exercise routine.
Also, check your respiration. You're doing well, but you may be just relying on muscle at this point. One technique I used was to increase my breathing rate and then increase my power output to a rate that I can sustain with the higher breathing rate. Of course, you must avoid hyperventilating, but if you do start breathing at a consistently faster rate, you'll be able to pedal harder and burn more. And, obviously, use your gears to match your increased power output.
answered 6 hours ago
Kylos
1113
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Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Welcome to the site! I haven't tried this but read some good stuff, believe it's known as 'intermittent fasting'
– Swifty
5 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Skip a meal once or twice a week. With consistent exercise, skipping a meal is a quick way to make your body use fat reserves. I'm not a doctor or dietician, but I've found this to be an extremely effective way to lose weight once I've gotten into a good exercise routine.
Also, check your respiration. You're doing well, but you may be just relying on muscle at this point. One technique I used was to increase my breathing rate and then increase my power output to a rate that I can sustain with the higher breathing rate. Of course, you must avoid hyperventilating, but if you do start breathing at a consistently faster rate, you'll be able to pedal harder and burn more. And, obviously, use your gears to match your increased power output.
answered 6 hours ago
Kylos
1113
New contributor
Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Welcome to the site! I haven't tried this but read some good stuff, believe it's known as 'intermittent fasting'
– Swifty
5 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
Skip a meal once or twice a week. With consistent exercise, skipping a meal is a quick way to make your body use fat reserves. I'm not a doctor or dietician, but I've found this to be an extremely effective way to lose weight once I've gotten into a good exercise routine.
Also, check your respiration. You're doing well, but you may be just relying on muscle at this point. One technique I used was to increase my breathing rate and then increase my power output to a rate that I can sustain with the higher breathing rate. Of course, you must avoid hyperventilating, but if you do start breathing at a consistently faster rate, you'll be able to pedal harder and burn more. And, obviously, use your gears to match your increased power output.
answered 6 hours ago
Kylos
1113
New contributor
Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Skip a meal once or twice a week. With consistent exercise, skipping a meal is a quick way to make your body use fat reserves. I'm not a doctor or dietician, but I've found this to be an extremely effective way to lose weight once I've gotten into a good exercise routine.
Also, check your respiration. You're doing well, but you may be just relying on muscle at this point. One technique I used was to increase my breathing rate and then increase my power output to a rate that I can sustain with the higher breathing rate. Of course, you must avoid hyperventilating, but if you do start breathing at a consistently faster rate, you'll be able to pedal harder and burn more. And, obviously, use your gears to match your increased power output.
answered 6 hours ago
Kylos
1113
New contributor
Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 5 hours ago
answered 6 hours ago
Kylos
1113
New contributor
Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 6 hours ago
Kylos
1113
answered 6 hours ago
Kylos
1113
1113
New contributor
Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Kylos is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Welcome to the site! I haven't tried this but read some good stuff, believe it's known as 'intermittent fasting'
– Swifty
5 hours ago
add a comment |Â
1
Welcome to the site! I haven't tried this but read some good stuff, believe it's known as 'intermittent fasting'
– Swifty
5 hours ago
1
1
Welcome to the site! I haven't tried this but read some good stuff, believe it's known as 'intermittent fasting'
– Swifty
5 hours ago
Welcome to the site! I haven't tried this but read some good stuff, believe it's known as 'intermittent fasting'
– Swifty
5 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I found that getting more rides in (by bike commuting instead of bus+walk) made me lose quite a bit of weight even though it meant I spent less time in the gym. I wasn't weighing myself but it was visible to others. That may be an option for you.
Another approach is a goal, and not a weight-based one. If you're currently doing up to about 100Â km/week, why not try to find an event of 100Â km or a little more in one go, a couple of months away? Try to get a couple of long training rides in before that.
I find that I can out-ride my appetite, and I need lots of feeding on long rides. Last year I went from doing a similar weekly distance to you, plus occasional rides up to about 60Â km, to riding 200Â km rides. The first few of those lost me around 1Â kg each based on weighing myself a week before and a week after each ride, (fully recovered); overall the trend held for several rides. I've since become more efficient or eat more on the rides, and there's no permanent drop from a single ride, which is just as well or I'd be wasting away. That indicates that it's possible to plateau again.
I don't know what your climate is like or even which hemisphere you're in, but if winter is approaching, keeping riding is important, and dressing for the conditions tricky. The chances are you will burn some extra energy keeping warm if you're not overdressed for the uphills - winter riding canbe quite fatiguing. It's also easy to get dehydrated if you push yourself too hard in the cold so be careful.
Summarising in a way that answers the new title: More or longer rides, rather than trying to go faster.
answered 6 hours ago
Chris H
20.6k13193
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I found that getting more rides in (by bike commuting instead of bus+walk) made me lose quite a bit of weight even though it meant I spent less time in the gym. I wasn't weighing myself but it was visible to others. That may be an option for you.
Another approach is a goal, and not a weight-based one. If you're currently doing up to about 100Â km/week, why not try to find an event of 100Â km or a little more in one go, a couple of months away? Try to get a couple of long training rides in before that.
I find that I can out-ride my appetite, and I need lots of feeding on long rides. Last year I went from doing a similar weekly distance to you, plus occasional rides up to about 60Â km, to riding 200Â km rides. The first few of those lost me around 1Â kg each based on weighing myself a week before and a week after each ride, (fully recovered); overall the trend held for several rides. I've since become more efficient or eat more on the rides, and there's no permanent drop from a single ride, which is just as well or I'd be wasting away. That indicates that it's possible to plateau again.
I don't know what your climate is like or even which hemisphere you're in, but if winter is approaching, keeping riding is important, and dressing for the conditions tricky. The chances are you will burn some extra energy keeping warm if you're not overdressed for the uphills - winter riding canbe quite fatiguing. It's also easy to get dehydrated if you push yourself too hard in the cold so be careful.
Summarising in a way that answers the new title: More or longer rides, rather than trying to go faster.
answered 6 hours ago
Chris H
20.6k13193
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
I found that getting more rides in (by bike commuting instead of bus+walk) made me lose quite a bit of weight even though it meant I spent less time in the gym. I wasn't weighing myself but it was visible to others. That may be an option for you.
Another approach is a goal, and not a weight-based one. If you're currently doing up to about 100Â km/week, why not try to find an event of 100Â km or a little more in one go, a couple of months away? Try to get a couple of long training rides in before that.
I find that I can out-ride my appetite, and I need lots of feeding on long rides. Last year I went from doing a similar weekly distance to you, plus occasional rides up to about 60Â km, to riding 200Â km rides. The first few of those lost me around 1Â kg each based on weighing myself a week before and a week after each ride, (fully recovered); overall the trend held for several rides. I've since become more efficient or eat more on the rides, and there's no permanent drop from a single ride, which is just as well or I'd be wasting away. That indicates that it's possible to plateau again.
I don't know what your climate is like or even which hemisphere you're in, but if winter is approaching, keeping riding is important, and dressing for the conditions tricky. The chances are you will burn some extra energy keeping warm if you're not overdressed for the uphills - winter riding canbe quite fatiguing. It's also easy to get dehydrated if you push yourself too hard in the cold so be careful.
Summarising in a way that answers the new title: More or longer rides, rather than trying to go faster.
answered 6 hours ago
Chris H
20.6k13193
I found that getting more rides in (by bike commuting instead of bus+walk) made me lose quite a bit of weight even though it meant I spent less time in the gym. I wasn't weighing myself but it was visible to others. That may be an option for you.
Another approach is a goal, and not a weight-based one. If you're currently doing up to about 100Â km/week, why not try to find an event of 100Â km or a little more in one go, a couple of months away? Try to get a couple of long training rides in before that.
I find that I can out-ride my appetite, and I need lots of feeding on long rides. Last year I went from doing a similar weekly distance to you, plus occasional rides up to about 60Â km, to riding 200Â km rides. The first few of those lost me around 1Â kg each based on weighing myself a week before and a week after each ride, (fully recovered); overall the trend held for several rides. I've since become more efficient or eat more on the rides, and there's no permanent drop from a single ride, which is just as well or I'd be wasting away. That indicates that it's possible to plateau again.
I don't know what your climate is like or even which hemisphere you're in, but if winter is approaching, keeping riding is important, and dressing for the conditions tricky. The chances are you will burn some extra energy keeping warm if you're not overdressed for the uphills - winter riding canbe quite fatiguing. It's also easy to get dehydrated if you push yourself too hard in the cold so be careful.
Summarising in a way that answers the new title: More or longer rides, rather than trying to go faster.
answered 6 hours ago
Chris H
20.6k13193
edited 14 mins ago
answered 6 hours ago
Chris H
20.6k13193
answered 6 hours ago
Chris H
20.6k13193
answered 6 hours ago
Chris H
20.6k13193
20.6k13193
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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Mubb is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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1
One word for this is "plateau" - as in "I've hit a plateau in my progress"
– Criggie
9 hours ago
5
AFAIK exercise is absolutely awesome for health and strength and a whole range of other stuff - but it sucks for weight loss. Our bodies are ridiculously effective and even the hardest of workouts consume just a few hundred calories. Easily replaced by a single hamburger. Most energy in our body is used simply for staying alive and you can't really influence it in any way. So if you want to lose weight, the only realistic option is to reduce your calorie intake. Eat less, there's no way around it. (But also take care to make the diet balanced or you'll run into other problems)
– Vilx-
9 hours ago
1
Weight lose is 90% diet, I got very good results from avoiding all suger (both natural and added) along with reducing carbs.
– Ian
8 hours ago
2
@Vilx- To say the hardest workouts only consume a few hundred calories is nonsense. It is very easy to burn 1000's on a single bike ride. I burned 4600kcal in a single ride in the Italian Alps last month, and I only weigh 60kg - a heavier rider would have burnt significantly more.
– Andy P
7 hours ago
1
@Vilx- Power meter. I took several cafe stops, so was able to recover and refuel before each of the major climbs. 4600kcal is not an unusual amount, during grand tours professional riders burn up to 7000kcal daily
– Andy P
5 hours ago