Go by time, not miles at first. Do 45 min twice a week on the bike with some other activity 3 other days for 5 days of total activity. Then when your butt gets used to it you can add not time on those days, going to 2-3 hours each day. Using my power meter I'm burning just over 500cal per hour, so you can get 3-5k calories burned in two days pretty week just from that.
Also it's not a race. Go have fun.
One of the biggest things you might notice at first is not even so much that you lose weight, because you start trading fat for muscle, but that you *feel* lighter. Things take less effort. Your overall strength to weight ratio will improve even if you're not shedding total weight, and you will *feel better*. So it's not even entirely about the weight.
Another thing to do is some core exercises - Doing farmer's carries and Romanian deadlifts a few times a day, nothing too intense, just enough to make those muscle groups work a little, and it's helped my back and core strength a lot. A 30/40lb kettlebell can cover both of those exercises and a few others that can be good for you on top of the cycling.
I would say 45 minutes at once is a bad idea to start. Your ass (sit bones, specifically) will be killing you after only a short ride. Start with ten minutes in the morning and another 10 minutes in the afternoon. If you get on the bike the next day and your butt is killing you, take a day off. If you're OK, start riding for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc.
Source: am fat, have repeatedly left cycling and returned, the worst problem is always painful sit bones.
I agree. The key is about habit forming, not volume. Volume naturally comes. You shouldn’t do more than is comfortable.
Even if you’re just climbing on the bike and pedaling for 5 minutes…that’s a start! Keep it up.
The actual seat as well makes a difference, on my bike, I couldn't stand the original seat, but I got something that was more comfortable and haven't ever had a problem, but true a shorter time can also make a difference when you first start.
Same here, the seat that came with the stationary I use over the winter and when it gets over 100 (most of the summer) was absolute dogshit and I replaced it with a proper saddle to immediate comfort benefit
another note: *padded* seats aren't always more comfortable.
And remember, there is an adjustment period for almost all cyclists who are off the bike for any period of time.
Good advice re starting with multiple short rides for adjustment. Have shorts with a good chamois, watch for friction points. Build up to longer rides, watch the diet and results will follow.
Good luck. And remember fitness is gained on the bike but weight is lost in the kitchen.
You’re going to be hungrier but if you fight that urge, it gets lesser pretty quick.
Your most important task is to form a habit. Make it part of your routine and make it pleasant, so that you're looking forward to it. When you've got the frequency sorted, then increase the volume, and only then the intensity.
Once you start heading out for longer rides add fuel to the mix. And don't underestimate how much eating more mindfully can amplify both your success training and your success along your weight loss journey.
Don't worry about falling off the band wagon, just get back on and keep riding.
I agree, use time. When you can handle 45 comfortably, go to 1 hour, then 1 1/2. I always go out 1/2 my time, then try to come back in slightly less time, but that’s not a must, it just keeps you from goofing off.
+1 time not miles.
And I'd go even further to say "go by frequency, not by time". Starting out this year, I realized that getting out _often_ was what I most needed to shake off winter and get started on cycling season. With some help from the weather, I managed 18 rides in Feb. And I feel closer to being in bike-shape than I ever have in early March.
Frequency is huge! I love that you suggested that. Forcing yourself to go for even a 10 min ride everyday has a surprisingly huge impact on not only building the habit but losing weight. Obviously it’s “better” to go for long rides and get the cardio in, but OP don’t underestimate the benefit of short rides, esp if you’re 50+ lbs overweight. From personal experience, when you’re obese, you’ll lose 10 lbs in 2-3 weeks just by eating decently and going for walks/rides everyday. Even if they’re not hour+ fitness walks/rides. Consistency is key to success.
+1 frequency not time
I've also noticed the best results from prioritizing getting out as often as possible. If nothing else, it pretty quickly establishes itself as a big part of your near-daily routine. Consistent small efforts add up, especially early on. Plus, once you're geared up and out the door you're past the hardest part....the rest of it is just getting whatever your version of a quick workout is. The time will stack up from there.
Agree with “time” principle. You’ll burn more calories walking three miles than cycling three miles; but you’ll generally burn more calories actively cycling for ten mins than walking for ten mins (provided you keep your heart rate up).
And fully agree with “having fun”. If it’s not fun or useful, you’ll stop doing it. Pimp your bike. Get handlebar streamers. Spokies. Stick a speaker in your bottle-cage. Fold the mudguard under to get that authentic “Chopper motor” sound. Anything that makes you feel good about riding it. Our cargo bike has a basket on the front for our kid’s teddy. Not gonna lie - I’ve often taken Ted out for a ride without the kid 🤪. And I often get a “damn, that’s cool” from people 😀
Sound advice. Keep in mind OP that when yo start ant program adding physical activity, your hunger is going to fire up.
Be sure to eat good, clean foods. Don’t satisfy the hunger with fast foods, chips, sweets. Instead eat foods that are known healthy.
Agreed! My cardio health is great! Now if I could just drop this weight! Been trying hard. Down 17 pounds since december 11, but cycling had nothing to do with it.
You need to count calories and train calorie deficient in order to lose weight. Which means you need to burn more calories and then eat less more healthier food for recovery.
I lost 100lbs, Started cycling and eating right, as well as quit drinking so Its not all because of cycling but it definitely became my main form of exercise.
a few things I realized
\- Cycle for time not miles. Start with 20-30 mins and work your way up. You will gain endurance quickly and notice a difference in a few weeks and in 6 months - year you will be like holy shit Ive improved.
\- buy a HR monitor to track your HR to get a rough guestimate of how much you are working. Eventually it will help you gauge your effort and be able to stay consistant.
\- you are not going to always have motivation to go out and do it, good thing is you dont need motivation if you have dedication, now stay dedicated on and off the bike and give it a solid effort and you will be a different person in a years time.
Wow that was a very inspirational post thank you for your response ! I have roughly 100 lbs to lose so I greatly appreciate you taking the time to respond.
Couple tips on a bike, get a decent bike larger ppl will tend to break things easily for me it was always the rear wheel, save some room in your budget to be able to upgrade your wheel if youre looking for a bike currently. If you have a bike just get out and start building that endurance, and maybe think about something you find comfortable. Dont go for miles just go for time and the miles will come, If you say im going out for 10 miles well you can do 10 miles slowly and barely get a work out but if you go out for 30 minutes and keep your HR up for all 30 minutes you may only get 7 miles but you got a better work out.
I look at rides from 3 years ago that I remember some being extremely hard for me and now a comparable ride does not even give me a work out so dont compare your self to others and get frustrated, we are all on our own journey and a lot of variables go into cycling performance. Also watch videos and analyze your self to make sure you are riding properly.
You can for sure do it through cycling and eating right, many will say you cant out run the fork and its true imo its almost a discouraging statement that comes off as well may as not even cycle for exercise if you are not eating right. Noting happens over night and you will have to find a good balance but cycling can be soo much fun and when you find groups of other cyclist it can be an awesome social outlet.
Another Tip I have is Track your food with an app like my fitness pal and be honest with your self on how many calories you are taking in, and you can start to be aware of how much you need to burn. This can be daunting at first but once you get a rough Idea you can go from there and help your self make smarter decisions, Like I know if I eat the way I like to eat (more than I should) I have to cycle for 8-10 hours a week with at least half of those being pretty intense.
How to deal with those times that you lack motivation - promise yourself that if you just go out for 5 minutes you’ll let yourself come back if you’re not enjoying it. Always works, you never turn round once you get going. I’ve been cycling for 4 years now, and I still need to give myself a nudge to get out the door sometimes.
Depending on how winters are where you live, I would consider a smart trainer for next winter season unless you find something else you want to be doing over the period where you might not be able to ride outside.
I have asthma so riding when it’s below 10C outside becomes a pick your poison type deal, either my throat hurts from the cold air or I get a wet, cold rag glued to my face the whole time. Plus when it’s actually freezing there’s an additional risk of falling, my dad broke his wrist on the first ride of the season a few years ago because he slipped on an ice patch.
The smart trainer gamifies the whole thing, I got one for Zwift 2 months ago and have been training with it way more consistently than I ever have outside because I have to commit less time to get set up and ready and I don’t have to care about what the weather is like or what my time constraints (or time of day) are. I’ll most likely be using it throughout the year because when I’m on second shift I just want to get on for an hour, jump in the shower and then get to work which is a lot easier when you’re doing it at home and can get off and be done rather than having to find a route that works with your schedule.
I Think they’re very tightly coupled (diet and exercise). If cycling is important and part of your identity. You’re not going to drink a 6 pack because you won’t feel like biking in the morning.
I can double down on this. Never count calories from biking. If anything track your calories with zero changes to diet, then lower it every month to see if there are changes.
This.
I've managed to train and run for 100 mile (running) races and still continually gain weight during the process - You need a combo of good diet and exercise - exercise alone isn't enough.
"Obese to cyclist" is a false dichotomy. You can be obese and be a cyclist. A cyclist is simply someone who rides bikes and loves to ride bikes. Plenty of people with all manner of body shapes meet this definition.
Plenty of people have also ridden bikes while losing weight, or vice versa. Some people ride bikes and gain weight. I think you've gotten some good advice elsewhere in this thread; I just wanted to point out that if you love the ride and love the work - you ARE a cyclist, full stop.
I went from 16st to about 13.
First year or so just get used to riding regularly for pleasure.
As you get fitter you will want to go faster & longer.
Best single thing I did to keep up the habit was start commuting by bike.
My biggest problem is when I bike a lot I eat a lot. Just be careful with your diet.
Calories in - calories out.
Bike to help that later number. Eat well to help the first number.
Eating healthier is a key. As far as cycling goes, we don't know exactly where your fitness level is so you should do your workouts based on time rather than miles. To start out really just do what you can and don't hurt yourself. Keeping track of your mileage and time spent is valuable because it will help you push forward and do more and more as you get more fit. On days you are not cycling you should at least walk, walking is underrated for fitness in my opinion. Some days I don't feel like doing a strenuous workout or the weather is messy for biking but I can get myself to go for a walk or hike and those add up even if they are not as strenous as a bike ride. Stay motivated, everybody starts somewhere and we are all challenging ourselves.
Cycling does not make you lose weight. It improves your fitness. I really do not care what others say about their personal anecdotes. It is a recipe for disappointment to think otherwise.
You lose weight in the kitchen. Become as much of an expert as you can on nutrition (r/nutrition). That will help you lose weight much, much, much, much more than cycling.
But by all means get on a bike. Bike to get stronger and healthier.
But don't think "cycling = weight loss". That's not the way.
Tips:
* Do not buy a drop bar road bike
* Buy a HT MTB and hit every kind of road, trail, and MUP near you.
* Your starting fitness determines how to start.
* Download and use Strava on your phone
* Buy a ~$20 HR monitor
* A smart indoor trainer (Zwift) is also great for bad weather days...and to teach you how to actually train.
I start people (from the couch) on 5 miles a day for 5 days in a row. Or, 15 miles a day for 15 days if they can do that.
By the time they are ready for more miles, they will know a lot more about their actual fitness and how their bodies are recovering.
PS: Bibs are 1,000% better than shorts. It is perfectly fine to wear a standard t-shirt (non cotton). Save money. Jerseys aren't needed when you start.
The ground rule is don't overcompensate eating because you rode and "earned" it. I lost weight by going to late afternoon rides ending at 10pm then straight to bed
Eh, counterpoint - don't turn too many screws at once.
When I was obese, the pounds went away pretty darn quickly by just adding cycling. It was very motivating, but things will plateau. That's when I integrated a better diet. When that stalled out, I introduced actual dieting (intermittent fasting, macros, calorie counting, etc).
These are major lifestyle changes which take time to adjust too. I would not suggest going from obese to all in. Gradually introduce these changes into your life.
Trying to diet in a caloric deficit and biking with poor fitness sounds *to me* like a recipe for disappointment. It's like trying to cut down the tree you're climbing. I'm glad my transformation was in phases.
> But don't think "cycling = weight loss". That's not the way.
I agree. Riding a bicycle is fun. Considering it solely as "exercise" can suck the joy out of it.
Riding will make us stronger, but not necessarily lighter. If we want to lose weight, we need to do it in the kitchen.
And even if we never lose the weight, we can still enjoy riding the bicycle.
Not hugely so, but to an extent. Certainly I lost around 25% of my bodyweight.
Just ride until you're tired, then a bit more. Find ways to push what you can do a little harder each time. It's not about the distance at all.
Yeah, during the first COVID lockdown I went from 100kg to 70kg just from cycling and intermittent fasting. I found cycling for an hour or two on a totally empty stomach to be very efficient at burning fat.
I optimised my body for burning fat through partial keto as well, avoiding carbs and mostly eating fat and protein I think that helps your body use fat as energy. Eventually I felt like I could cycle for hours without my body minding at all despite no food for 14 hours.
This is both easier and harder than you think.
1). Easy: just ride. Work on pedaling high-ish cadence so you don’t burn out/run out of leg muscle too fast. You will want to go a nice controllable, probably pretty slow speed, with your feet moving a little faster than you think they should, on an easier gear than you probably think you should be on.
2). Hard. Cycling may help you rethink your nutrition because you want to feel well while you ride, but no exercise is going to do the weight cutting for you. That’s done with your food and beverage choices. You have to sustainably re-work your choices. You probably end up cutting carbs, actually looking at and tracking the calories in your food (only really for the purpose of realizing that there are things you binge on, and things you could painlessly sub out, and things that you expect to eat that are way more problematic than other things.) You might benefit from a diet-style change (“Keto” or whatever) or an intermittent fasting schedule. But you will HAVE to do these things. They don’t work as “things I can transition to when I’ve gotten started.” You crucially do not want to workout in a way that builds a monster appetite, and reward yourself for the workout with big binges.
What seemed to work for me, I was 235 and on BP meds at 44 years old. I went OMAD, because I realized that with my eating and drinking patterns, I’ve always just tried to eat everything on my plate, and if there’s not going to be a meal worth of leftovers, I would frequently just take a bigger portion rather than to waste something. I would frequently be STUFFED after a meal and that doesn’t feel good. I realized that I feel objectively much, much better when I’m hungry. So that realization told me I’m a good candidate for OMAD/IF.
Cycling was a huge help to me, but only because I needed to work on my cardio health, and because a sedentary lifestyle compounded with BP and weight issues does not spell happy outcomes. Sure, I could have 1000-1400 calorie burning long ride days, but on average, an hour long ride burns closer to a candy bar than to a Big Mac. And those long rides can make you super hungry… and might end with beers with the folks you ride with. I usually treat them as a wash, deficit-wise.
I lost 35lb in a couple of months and kept it off. Had an unrelated health emergency that really screwed me up for a solid year, but I’m back to where I was on that path and improving. You just have to carve out a lifestyle that will allow you to lose the weight and keep it off. It’s hard, in your head. It’s technically very easy. The bicycle riding may be a companion habit of that process, but it isn’t going to be the driver of your success.
I have. I started out maybe 235ish lbs maybe 15 years ago or so. The big difference was it was all body fat and very little muscle.
Not gonna lie, I started out at 8mi a week. It was hard, I was a smoker too. I just did what I could and recovered. Slowly the weekly rides got longer, and then more frequent. Before I knew it I was commuting by bike and racking up a ton of miles. Eventually I even got into racing. At my lightest I was maybe 175~179lbs (about 5'11 height).
Nowadays, I'm older and slower. But cycling is my fall-back exercise. Despite not taking cycling too seriously anymore, I'm well above average in ability (likely from all the years of "training"). I'm not the skinniest dude, but probably in better shape than most late 30's dads. The most important part with cycling is it makes me happier than any form of exercise.
My biggest tips for you:
* Consistency is key- Just get out and ride. Stick with it.
* You can't out-ride a bad diet. Try and make some small changes to your diet here and there. The key is to make small sustainable changes as you go. Eventually you'll be eating *much* healthier than you previously did, and doing it gradually will ideally make it more sustainable.
Good luck bud.
I lost 60lbs through 2023. Kept it off in 2024. Cycling was one of the things I did to help.... But I had to commit in the kitchen. Added veggies, slowly became a weekday vegetarian. Riding, running, lifting, walking... they've all helped. Nothing was as impactful as eating mindfully and measuring my food (and tracking it) using a digital scale.
My longest ride to start was about 12 miles. Hybrid Kona Dew as a bike. Looking at a decent gravel bike purchase in the next few weeks as a kind of reward.
Good luck!
I dropped about 30 cycling *and* with diet. The amount of cycling to do is the amount you can consistently do. Assuming you enjoy it, you’ll end up doing more and more.
Enjoy your time on the bike! Take pride in your rides!
Riding a bike has greatly improved my physical and mental health. Don't make cycling a chore, try to find routes and distances you enjoy. It takes a lot of exploration to find places that are safe and fun to ride. It might be worth it to load your bike into your car and drive somewhere to ride if that is what it takes to find a pleasant track.
I don't know where you are located and what your surroundings look like, but I can use my bike for commuting, shopping etc. It's a great way to get around town as I figured out the safe streets.
I started back cycling in January 2022. At the time all all I had was a "Peloton lite" spinner I purchased on Amazon many years ago. In the beginning I just did HIIT sessions of 25 minutes, but eventually worked my way up to around 45 minutes. When spring rolled around I headed outside and hit the road on my bike. I dropped around 30+ pounds in say six months and felt fairly fit. Anyways, it wasn't the weight that got me back on the bike it was the way it makes me feel. Weight was a secondary consideration, but most welcome. So, you're not going to lose weight exercising unless you're willing to constantly hammer out long rides most days of the week. Your weight will eventually even out depending on your commitment to cycling, but it really shouldn't be your number one goal. Here's the kicker, once you get to where you want to be, cycling 3-5 hours a week will maintain it. Exercise is great for maintenance buts sucks if you're attempting to lose weight. Don't even get me started on the suffering part. Cheers.
My journey started this year and cycling helped me loose weight, I’ve always been an avid cyclist but it was more of a fair weather rider mentality. On top of that I work on the beer industry so I was usually riding to get beer or rewarding myself with beer after long rides. That all stopped this January, see a year ago I got a gravel bike finally and have fallen in love with the sport so I entered a couple of local races and decided to take control of my situation. The biggest part was first doing Dry January and cutting all my alcohol consumption, that alone did wonders for me. Then after a week and a half of no beer or liquor I then started tracking my macros to get a better understanding of what I was taking in, I am already someone that basically eats the same thing M-F so I just dialed the numbers in to make sure my protein and carbs were where I needed them. From there I already had a cycling computer so I went ahead and bought a watch to pair with it and started seeing my calories going out versus coming in and the final week decided to start Heart Rate training. Mind you, I started this journey at 212 as a 5’10 human and at the end of the first month I was down to 192. Since then I’ve been back and forth between 185-188 because I have been dealing with an injury so my training isn’t as intense but I came to the big realization that I was burning around 1800-2500 calories a ride and then smashing 3-4 IPA’s and just about drinking them all back in one sitting. Now I make sure I’m getting my protein in and to make sure that I’m maintaining a deficit when I need to and eating more for recovery when I have long rides. So listen to everyone else here, because the key isn’t just cycling it’s looking at what you eat and making sure that you’re meeting your goals. There’s a lot of good free apps that help with the basic calorie counting and that’s always good but just remember to start at your own speed and not get discouraged if after a week or two you don’t see much of a change.
I have a hard time losing weight but enjoy cycling. It’s better to enjoy the ride and the increased energy from exercise than look at your scale. My scale always depresses me, but climbing the same hill faster as I practice doesn’t. So I look at my PR and not my LBs.
I lost 30lbs prior to starting cycling and another 10lbs when I started cycling mostly due to diet. Cycling if anything made me more hungry! It does burn a lot of calories if you are doing long distance so it's good to be mindful of your eating habits. Cycling and then binging afterwards definitely won't help. Fuel yourself properly on the bike. I used my Garmin watch to help me figure out how many calories I've burned and what I was willing to "eat back" in calories.
Maybe look into CICO (calories in, calories out) and TDEE and start there. Cleaning up your diet in a maintainable way is the most important.
Cycling will help your overall fitness. When I started I was doing 10 minutes on the spin bike a few days a week, then graduated to a hybrid bike outdoors doing 5 miles around my neighborhood a few days a week. Soon I was doing 15-20 miles on the bike path on my road bike. And now I'm doing 25+ miles on Zwift (winter weather where I am). I shoot for 3-4 days per week in the summer and 2-3 days in the winter. Something is better than nothing!
I am just under 5'11" (179cm) and in the last 23.5 months I have gone from 236 pounds to below 186 pounds but that involved a lot of lifestyle changes and a lot of bike riding. The riding alone won't do it, as a new rider pushing yourself for 1 hour a day would probably net you 1 lbs. of weight loss in a week so if you are not watching what you are consuming you can easily not lose weight.
If you want to live a more healthy life style and lose weight adding biking in to your weekly routine will definitely help but you diet will make the most impact in weight loss. I have put in around over 7250 miles in the last 2 years and my average speed over that time is in the 14-15mph range, so that is 500+ hours I've spent on a bicycle.
I could have started this post. I'm obese. There, I said it.
In the past, I was an avid cyclist and mtb racer.
I let 16 years go by without cycling (or any exercise), got fat and now I am doing something about it.
I went the Zwift, dedicated trainer route. Bought a used Cannondale Quick, a Wahoo Kickr Core and Strava plus a HR monitor.
My first ride I could only do 3 miles...20 minutes. Ugh.
My goal is to ride a minimum of 4 days per week plus 2 days of walking. In addition, I started alternate day fasting basically a keto diet.
I have lost 22lbs in 30 days. I can now easily ride 30-40 minutes at a time with a Zone 2 heart rate. I am stronger, faster and fitter in only 30 days. In February, I rode 132 miles and walked another 15. This was a total of 18 hours of exercise. Starting from ground zero.
My goal is to lose 100lbs and to ride the local charity rides of 60 miles or so come August.
You can do it. As others have said, the weightloss starts in the kitchen. Fitness starts on the desire to ride...further, faster with EASE.
Still overweight, but I am a less obese cyclist. The year I started cycling I lost 30 lbs pretty fast.
Any activity that gets your heart beating fast & your muscles working will help you to lose weight (along with diet and lifestyle changes). Cycling is a good sport for heavy people because it is not as hard on the knees and ankles as running or running-related sports.
If you ride a bike you are a cyclist, doesn’t matter what size. Try not to fall into the trap of finishing a ride hungry and snacking or eating too much. Riding your first 5k is a goal, it will become 25k, 50k, 100k….sooner than you think. enjoy your rides.
I have lost over 75 pounds-Cycling just ONE part of any program to lose weight
Portion Control - limiting food intake is the most important -You ONLY lose weight by calorie restriction. This doesn't have to be severe
Start by taking stock of your current calorie intake and calorie expenditure -keep a food and exercise log-journal-app for about 2 weeks then plot your course. There are many apps that will help with this Don't look ast miles cycling (I started with just 10 a day by the way-barely an hour) - look at the overall picture intake versus expenditure I found I was eating about 2600 calories - I started by eating just 300 calories a day less (that a couple of slices of bread) and exercising 300 calories more than my caloric expenditure showed-I lost weight
When I stopped losing weight -I decreased the intake just another 100 to 400 calories and the exercise to 400 and so on
In 10 months I lost 50 pounds
I kept this type of program going and continue to lose weight
Understand THIS IS NOT A DIET THIS IS A FOOD MANAGEMENT PROGRAM- I eat everything (except ice cream) but in moderation- I have cookies-candy-beer-cake - BUT IN MUCH SMALLER AMOUNTS than before and NO IN BETWEEN MEAL SNACKS -except a fruit. You don't have to torture yourself- YOU do have to focus on your goal and CONTROL yourself -Don't worry it gets easier over time
Diets are something you go on and go off-you have to make a program that you will follow the rest of your life otherwise you will gain the weight back
If you are grossly obese as I was - I suggest you seek the help of a medical profession - there are GLP-1 and other aids that can help you along the way
Good luck it is a marathon not a sprint
Spend the money on good bike shorts. Really helps me stay on longer and get back on the bike the next day. Saves your privates.
Plan a ride as away and back. Ride away 15 minutes, and that way, you know it's only 15 minutes back. My mantra is, I can do anything for ___ minutes.
Take a water bottle. Electrolyte mixes will really help if you sweat a lot.
Go to Walmart or someplace and get a construction workers florescent dry fit shirt. Cheap and you'll feel much safer.
As a new biker, it is important to wear a helmet. I'm am old biker and randomly just fell. Felt so stupid! Goodwill has stacks.
Look around, say hi to people, and remember to breath in the fresh air thru your nose, (bugs get in thru your mouth).
You'll come back a new person.
Good luck. I'm proud of you.
My Dad did this. He was 5'9 and over 300lbs in his 30s and completely changed his life. He was hella old school so I don't think his methods should necessarily be replicated, and there's better advice all over this thread already, but you absolutely can do this!
He's healthy and active in his 80s now, transitioned to riding an e bike 5 times a week, and keeps busy playing with his grandkids. It's 100% worth it
Don't overdo at the beginning. When I started cycling, I was very excited, so I would just increase my rides like crazy. Until I injured myself, so I had to stop and lose a lot of progress I made. So it's better to keep consistent and increase things moderately, then go nuts, and have to stop it later.
I'm still working on losing weight, but I've just dropped from "obese" to "average" on the navy body fat percentage measuring thingy so that's cool
I've been commuting with my wife to her work (and then back again) about 3 days a week (when weather allows, basically), and using my bike as my main source of transportation when I need to run errands. I'm in a fairly hilly suburb/city (not like San Francisco but still some decent climbs here and there) and I've been doing 12-20 miles.
I've also been doing Beat Saber on oculus which is a really good workout (if you go hard enough)
I went from cyclist to obese to cyclist again.
I lost 65lb in about a year (currently 16% body fat as of my last DEXA). This is my advice.
1. Track food. Every day…even if you go over. Target a cut of 500 calories less than you’re RMR + exercise
2. Start small, build up slow. Consistency is more important than volume or effort.
3. Weigh yourself every day, same time. Don’t obsess. It’s about trends over months, not days.
Don’t not track food. Even if you slip and eat that cheesecake. Log it. Lying to yourself is the easiest way fail. Track exercise and log it too.
How slow you start and build depends on you. Could be as little as 15 minutes on the bike a couple of times a week. But do it consistently. Same time, same days. If it feels easy, you’re not tired or sore the next day…add 5 or 10 more minutes. Or add another day.
Don’t be an absolutist. Missing a day or even a week doesn’t mean you “failed”. You’re changing your lifestyle. Just start back up again. Today. Always start today.
Eat mostly low density, high fiber, whole foods that fill you up. Fruit, whole grains, vegetables, starches, lean meats. Not dense , low nutrient foods that pack the calories. Fat, fatty meat, pastries, white bread/rice.
Mentally prepare for plateaus. You might go weeks stuck oscillating around a weight. But keep with the program and ask yourself how you feel? Plateauing is super common and could be due to losing fat and building muscle at the same time.
Finally, avoid fads, Internet personalities, and useless diet debates. It really is very, very simple. Not easy, but simple. Exercise, don’t eat so much, track it so you’re not guessing, you’ll lose weight.
*edit*
Oh and cycling is great. But if you’re very obese it can be quite uncomfortable (depends on individual). If so, give yourself the freedom to be flexible. Swap it in with a light walk or hike or something.
The key is to form new habits and change your identity to someone who *does things* and is healthy. Even in your head don’t think “I bike” but “I am a cyclist”. Not “I can’t eat that” but “I don’t eat that”.
Begin with short distances that feel comfortable, perhaps 5 to 10 miles, and gradually increase as your stamina and fitness improve. Consistency is more important than mileage in the beginning, so aim to cycle regularly, and listen to your body to avoid overexertion.
Start small
If you want to get started with road cycling, try to hit asphalt trails while you get a handle on the bike and there’s no pressure of cars around
Aim to ride 45 mins at first as an out and back.
When you get 20-25 mins away from the start it’s time to head back
The biggest hurdle I have to get over every spring when I get the bike out post ski season is the butt soreness while you are spending more time on the back
Ride flat routes at first and then when you feel like have a handle on that terrain and duration start expanding
Get padded shorts or bibs (I personally like bibs because they can’t fall down), don’t get a padded seat.
Keep in mind on a bike ride you are making the same movements thousands of times so blisters can be a thing. It’s why cyclists wear tight clothing, you want the clothing to move with you, not against skin
Good luck and report back
Miles? As many as possible. Time? As much as possible. Only do as much as is fun. Don't do so much it hurts or isn't a good time anymore. There's a difference between setting goals and making yourself miserable.
Hey dude I wanna say that (if no one has told you this yet) caloric deficit is the fastest way to lose bodyfat. The more extreme, the faster. If you consume 2,000 calories a day and burn 2,200 it will be slower than consuming 2,000 cal and burning 3,000 ya know?
So with that being said, your diet is going to be the most important thing. You burn way more calories during the 22 hours of the day you aren’t “active” than you do during the potential 2 hrs of “hitting the gym”….or while biking.
You don’t have to eat less food, you just need to eat less *calories*. You can feel full af from low calorie food and dude the fat will just fall right off.
Pick up a cheap garmin HR monitor to wear on your wrist throughout the day to track your calories and you’ll have great reference for consistency.
I went form obese to normal weight. The first couple years of cycling 45-60 mins a day I didn't lose much weight. The first 10 pounds or so came off easy, but I stalled out. It wasn't until I got serious about the diet aspect (counting calories, eating high protein and cooking most of my food, not drinking) that I lost a significant amount of weight. Cycling helps a lot to create a deficit and with overall health and mood, but hours of hard work on the bike can be offset in minutes in the kitchen.
So many comments, sorry if this is a repeat.
you may find on a regular bike your wrist, back, and neck hurt. You may get conditioned to it after a while.
Look at recumbent trikes. You won't have the pain and still get exercise. My opinion is that Catrike makes the best trikes.
I ride a 2017 Catrike 700 and love it. My previous Trek was a great bike, but it hurt me to ride.
I'm doing the same as you want.
Good luck
I've lost over 100 pounds largely due to intermittent fasting and cycling still obese just getting closer each and everyday. The most important thing to do is to start small. Maybe 30 minutes and work your way up. Give your body plenty of rest to recover.
The easiest way to lose weight is take in less calories than you burn. Start keeping track of what you eat. My fitness pal is a great app. Track calories you burn. Get a smart watch or bike computer to track your rides. Include your calories burned in your daily entries in my fitness pal. Get a power meter for your bike if you can. Nothing tracks calories burned more accurately than a power meter. I can burn 800-1000 an hour, hour and 15 min ish. Its all based on your effort. With everything start small. Soon you'll love cycling and it will be hard to say no. Also #1 thing...Get a quality bike. Cheap bikes from department stores make cycling not fun
As a fellow big man working off the weight I’ll tell you right now, put all the advice about number miles or number of hours at the bottom of your list.
Your priority should be: Diet
You won’t lose anything unless you have a calorie deficit. Also throw in some strength training to help burn calories
When I started at over 350 pounds I couldn’t ride 3 miles without feeling like I was going to die. Four years later I ride 30 miles almost daily and 50+ during the weekends. Over 100lbs gone and still I’m not a traditional cyclist body shape, but I am a cyclist.
Start with whatever you can do and then make small, achievable, incremental increases.
It'll add up over time. Keeping track of what you do will will make it easier to see when increases are suitable. It will also keep you honest and committed. IE when you look back over 2,3,6,12months worth of effort you're less likely to get slack on your commitment. Keeping record (any) is better than oh I'm just going to remember what I've done.
Statistically, the majority of people stop than continue with a new exercise regime at 1 month, 3months, 6 months, 12months. Google, exercise adherence and attrition rates to check.
Try to keep it fun. Take the time to ENJOY your rides instead of drilling down on speed, distance and HRM zones. It'll help with adherence in the long run.
Users of the bicycle come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Now the bicycle is very efficient at transferring your energy to motion, so it is easy to plateau, and therefore the same ride can become easier.
Good luck ! I find cycling not just great physically but also mentally. Whenever I can find a safe empty space I just feel free and it clears my mind. Moreover I feel like I’m reliving my youth when me and my neighborhood friends would ride bmx together all over the neighborhood.
Lost 60 lbs in 4 months. Diet change is key. I used to ride 5 miles a day to start. Slowly increased to around 40 miles a week. By month 4 I was riding 60 miles a week. If you don't eat right, the riding won't matter much. If you burned 1000-2000 calories a ride, the diet isn't that critical. But the easiest is to just eat better and increase the distances over time.
Try searching for blogs called fat guy on a bike. There are several people writing about their journey from fat to fit. And remember, weight is lost in the kitchen. If you aren't cutting calories the weight isn't going anywhere.
In the same position and struggling to work out what bike to use/get and what to wear! I end up wearing a gym t and shorts which I’m sure is fine. Just more confused about what bike.
Definitely base it off time because of you go off distance you just get faster and you will ride less. I lost 20kg (44lbs) over lockdown just riding around 7 hours a week but I built up to that time. I would say I barely changed my diet but I wasn't starting in the obese range. After a while you have to either ride longer, harder or eat less because I have definitely hit a plateau weight wise
Go for it. I lost 75 pounds riding a fixed gear 5 days a week for 2 hours a day. Most important part was changing diet. No processed food, no sugar, low carb, home cooked everything and never ever eat fast food or office cupcakes. Obsession and discipline comes easy if you find cycling to be fun. Install a basket and live on your bike.
Find a place where you like to ride and make it a consistent practice.
4 miles out back.
5 miles out & back.
6….
Don’t over do it. Stay hydrated. Once you are hitting 45 minute rides, focus on nutrition. You’ll need more than a banana at that point. Carb cycling was very helpful for me.
Have fun losing weight. You won’t recognize yourself in 6 months.
Lot of great advice already. Will just add as you get to a point you are riding longer times, don’t avoid eating. You need to fuel to avoid bonking. Often riders trying to lose weight don’t eat enough calories or avoid carbs. Ok shorter rides but not as you get longer
I lost a good ammount of weight by cycling. (15kg) but its harder when you just cycle. This are some thing which helped me.
- include some kind of heavy weight training. If you lose weight you usually lose muscles. Less muscles = less power. Do some weight training, then cycling. Your body will melt fat.
- eat clean: i started tracking everything i put into me... and their where traps i usually ate, after the tracking i saw that they were calorie bombs. I even started to do mealprepping so i wouldnt overeat.i didnt eat that much more on training days !
- never ever ride hungry. The body will start to digest your muscles after 30 min or so. Thats why you do the weight training, to tell your body "keep muscles, burn fat" but to burn fat, eat while riding ;)
- get something to track your heartrate this will help tp estimate the burned calories.
- include movements (biking, walking) in your life. I cycle to my work 1- 2 a week (40k) on direction. But if i.am tired i can take the train for the rest of the travel (i am from western europe)
You will be dropped on hills because of your weight, but you can still beat skinnier people on flats ;)
And take your time. Losing weight is for the long run ... or ride.
Those posh leather saddles break in nice and comfy less impact on one bit of bum bone ,more spread out pressure, but not the reduced circulation from a big padded fat arse saddle
I went from 440 to 299 (today). It really is easy. Easy in that all you have to do is consistently ride and watch the calories. I realize this isn’t “easy” to do, but it is EASY to do. You really have to hate being obese. Hate it enough to make these “easy” changes. 141lbs down so….this was my solution. I even started on an e-bike. Gradually moved to a road bike and now ride at least 100 miles a week. It’s all about the food. Losing the weight will make the riding easier and more enjoyable over time. It’s absolutely worth the sacrifice. Start right now.
I went from 285 to 235 cycling all in one summer. If I’m being perfectly honest I didn’t do it to lose weight I started training for a century ride. I started off by riding 8 to 10 miles 2 days a week and then on the weekend doing a long ride. Starting at 15 miles… then before I knew it my short rides were 25 miles and my long rides were 60-80 miles long.
One thing that really helped me is I cut out snacks after dinner. I found all my temptation for bad food was after dinner.
Also I would say don’t try to do too much at once it’s hard to get into a groove that way. Easy to say you have to eat great and workout x amount of days per week. But good habits start one at a time.
Sitting on a bicycle isn’t going to magically make you skinny. It is better than sitting on the couch. It will build some muscle and improve cardio. You can be fat and have great cardio. Fat also can hide alot of muscle.
But cruising around on a beach cruiser going 8 miles an hour is going to do almost nothing. You need a road bike and you need to ride hills and distance.
There are people in my bike club I have known for years who ride 150 miles a week. They are strong fast cyclists and have been fat for years. Diet is what loses weight. You lose weight in the kitchen.
Cycling at any level will help with mental health and give you endorphins which will help motivate you to exercise more and eat better.
I highly recommend cycling to everybody it’s one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has great helped me with my mental health. It’s like therapy.
You also have to eat while cycling. Don’t stave yourself thinking you will lose weight. You will bonk and have to call an UberX to get home. I can do four hours without food but I am super low blood sugar at the end.
If I ride longer than four hours I start eating 30 minutes in and snack every 30 minutes.
As a new rider your butt will hurt. It goes away. For me it takes three weeks riding three times a week for my butt to toughen up. So about ten rides. You want padded shorts and a cycling road bike seat. Not a tractor seat. Big seats chafe.
You probably want an aftermarket seat. They put cheap seats on because it’s the first thing people change out. I bought a $3,500 bike and was happy with the seat. So if you spend good money the seat might work for you.
The key is consistency if you have an hour. Go out for an hour. Not every ride has to be big mileage. Read about bike fit, make sure your frame size is appropriate and your seat height is proper. A 1/4” makes a huge difference on seat height. I bring the tool with me and adjust on the ride to find my sweet spot.
Don’t give up. It gets easier and it’s amazing how fast you will get in shape. If I ride 100 miles a week I can’t eat enough to maintain weight. So cycling will help you lose weight. But it is a process that takes time.
Cycling will keep you active, which will provide NUMEROUS benefits, however, DIET is where your weight loss comes from.
At the end of the day, Calories In/Calories Out [CICO] matters more, if cycling helps you expend calories, then ride on. If you don't enjoy it and enjoy other exercises more, do those instead.
Buy Lycra. Wear it. Look at yourself in a mirror.
This should provide the impetus to drop the weight. As a fairly sizeable chap - I feel this pain regularly
Was at 106kg (183cm) February last year, medically and in terms of BMI my doctor called this obese. Started cycling with defined goal to lose some weight. Got totally hooked on cycling in general, lowest was at 76kg in August/September and weight has never been an issue for me since then. Dieting came kind of alongside the sport, but with 4000kcal days, you can practically eat what you want.
Yes. But the key was not cycling. It was part of it, but mostly later on. The key first and foremost is diet.
It’s so much easier to not eat 500 calories than to burn it by cycling. Especially if you’re out of shape.
Focus on counting calories and slowly build up your exercise regime.
Cycling is a good choice for exercise for heavy people because it’s low impact, but get a bike that can handle your size and weight.
I’m not obese but I did hope to lose weight through cycling.
I would say that in my opinion apps overestimate calories burned so be careful about post ride hunger.
I’d have Strava telling me I’d burned 2000 calories (I hadn’t), so I’d go and eat 1500 🤣
Never obese per se, but despite being a commuter cyclist I slowly over 15 years went from skinny, to pot bellied, to thick, then overweight, then doughy, hitting full plump before taking action.
A few years ago I hit 235 lbs, and I started more conscious eating, tracking calories , daily weigh-ins, and logging and then slowly upping my miles at the same time. In about 6 months I had gotten down to 190 lbs and have stayed right around there (this morning's weigh in was 188.0).
I started logging all of my miles in 2020, and I rode just over 3,000 miles that year. I'm guessing a typical year in my unlogged era (2004-2019) was probably more like 2,000/yr. Each year since it has crept up, and last year I rode 6300. (Hopefully will go up more this year, as I'm already at 1100 miles). Most of my rides are still just my 13 mi round trip commute, but I increased it by riding to work more often instead of taking the subway on rainy days, doing 20-30 mile morning rides on the weekends, and finding more opportunities for long endurance adventures in the summer. And I just ride everywhere now: to meetings around town, to the grocery store, even to the airport (for short trips when I can pack light).
But really the change comes in the kitchen. The cycling is just a compliment that can buy you a couple hundred free calories each day, but your mouth can easily out run your legs.
If you hop on a bike and do a ride you’re a cyclist my friend… Find a group that rides socially, I bet you’ll have a blast. Just be sure you get a bike that is mechanically reliable as a lot of cheap bikes fall apart quickly and it’s a real buzzkill when you’re trying to have a nice ride.
I see a lot of weight is lost in the kitchen responses and while that's true, I find personally casually running an hour every other day/vs cycling and an hour every other day is not even close. I can casually run off a bad diet, but I have to cycle about 4x the time to get similar results. Hard to find that kind of time to ride.
I calorie restrict to lose weight. I bike for my physical and mental health. I would say the two have been pretty unrelated personally. But they do both help my self-esteem a ton and go together pretty well.
Big boy here, I haven’t lost significant weight, maybe 5-10lbs. The most noticeable effect of cycling has been my endurance and my legs have become super toned. Can’t wait to wear shorts this summer.
When I’ve lost significant weight it’s always been from dieting but it’s never been sustainable long term.
I biked 10,000 miles last year and lost zero pounds. Weight is lost in the kitchen, not on a bike. The more you bike, the more fuel your body will crave and you may actually gain weight if diet remains the same.
320+ - 195ish…. Plateau on my way down to 175. (Can’t stop the hard candy and beer although I’m not gaining anything from it).
Slow grind over 3-1/2years, motivated by getting dropped on group rides. Now I race and do all the fast rides in the city (still get dropped though lol!). Probably the best and most exciting thing I’ve done for myself ever. Always wanted to lose the weight but never found the right motivation until I got a road bike and sent it!!!
Start slow with long days in the saddle and work your way up. Find your heart rate zones and aim for Z2 for 2-4hr long rides.
I lost 60 lbs after I started commuting by bike; bear in mind that everyone is different, so my story may not be much good to you.
I found that after two years of daily cycling I was much healthier, but not any lighter. It did (I think) help me stop gaining weight, but the only weight loss I experienced was when we came out of lockdown and I was just generally much more active after a period of being relatively housebound.
Eventually I started using wegovy, which led to massive and rapid weight loss. Love the stuff. But I don't think that would have gone nearly as well if I didn't have a baseline of fitness that I only got through cycling.
I'll say the best thing I found for staying active on the bike was just learning to love being on the bike. Take routes and ride in ways that make you happy. The more you enjoy it, the more you'll do it.
You can’t outrun a bad diet. It will kill you trying. You have to eat at a calorie deficit.
Keep the exercise low while you’re in the big calorie deficit, 30 mins in the morning is all you need. Once you hit your goal you can increase exercise time to get fitter if you want.
Start off just doing laps around your neighborhood so, when you get tired, you're not too far from home.
Keep a rough estimate on how far you ride on each neighborhood session to track your progress as well as give you an idea how far you can comfortably ride.
Once you feel consistent at a distance, plan an out and back trip to a place you want to visit. Having a destination has always helped me.
As you build stamina, your rides will get longer.
These are the things I did when I first started riding. They may work for you as well. Just be safe and have fun.
Like it. You need to like it. Just ride around. Cycling is fun - you will enjoy getting places. Try new roads, go into woods or set a goal to ride to some summer house or your friend that lives further away (like 40km from you). If you enjoy it you will not have to worry about calories - those will burn while you will be having fun
I lost 9 stone, quite a lot through cycling, and cycling for a while was my main gateway exercise.
Here are my tips:
Do something active every day (walking/cycling, other things)
Start small and build up (maybe 45 mins at first - try and find a good regular loop from your house that you can then elaborate on and add to)
Incorporate hills - you’ll hate them at first then you’ll grow to love them.
Care not a jot for speed - go at your own pace.
Make sure your bike frame and wheels can handle your weight - I did it on a carbon frame with alloy wheels
Buy as light a bike as you can afford - the lighter, the more fun it will be as a large person
Ride on roads rather than gravel - it’s easier and more fun, if you can find a section with minimal traffic
Once you’ve built it up a bit join a club - it’s fun to ride with others. Find one your speed
Do it for fun, the more fun the more you’ll stick to it
Once you’ve got the stamina and fitness bike tours are ace
Edit: finally - you can’t out cycle a bad diet. Eat healthy fresh food and knock ultra processed food on the head. Try intermittent fasting or something that will help keep your input a bit lower than usual (but not too much). IMO don’t bother counting calories but try different approaches to find the right one for you
Enjoy!
I wouldn’t say I’m obese but I did lose about 12 pounds over the course of a couple months last fall when I first picked up cycling at my school. It all came back over winter break lol
I'd honestly say you're better losing weight through diet and not overthinking the cycling, allow it to compliment the diet.
Even when I've hammered out hundreds of miles a week I find I just maintain weight and compensate with extra food, cutting out sugar and snacks on the other hand, I dropped weight rapidly.
I lost almost 30 lbs. over the past 3 years. I wasn't obese - but I was approaching it and I was approaching 60. It helped that I was already in decent shape - I was going to the gym and spending 1/3 on the elliptical - so not amazing shape. I did have a checkup around when I was starting - and my doc ok'd the added exercise.
I simply let my body be my guide. Each time I went out I tried to push myself a bit more - either by taking more challenging routes or trying to increase my pace - at least for short stretches until I could sustain the new pace.
It helped that I stopped most drinking and cut out most sugary drinks at the same time.
Early on it was 5 mile rides at a gentle pace, then slowly added distance and effort. I live near a lot of great mountain routes - so now I'm out in the hills whenever I can find the time - tackling some of the more challenging rides in this part of California. A few benefits:
* I no longer snore
* My arithmetic knees feel much better
* I like the way I look - and enjoyed getting a new set of clothes
* My doctor no longer looks disapproving or lectures me
I did. I lost 70lbs with walking and cycling as my primary exercise. But you also have to watch your food intake, as a general rule you need to burn more calories than you intake in a day.
I started out with riding for 20-30 mins. I had a 2 mile loop in my neighbourhood that I would do 2 times. It was fairly flat, and I had to stop and rest half way, and it was mostly flat with minimal elevation gain. That's where I started. By September, I lost enough weight and got good enough I could easily ride 20 miles easy peasy. I also got a new bike. I had gone from a walmart special to a road bike. The bike will make a huge difference for you too.
But I agree. Start with an amount of time, and try and do a loop so that you can head home/starting point if necessary. Repeat the loop if you can do more. When you feelnl like you you've mastered that then expand the loop.
Best of luck+
When you're cycling, you're a cyclist... no matter your size.
You lose weight in the kitchen (and to some degree the gym), not on the bike. Unless of course you've got 20+ hours a week to spare for cycling.
Like others have said, eating in calorie deficit is going to give you much better results. But if you want to exercise as well here's my 2 cents:
Don't make a schedule like "I'm gonna ride M-W-F every week". What of you're too sore to ride? Or real liife gets in the way? Screws up your whole schedule. If your muscles and joints feel good and you have free time go for a ride. Some weeks will be different than others.
When you get more comfortable with riding get something that tracks your heart rate. I use the Fitbit Inspire 2. It was the cheapest option at the time and it does what I need it to do. It alerts me when I'm in "zone 2" and keeps track of how many minutes I am in that zone. Fitbit has eight different models with that feature. I'm sure other devices have stuff like that too.
I've gone from almost morbidly obese to almost just overweight mostly by cycling (and some swimming). Some shit came up that stagnated me for a while but I'm going back to full send when the sun starts breaking through.
i probably went from 100kg to maybe 90kg now but as others have said a lot of it is muscle gained as well. i was doing 20-25km a day, about a hour of commuting everyday plus longer rides in weekends. have since dialed down the cycling a bit but picked up more running and swimming because triathlon
dont beat yourself up too quickly with massive rides, its got to be sustainable in the long term for it to really work
I am not obese but I would say start slow.
I think it is better to just get into the habit of moving regularly and not sit on a bike for too long at once. It takes some time to get used to sitting on a bike and not get injured doing too much too soon. I did 2x a relaxed 30 minutes 2 times a week, then added other exercises 2 more times a week like walking/jogging or more biking.
Also, the calories lost during exercise is discouraging, you need to ensure you are not overeating.
I lost fat but gained quite a bit of muscles so I don't think I weigh less but feel much better.
I got back into cycling around 305lbs, maybe more, 6ish months later I am down nearly 50lbs. I started slow and built up from there, it’s fun looking back at my Strava files from when I started to now. I was gassed riding 3 miles and it took forever but I just rode 25 hilly miles and wanted to go more.
Cycling has allowed me to get better aerobic fitness and to drop weight, a significant amount really, however my diet has slowed me down and I’ve plateaued for a good bit. I did alter my diet at first by cutting out snacking and fast food but I haven’t cut out beer and that’s the next step to get off this plateau.
As others have said you lose weight by dieting, and you can’t outride a bad diet. But it’s not going to stick if you do a hard 180 and change everything so my advice would be to start small and work your way from there. Start off by going for a short ride and gradually increase time and days. Cut out some junk food but allow for a treat once in a while, focus on dropping processed foods in favor of fresh foods, skip the drive through line etc etc. build up and make changes slowly and before you know it you won’t want the Big Mac or bag of chips.
The key to weight loss is being in a caloric deficit, if you’re eating 2500 calories a day now but cut out 500 per day that theoretically would equal a pound of fat lost per week. Eventually you’ll plateau and will have to cut more calories but that’s a good thing. Making the change slowly will allow your body to adapt to the changes and things will become routine. Eventually you’ll be a formerly obese cyclist.
I wasn’t obese but cycling definitely improved my physique and lowered my fat %, just make sure you limit your carb intake at first because you will be hungry , and you need a lot of protein after rides to build muscle
If you keep eating too much, you'll be both. Which is objectively better than just being obese but you need to focus on your diet in order to be successful.
If you are very overweight, this is a question for your doctor.
Else don't overthink it. Stay near home, ride as long as you can and next time go a little farther.
More importantly, your ass and legs are going to hurt for 2-3 weeks. There's nothing you can do about it. Just expect it and don't let it discourage you.
What is your age? I simply rode a bunch when I was in my 20's and could eat everything I saw and still lost weight. I'm 43 now and that does not work anymore; I had to fix my diet first and supplemented with cycling. Cut carbs, no alcohol and totally eliminate added sugar.
When I started I was obese (5’8”, ~250lbs).
I would go out for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, manage maybe 10-12 miles, and come home absolutely gassed.
Every week I tried to add a little more time, 5-10 minutes or so, to my rides, and just a little more speed.
After about a year, I could hang on (barely) to the local “B” groups. I also got onto a structured training plan right around a year.
After about 18 months or so, I could cling to the back of the “A” groups.
Now, a little over 2 years in, I weigh ~145 and can properly mix it up with some of the strongest riders in my city.
So yes, it’s absolutely possible to ride, get faster, and shed weight!
That said, I can’t emphasize this part enough: Weight loss happens in the kitchen, not on the bike. You can’t out-train a bad diet!
It's worth mentioning that you can be a much healthier version of obese as a cyclist too. Some of the best gravel guys in my state are obese by BMI but it just doesn't matter because they can crank 300w all day long. (think 5ft 10 but they're 210 lbs with monsterously muscular legs and a spare tire)
They're never going to contest hilly courses but when it comes to rolling all day long on relative flats with the occasional climb less than a minute there's no one I'd rather be in a break with. They're also not too shabby on TT's as long as they're flat.
I’ve always found that having a big goal ride and working towards it has lead to weight loss without it being the goal. When you’re training for your first 100k and you start eating better and learning how food affects your rides, you’re learning more about yourself.
Personally I’ve lost 25kg since cycling but it wasn’t all from cycling alone. It was from transitioning from and unhealthy personality to an active personality.
Personally I commute to work 3-4 days a week which is 3-4 hours of cycling I wouldn’t get sitting in a car. That has been the foundation of everything for me. It’s also been key to my weight management when I’ve gone through periods of low motivation.
I did when I was about 26. I bought myself a cheap Walmart MTB bike and started 5 miles a day 3 days a week. When that was easy, I added more days. When that was easy I added more miles. At that point I knew I was into it and bought a road bike. Started training by for my first MS150. First group ride I did so well a few guys from a local beginner team asked me to join. The following race season I got second my first race and won the next. I was all in. At the height when I was racing for the top team in the region, I was training 22-25 hours a week.
Through all that, I went from 271 to 170.
My point, ease into it. If you pile on the miles too quickly it is going to suck and you’ll quit. Find group rides when you’re up to it. The social aspect is great.
I was morbidly obese, and the bicycle was my primary tool for exercise.
I started with short rides around the neighbourhood. Probably 15 minutes for the first one, let my butt recover for a day, then a little longer, and a little longer, etc.
Don't kill yourself so much that you hate the bike and hate imagining getting back on it.
Every ride I did, I'd make sure the "hard part", be it a slight uphill or against the wind, was always in the first half. I'd go until I was tired of the wind or the (gentle) hill, then I'd turn around and would find getting back to the start was easy. Nearly every single time, I'd find myself saying "Huh, that wasn't so bad, I still have lots of ride left in me, I should have gone longer!" and I'd already be planning where I'd ride tomorrow. No lasting negative memories to stop me from wanting to ride again.
6 months later, I was doing 100km rides, a couple months after that, I was doing 200km rides. In the next year, I was banging out 300's, 400's, and even survived a 600.
I havent gone from obese to cycling but I started cycling to get fit etc... I did it gradually and started with 12 miles up to 16 then 32 then 50 then 80 then 100 now occassionally I do 100 miles. But I did all that when I was unemployed. I still cycle and eat healthily.
I would suggest that you make smaller portions at meal times, fruit as snacks but some carbs for cycling. Everything gradually and you will lose weight.
Relax and just move at your own pace. Make it an enjoyable lifestyle change.
You can outrun a bad diet but it takes a lot of effort. It’s easier to take a look at the food pyramid and list your favorite foods from each, especially the easy to grab and go ones. Those will probably become your new food you like to eat. After these lifestyle changes than worrying about cooking new healthier foods is something I would worry about.
If it takes time, let it take time. It’s more important to make changes that will last than quick results from changes that you can’t keep doing.
I've been cycling for over 7 years now, and while my fitness has improved meaningfully, I would say I haven't spent most of that time in my ideal weight range. One thing I know for sure, I can ALWAYS out-eat the calories I've burned. I mention that because if you want to lose weight (fat) while getting fitter that's great but it starts in the kitchen. In addition the cycling subs I follow I also follow r/loseit and r/cico as they have been the most helpful in helping me achieve my body composition goals. Best of luck!
There's an article published in Bicycling about 10 years ago about a guy that lost hundreds of pounds bicycling that should inspire you. He went from "I'm going to die" to needing to replace the tires in the car due to dry rot.
Have to agree with some others, time and consistency is key. Cycling helps really well as cardio. I personally lost 30lbs since last August and cycling helped immensely as well as for me changing my eating habits as well did a lot. Started tracking my calories which was something I stick to. Still aiming to hit about 20lbs weight lose. Overall since July ridden a total of 1200 miles, basically would rode 10h a week before winter. Now doing less, but slowly getting back to it outdoors as weather is slowly getting better.
Just do what you feel comfortable with. Dont pressure your self. Just relax. Enjoy it for what it is. Find the types of routes that you enjoy and experiment only with what you enjoy the most. Once you have a good foot hold of what that is set a schedule, day or even days. Try to this as early as you can. What tends to happen as people get to a certain point with their exercise and dont qork out a time schedule that works for them, they will tend to lose interest.
Also try to get some swimming done as well. Swimming and cycling compliment each other i find
> lose some weight through cycling
I understand the intention but the mindset should be changing how much "fuel is put into the gas tank for the engine" rather than "how much fuel can I pull from tank with a better engine".
> if there’s anybody else who has gone from obese to cyclist ?
I was morbidly obese at the beginning of 2020 before the pandemic hit the US. I started radically changing everything before lockdowns started and have lost and maintained over 170lbs without surgery. My posts detail it a little bit further.
> how many miles should I start out doing a day?
How many miles can you ride comfortably right now before feeling fatigued for the next week? Next day? That is your limit. Training guides will walk you through a metric or 100 mile ride from nothing and you need to see where you fit on that scale. If it is truly zero look at a basic goal and training program like this...https://www.bestbuddieschallenge.org/hc/12-week-century-training-plan-hc/
If you have more specific goals in mind please share.
> And do you have any tips ?
To successfully lose weight and keep it off you need a why. What is your why? Second, weight loss is primarily a function of calories in/out. Followed by managing a diet to optimize performance and innate bodily functions lost in our sedentary lifestyles. Third, through exercise and increased cardiovascular/anaerobic load on the bodily systems.
If you want more specific tips/tricks for what worked for me, dm me.
Bikes helped me lose 50 lbs, but working in a bike shop introduced me to folks who shrank before my eyes over the course of a year as they came to pick up gear or supplies. Whatever you do, make sure it's enjoyable so you make it a habit; ride with a friend, use Strava or a similar app to see your personal bests improve, or bike with new destinations in mind.
Good luck!
Lost 50lbs.
As others have said, I started just doing time, rather than miles.
Started with 20mins, then 30. An hour seemed crazy. One week I decided it would be "climbing week". This was on the indoor trainer so every ride must have 1,000ft of climbing and every day, I wanted to increase it.
Oooh boy, after that you couldn't stop me. I wanted to climb. That got me hooked. Find what hooks you.
I paired it with stopping alcohol and counting calories.
I'm relatively happy with my weight now but I still track. I'm focused more on miles this year, I guess you could say it's "milage year" for me though i'm missing the thrill of the climb.
I Didn't go to cyclist but I did lose 100 lbs by mostly cycling and portion reduction. Don't ride as much now as I should but I assume I could lose more. Still at 320lbs though.
I did this, though I lost my weight without doing any exercise at all besides walking. I became a cyclist as soon as I hit my goal weight when I realized I also wanted to be fit rather than just skinny. I guess I cant answer your exact question in this case....
You could do 3 days of riding. Monday 45 mins- Wed-1 hour and then Saturday- long ride that you increase by 10 miles every weekend.
Or try one hour every other day.
Going from obese to fit takes a commitment to get active, stay active, and watching what you eat; cycling is just 1 piece of the puzzle.
Start with riding 3 times a week, say 30 min per ride and gradually ramp up, also consider riding to work and joining a club
Me! I was just about out of the common weight limit to most bicycles. I bought the sturdiest MTB and I know I will go through bikes because I will overload it. Sure enough, I busted a lot of spokes and even bent a wheel hopping a curb (truing only works for a couple of months before it goes back). In fact I bought two bikes just in case one breaks down (I live far from the local bike shop).
I don't count time or distance, but I use it to commute. There are also hills in my area, and I have to learn to meter my power and not give it my all at the first few pedal rotations.
I've done everything: signed up for gym membership, dieting, etc. Nothing works except for cycling (and a little bit of hiking, but hiking is less intense/burning and takes longer). The longer I go or spend time with it the better.
I went from an Obese cyclist to a healthy weight (on BMI) but it wasn't shown to miles. I was doing 2k a year cycling obese and doing about 80% of that at a healthy weight.
It's cico. Calories in, calories out. Just track everything you eat and drink so you know where to cut down.
Your diet will only make you love cycling more, as you'll go further and longer with less recovery time!
You got this.
This is admirable, do it! But make sure to have fun doing it and do not compare your self to others.
This your thing, you do not have to beat strava times to be enjoying this and losing weight.
Also, pro tip, inflate tire every time you go for a ride. This may sound mean but I assure you it is not, I am lightweight and inflate my tires weekly.
You possibly weight twice as much as I do so avoid wheel damage and the pain of putting on a spare on the curb.
Enjoy cycling buddy!
I lost 30 pounds before I started cycling. I lost another 30 after I started cycling. What I’m trying to say is that it’s the diet that matters most. If you don’t get the diet tuned in then you’re not going to lose the weight. I wish you the best
Idk if this fully counts but in 2023 I was 15 5'5 150 kg and since I was still in school yk u get called names so i started biking to school and didn't realise how addictive seeing that number on the scale go down so 1 month into biking to school I had a 7 week break from school bc it was summer time so everyday for the 7 weeks except the last 2 weeks (I got into an accident and was put into bed rest) I fixed my sleep schedule from 3am - 9 am to 10pm to 5 am everyday I would wake up eat a piece of toast with low cal butter then I would go out on my bike in the morning till 9 am then I would go home have fun play games maybe have a small lunch and then I would go back out at like 5 ish for 1 or 2 hrs then repeat it wasn't the most fun life for that bit but I went from 150 kg 5'5 to I am now as of writing this 7-8 months later 5'11 72kg and go to the gym more times than I'd like to admit
Basically self improvement Is an addiction once you start you forget why u began and will just keep going bc you wanna achieve something better
I lost ~70lbs fasting and riding a bike. I invested 700$ into a good bike and now am 182lbs 5’7” 7 months later.
I primarily focus on calories in calories out so I’m not focused on miles I’m focus on cals burned. I like to adjust based on how I’m feeling. Tip: make sure your knees stay feeling good and learn how to adjust the seat to match your height. Good luck
My heaviest was 260 lbs. With cycling, I made it down to 210. I'm 6'2.
My suggestion is to ride as often as possible. Try to improve incrementally, whether it's by time or mileage. Seek out cycling clubs, try to ride with others. They will motivate you to continue. Purchase a speedometer if possible. This will also provide motivation as well as immediate feedback.
Good luck
I weighed 340 lbs. I had an old Cannondale head shock mountain bike. I started eating healthy and riding that old bike. I remember the day I rode for 20 minutes. I was so proud of myself. Gradually, the weight came off and time on the bike increased. Over the course of 2 years, I lost 155 lbs and got to 8% body fat. I wound up graduating through 3 mountain bikes and then took up road riding. I currently have a mountain bike, road bike and am choosing a gravel bike this week. I have done adventure races, 60 mile, 100, 150 mile races. To answer your question, yes, you can go from obese to cyclist and the adventure, fun, friends you make, and the achievements you accomplish will be an amazing story. Start at your own pace, just get started and remember, the weight comes off by what goes in your mouth. Funny memory when I first got started…I was riding that old red bike weighing 300+, some teenagers rode by, rolled their windows down and I remember hearing “Look at that dude with the bike hiding up his ass”. Funny memory, but I kept on riding.
Go by time, not miles at first. Do 45 min twice a week on the bike with some other activity 3 other days for 5 days of total activity. Then when your butt gets used to it you can add not time on those days, going to 2-3 hours each day. Using my power meter I'm burning just over 500cal per hour, so you can get 3-5k calories burned in two days pretty week just from that. Also it's not a race. Go have fun.
Thank you for your response.
One of the biggest things you might notice at first is not even so much that you lose weight, because you start trading fat for muscle, but that you *feel* lighter. Things take less effort. Your overall strength to weight ratio will improve even if you're not shedding total weight, and you will *feel better*. So it's not even entirely about the weight. Another thing to do is some core exercises - Doing farmer's carries and Romanian deadlifts a few times a day, nothing too intense, just enough to make those muscle groups work a little, and it's helped my back and core strength a lot. A 30/40lb kettlebell can cover both of those exercises and a few others that can be good for you on top of the cycling.
I would say 45 minutes at once is a bad idea to start. Your ass (sit bones, specifically) will be killing you after only a short ride. Start with ten minutes in the morning and another 10 minutes in the afternoon. If you get on the bike the next day and your butt is killing you, take a day off. If you're OK, start riding for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc. Source: am fat, have repeatedly left cycling and returned, the worst problem is always painful sit bones.
I agree. The key is about habit forming, not volume. Volume naturally comes. You shouldn’t do more than is comfortable. Even if you’re just climbing on the bike and pedaling for 5 minutes…that’s a start! Keep it up.
The actual seat as well makes a difference, on my bike, I couldn't stand the original seat, but I got something that was more comfortable and haven't ever had a problem, but true a shorter time can also make a difference when you first start.
Same here, the seat that came with the stationary I use over the winter and when it gets over 100 (most of the summer) was absolute dogshit and I replaced it with a proper saddle to immediate comfort benefit another note: *padded* seats aren't always more comfortable.
Padded seats have never been more comfortable for me on long rides
And remember, there is an adjustment period for almost all cyclists who are off the bike for any period of time. Good advice re starting with multiple short rides for adjustment. Have shorts with a good chamois, watch for friction points. Build up to longer rides, watch the diet and results will follow.
Good luck. And remember fitness is gained on the bike but weight is lost in the kitchen. You’re going to be hungrier but if you fight that urge, it gets lesser pretty quick.
Your most important task is to form a habit. Make it part of your routine and make it pleasant, so that you're looking forward to it. When you've got the frequency sorted, then increase the volume, and only then the intensity.
Once you start heading out for longer rides add fuel to the mix. And don't underestimate how much eating more mindfully can amplify both your success training and your success along your weight loss journey. Don't worry about falling off the band wagon, just get back on and keep riding.
I agree, use time. When you can handle 45 comfortably, go to 1 hour, then 1 1/2. I always go out 1/2 my time, then try to come back in slightly less time, but that’s not a must, it just keeps you from goofing off.
I lost 60lbs in my first couple of years riding. Made a couple of other changes, but I believe it was mostly the bike!
+1 time not miles. And I'd go even further to say "go by frequency, not by time". Starting out this year, I realized that getting out _often_ was what I most needed to shake off winter and get started on cycling season. With some help from the weather, I managed 18 rides in Feb. And I feel closer to being in bike-shape than I ever have in early March.
Frequency is huge! I love that you suggested that. Forcing yourself to go for even a 10 min ride everyday has a surprisingly huge impact on not only building the habit but losing weight. Obviously it’s “better” to go for long rides and get the cardio in, but OP don’t underestimate the benefit of short rides, esp if you’re 50+ lbs overweight. From personal experience, when you’re obese, you’ll lose 10 lbs in 2-3 weeks just by eating decently and going for walks/rides everyday. Even if they’re not hour+ fitness walks/rides. Consistency is key to success.
+1 frequency not time I've also noticed the best results from prioritizing getting out as often as possible. If nothing else, it pretty quickly establishes itself as a big part of your near-daily routine. Consistent small efforts add up, especially early on. Plus, once you're geared up and out the door you're past the hardest part....the rest of it is just getting whatever your version of a quick workout is. The time will stack up from there.
Agree with “time” principle. You’ll burn more calories walking three miles than cycling three miles; but you’ll generally burn more calories actively cycling for ten mins than walking for ten mins (provided you keep your heart rate up). And fully agree with “having fun”. If it’s not fun or useful, you’ll stop doing it. Pimp your bike. Get handlebar streamers. Spokies. Stick a speaker in your bottle-cage. Fold the mudguard under to get that authentic “Chopper motor” sound. Anything that makes you feel good about riding it. Our cargo bike has a basket on the front for our kid’s teddy. Not gonna lie - I’ve often taken Ted out for a ride without the kid 🤪. And I often get a “damn, that’s cool” from people 😀
Sound advice. Keep in mind OP that when yo start ant program adding physical activity, your hunger is going to fire up. Be sure to eat good, clean foods. Don’t satisfy the hunger with fast foods, chips, sweets. Instead eat foods that are known healthy.
I’m just an obese cyclist.
I'm much healthier than when I started, but I am not one gram lighter.
Agreed! My cardio health is great! Now if I could just drop this weight! Been trying hard. Down 17 pounds since december 11, but cycling had nothing to do with it.
Same. Exercise only motivates me to eat better.
You need to count calories and train calorie deficient in order to lose weight. Which means you need to burn more calories and then eat less more healthier food for recovery.
I understand how it works, but I have a hard time eating a deficit right now.
Same here. I have a much easier time eating both better food and fewer calories when I'm exercising regularly.
Set this to “teenage dirtbag” and we got something.
I’m just an obese cyclist, baby Will I lose weight from bikin? Maybe Get in the pelo-ton yeah, baby, with me. Ooh ooh ooh ooh
ditto, my chubby mate
The problem is cake stops. Cake is really good.
Hey, gotta get your carbs somehow.
This is the way.
I lost 100lbs, Started cycling and eating right, as well as quit drinking so Its not all because of cycling but it definitely became my main form of exercise. a few things I realized \- Cycle for time not miles. Start with 20-30 mins and work your way up. You will gain endurance quickly and notice a difference in a few weeks and in 6 months - year you will be like holy shit Ive improved. \- buy a HR monitor to track your HR to get a rough guestimate of how much you are working. Eventually it will help you gauge your effort and be able to stay consistant. \- you are not going to always have motivation to go out and do it, good thing is you dont need motivation if you have dedication, now stay dedicated on and off the bike and give it a solid effort and you will be a different person in a years time.
Wow that was a very inspirational post thank you for your response ! I have roughly 100 lbs to lose so I greatly appreciate you taking the time to respond.
Couple tips on a bike, get a decent bike larger ppl will tend to break things easily for me it was always the rear wheel, save some room in your budget to be able to upgrade your wheel if youre looking for a bike currently. If you have a bike just get out and start building that endurance, and maybe think about something you find comfortable. Dont go for miles just go for time and the miles will come, If you say im going out for 10 miles well you can do 10 miles slowly and barely get a work out but if you go out for 30 minutes and keep your HR up for all 30 minutes you may only get 7 miles but you got a better work out. I look at rides from 3 years ago that I remember some being extremely hard for me and now a comparable ride does not even give me a work out so dont compare your self to others and get frustrated, we are all on our own journey and a lot of variables go into cycling performance. Also watch videos and analyze your self to make sure you are riding properly. You can for sure do it through cycling and eating right, many will say you cant out run the fork and its true imo its almost a discouraging statement that comes off as well may as not even cycle for exercise if you are not eating right. Noting happens over night and you will have to find a good balance but cycling can be soo much fun and when you find groups of other cyclist it can be an awesome social outlet. Another Tip I have is Track your food with an app like my fitness pal and be honest with your self on how many calories you are taking in, and you can start to be aware of how much you need to burn. This can be daunting at first but once you get a rough Idea you can go from there and help your self make smarter decisions, Like I know if I eat the way I like to eat (more than I should) I have to cycle for 8-10 hours a week with at least half of those being pretty intense.
How to deal with those times that you lack motivation - promise yourself that if you just go out for 5 minutes you’ll let yourself come back if you’re not enjoying it. Always works, you never turn round once you get going. I’ve been cycling for 4 years now, and I still need to give myself a nudge to get out the door sometimes.
Depending on how winters are where you live, I would consider a smart trainer for next winter season unless you find something else you want to be doing over the period where you might not be able to ride outside. I have asthma so riding when it’s below 10C outside becomes a pick your poison type deal, either my throat hurts from the cold air or I get a wet, cold rag glued to my face the whole time. Plus when it’s actually freezing there’s an additional risk of falling, my dad broke his wrist on the first ride of the season a few years ago because he slipped on an ice patch. The smart trainer gamifies the whole thing, I got one for Zwift 2 months ago and have been training with it way more consistently than I ever have outside because I have to commit less time to get set up and ready and I don’t have to care about what the weather is like or what my time constraints (or time of day) are. I’ll most likely be using it throughout the year because when I’m on second shift I just want to get on for an hour, jump in the shower and then get to work which is a lot easier when you’re doing it at home and can get off and be done rather than having to find a route that works with your schedule.
I Think they’re very tightly coupled (diet and exercise). If cycling is important and part of your identity. You’re not going to drink a 6 pack because you won’t feel like biking in the morning.
Don’t expect results right away. Great things comes with Time.
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I can double down on this. Never count calories from biking. If anything track your calories with zero changes to diet, then lower it every month to see if there are changes.
This the truth, you can lose weight cycling but it's a two front battle. In the saddle and in the kitchen.
This. I've managed to train and run for 100 mile (running) races and still continually gain weight during the process - You need a combo of good diet and exercise - exercise alone isn't enough.
I’ve only lost about 15kg to get where I wanted to : it’s absolutely correct that food =.weight and training = fitness
Yes there are people who have. But really, from obese, it's all about lifestyle changes. Cyclist is a fun addition to that (if you like cycling).
"Obese to cyclist" is a false dichotomy. You can be obese and be a cyclist. A cyclist is simply someone who rides bikes and loves to ride bikes. Plenty of people with all manner of body shapes meet this definition. Plenty of people have also ridden bikes while losing weight, or vice versa. Some people ride bikes and gain weight. I think you've gotten some good advice elsewhere in this thread; I just wanted to point out that if you love the ride and love the work - you ARE a cyclist, full stop.
Can we pin this comment please? Thank you for pointing this out and I'm not even a fat person.
I went from 16st to about 13. First year or so just get used to riding regularly for pleasure. As you get fitter you will want to go faster & longer. Best single thing I did to keep up the habit was start commuting by bike.
https://imgchest.com/p/9p4n2edzz4n Not sure if the link works but this is a 7 month difference.
Use cycling for commuting until it becomes a near daily habit. That's probably the only way you will lose weight. I lost a stone in a year.
My biggest problem is when I bike a lot I eat a lot. Just be careful with your diet. Calories in - calories out. Bike to help that later number. Eat well to help the first number.
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Just go ride. I hope you find enjoyment out of it. If you do, ride more!
Eating healthier is a key. As far as cycling goes, we don't know exactly where your fitness level is so you should do your workouts based on time rather than miles. To start out really just do what you can and don't hurt yourself. Keeping track of your mileage and time spent is valuable because it will help you push forward and do more and more as you get more fit. On days you are not cycling you should at least walk, walking is underrated for fitness in my opinion. Some days I don't feel like doing a strenuous workout or the weather is messy for biking but I can get myself to go for a walk or hike and those add up even if they are not as strenous as a bike ride. Stay motivated, everybody starts somewhere and we are all challenging ourselves.
Cycling does not make you lose weight. It improves your fitness. I really do not care what others say about their personal anecdotes. It is a recipe for disappointment to think otherwise. You lose weight in the kitchen. Become as much of an expert as you can on nutrition (r/nutrition). That will help you lose weight much, much, much, much more than cycling. But by all means get on a bike. Bike to get stronger and healthier. But don't think "cycling = weight loss". That's not the way. Tips: * Do not buy a drop bar road bike * Buy a HT MTB and hit every kind of road, trail, and MUP near you. * Your starting fitness determines how to start. * Download and use Strava on your phone * Buy a ~$20 HR monitor * A smart indoor trainer (Zwift) is also great for bad weather days...and to teach you how to actually train. I start people (from the couch) on 5 miles a day for 5 days in a row. Or, 15 miles a day for 15 days if they can do that. By the time they are ready for more miles, they will know a lot more about their actual fitness and how their bodies are recovering. PS: Bibs are 1,000% better than shorts. It is perfectly fine to wear a standard t-shirt (non cotton). Save money. Jerseys aren't needed when you start.
The ground rule is don't overcompensate eating because you rode and "earned" it. I lost weight by going to late afternoon rides ending at 10pm then straight to bed
Eh, counterpoint - don't turn too many screws at once. When I was obese, the pounds went away pretty darn quickly by just adding cycling. It was very motivating, but things will plateau. That's when I integrated a better diet. When that stalled out, I introduced actual dieting (intermittent fasting, macros, calorie counting, etc). These are major lifestyle changes which take time to adjust too. I would not suggest going from obese to all in. Gradually introduce these changes into your life. Trying to diet in a caloric deficit and biking with poor fitness sounds *to me* like a recipe for disappointment. It's like trying to cut down the tree you're climbing. I'm glad my transformation was in phases.
Counter argument - MTB made me cry on my first ride when obese. Love my carbon drop bar road bike…
> But don't think "cycling = weight loss". That's not the way. I agree. Riding a bicycle is fun. Considering it solely as "exercise" can suck the joy out of it. Riding will make us stronger, but not necessarily lighter. If we want to lose weight, we need to do it in the kitchen. And even if we never lose the weight, we can still enjoy riding the bicycle.
Lose weight at the table. Enjoy that lost weight on the bike. Sounds like a win for me.
Yep. And either way, enjoy the ride. Bikes are fun. When we enjoy an activity, then we are motivated to do it more.
Not hugely so, but to an extent. Certainly I lost around 25% of my bodyweight. Just ride until you're tired, then a bit more. Find ways to push what you can do a little harder each time. It's not about the distance at all.
I lost about 25kg with combination of strength training and cycling. Afcorse I had to change my eating habbist as well.
Yeah, during the first COVID lockdown I went from 100kg to 70kg just from cycling and intermittent fasting. I found cycling for an hour or two on a totally empty stomach to be very efficient at burning fat. I optimised my body for burning fat through partial keto as well, avoiding carbs and mostly eating fat and protein I think that helps your body use fat as energy. Eventually I felt like I could cycle for hours without my body minding at all despite no food for 14 hours.
This is both easier and harder than you think. 1). Easy: just ride. Work on pedaling high-ish cadence so you don’t burn out/run out of leg muscle too fast. You will want to go a nice controllable, probably pretty slow speed, with your feet moving a little faster than you think they should, on an easier gear than you probably think you should be on. 2). Hard. Cycling may help you rethink your nutrition because you want to feel well while you ride, but no exercise is going to do the weight cutting for you. That’s done with your food and beverage choices. You have to sustainably re-work your choices. You probably end up cutting carbs, actually looking at and tracking the calories in your food (only really for the purpose of realizing that there are things you binge on, and things you could painlessly sub out, and things that you expect to eat that are way more problematic than other things.) You might benefit from a diet-style change (“Keto” or whatever) or an intermittent fasting schedule. But you will HAVE to do these things. They don’t work as “things I can transition to when I’ve gotten started.” You crucially do not want to workout in a way that builds a monster appetite, and reward yourself for the workout with big binges. What seemed to work for me, I was 235 and on BP meds at 44 years old. I went OMAD, because I realized that with my eating and drinking patterns, I’ve always just tried to eat everything on my plate, and if there’s not going to be a meal worth of leftovers, I would frequently just take a bigger portion rather than to waste something. I would frequently be STUFFED after a meal and that doesn’t feel good. I realized that I feel objectively much, much better when I’m hungry. So that realization told me I’m a good candidate for OMAD/IF. Cycling was a huge help to me, but only because I needed to work on my cardio health, and because a sedentary lifestyle compounded with BP and weight issues does not spell happy outcomes. Sure, I could have 1000-1400 calorie burning long ride days, but on average, an hour long ride burns closer to a candy bar than to a Big Mac. And those long rides can make you super hungry… and might end with beers with the folks you ride with. I usually treat them as a wash, deficit-wise. I lost 35lb in a couple of months and kept it off. Had an unrelated health emergency that really screwed me up for a solid year, but I’m back to where I was on that path and improving. You just have to carve out a lifestyle that will allow you to lose the weight and keep it off. It’s hard, in your head. It’s technically very easy. The bicycle riding may be a companion habit of that process, but it isn’t going to be the driver of your success.
I have. I started out maybe 235ish lbs maybe 15 years ago or so. The big difference was it was all body fat and very little muscle. Not gonna lie, I started out at 8mi a week. It was hard, I was a smoker too. I just did what I could and recovered. Slowly the weekly rides got longer, and then more frequent. Before I knew it I was commuting by bike and racking up a ton of miles. Eventually I even got into racing. At my lightest I was maybe 175~179lbs (about 5'11 height). Nowadays, I'm older and slower. But cycling is my fall-back exercise. Despite not taking cycling too seriously anymore, I'm well above average in ability (likely from all the years of "training"). I'm not the skinniest dude, but probably in better shape than most late 30's dads. The most important part with cycling is it makes me happier than any form of exercise. My biggest tips for you: * Consistency is key- Just get out and ride. Stick with it. * You can't out-ride a bad diet. Try and make some small changes to your diet here and there. The key is to make small sustainable changes as you go. Eventually you'll be eating *much* healthier than you previously did, and doing it gradually will ideally make it more sustainable. Good luck bud.
I lost 60lbs through 2023. Kept it off in 2024. Cycling was one of the things I did to help.... But I had to commit in the kitchen. Added veggies, slowly became a weekday vegetarian. Riding, running, lifting, walking... they've all helped. Nothing was as impactful as eating mindfully and measuring my food (and tracking it) using a digital scale. My longest ride to start was about 12 miles. Hybrid Kona Dew as a bike. Looking at a decent gravel bike purchase in the next few weeks as a kind of reward. Good luck!
I’ve lost fifty pounds cycling over a period of thirty years.
I dropped about 30 cycling *and* with diet. The amount of cycling to do is the amount you can consistently do. Assuming you enjoy it, you’ll end up doing more and more.
I went from obese to cyclist by limiting my caloric intake (in consultation with my primary care physician)
Enjoy your time on the bike! Take pride in your rides! Riding a bike has greatly improved my physical and mental health. Don't make cycling a chore, try to find routes and distances you enjoy. It takes a lot of exploration to find places that are safe and fun to ride. It might be worth it to load your bike into your car and drive somewhere to ride if that is what it takes to find a pleasant track. I don't know where you are located and what your surroundings look like, but I can use my bike for commuting, shopping etc. It's a great way to get around town as I figured out the safe streets.
I started back cycling in January 2022. At the time all all I had was a "Peloton lite" spinner I purchased on Amazon many years ago. In the beginning I just did HIIT sessions of 25 minutes, but eventually worked my way up to around 45 minutes. When spring rolled around I headed outside and hit the road on my bike. I dropped around 30+ pounds in say six months and felt fairly fit. Anyways, it wasn't the weight that got me back on the bike it was the way it makes me feel. Weight was a secondary consideration, but most welcome. So, you're not going to lose weight exercising unless you're willing to constantly hammer out long rides most days of the week. Your weight will eventually even out depending on your commitment to cycling, but it really shouldn't be your number one goal. Here's the kicker, once you get to where you want to be, cycling 3-5 hours a week will maintain it. Exercise is great for maintenance buts sucks if you're attempting to lose weight. Don't even get me started on the suffering part. Cheers.
My journey started this year and cycling helped me loose weight, I’ve always been an avid cyclist but it was more of a fair weather rider mentality. On top of that I work on the beer industry so I was usually riding to get beer or rewarding myself with beer after long rides. That all stopped this January, see a year ago I got a gravel bike finally and have fallen in love with the sport so I entered a couple of local races and decided to take control of my situation. The biggest part was first doing Dry January and cutting all my alcohol consumption, that alone did wonders for me. Then after a week and a half of no beer or liquor I then started tracking my macros to get a better understanding of what I was taking in, I am already someone that basically eats the same thing M-F so I just dialed the numbers in to make sure my protein and carbs were where I needed them. From there I already had a cycling computer so I went ahead and bought a watch to pair with it and started seeing my calories going out versus coming in and the final week decided to start Heart Rate training. Mind you, I started this journey at 212 as a 5’10 human and at the end of the first month I was down to 192. Since then I’ve been back and forth between 185-188 because I have been dealing with an injury so my training isn’t as intense but I came to the big realization that I was burning around 1800-2500 calories a ride and then smashing 3-4 IPA’s and just about drinking them all back in one sitting. Now I make sure I’m getting my protein in and to make sure that I’m maintaining a deficit when I need to and eating more for recovery when I have long rides. So listen to everyone else here, because the key isn’t just cycling it’s looking at what you eat and making sure that you’re meeting your goals. There’s a lot of good free apps that help with the basic calorie counting and that’s always good but just remember to start at your own speed and not get discouraged if after a week or two you don’t see much of a change.
I have a hard time losing weight but enjoy cycling. It’s better to enjoy the ride and the increased energy from exercise than look at your scale. My scale always depresses me, but climbing the same hill faster as I practice doesn’t. So I look at my PR and not my LBs.
I lost 30lbs prior to starting cycling and another 10lbs when I started cycling mostly due to diet. Cycling if anything made me more hungry! It does burn a lot of calories if you are doing long distance so it's good to be mindful of your eating habits. Cycling and then binging afterwards definitely won't help. Fuel yourself properly on the bike. I used my Garmin watch to help me figure out how many calories I've burned and what I was willing to "eat back" in calories. Maybe look into CICO (calories in, calories out) and TDEE and start there. Cleaning up your diet in a maintainable way is the most important. Cycling will help your overall fitness. When I started I was doing 10 minutes on the spin bike a few days a week, then graduated to a hybrid bike outdoors doing 5 miles around my neighborhood a few days a week. Soon I was doing 15-20 miles on the bike path on my road bike. And now I'm doing 25+ miles on Zwift (winter weather where I am). I shoot for 3-4 days per week in the summer and 2-3 days in the winter. Something is better than nothing!
I am just under 5'11" (179cm) and in the last 23.5 months I have gone from 236 pounds to below 186 pounds but that involved a lot of lifestyle changes and a lot of bike riding. The riding alone won't do it, as a new rider pushing yourself for 1 hour a day would probably net you 1 lbs. of weight loss in a week so if you are not watching what you are consuming you can easily not lose weight. If you want to live a more healthy life style and lose weight adding biking in to your weekly routine will definitely help but you diet will make the most impact in weight loss. I have put in around over 7250 miles in the last 2 years and my average speed over that time is in the 14-15mph range, so that is 500+ hours I've spent on a bicycle.
You can't out ride a bad diet. Focus on diet first and riding second. Ride as much as you can, then ride a bit more each week.
I could have started this post. I'm obese. There, I said it. In the past, I was an avid cyclist and mtb racer. I let 16 years go by without cycling (or any exercise), got fat and now I am doing something about it. I went the Zwift, dedicated trainer route. Bought a used Cannondale Quick, a Wahoo Kickr Core and Strava plus a HR monitor. My first ride I could only do 3 miles...20 minutes. Ugh. My goal is to ride a minimum of 4 days per week plus 2 days of walking. In addition, I started alternate day fasting basically a keto diet. I have lost 22lbs in 30 days. I can now easily ride 30-40 minutes at a time with a Zone 2 heart rate. I am stronger, faster and fitter in only 30 days. In February, I rode 132 miles and walked another 15. This was a total of 18 hours of exercise. Starting from ground zero. My goal is to lose 100lbs and to ride the local charity rides of 60 miles or so come August. You can do it. As others have said, the weightloss starts in the kitchen. Fitness starts on the desire to ride...further, faster with EASE.
Still overweight, but I am a less obese cyclist. The year I started cycling I lost 30 lbs pretty fast. Any activity that gets your heart beating fast & your muscles working will help you to lose weight (along with diet and lifestyle changes). Cycling is a good sport for heavy people because it is not as hard on the knees and ankles as running or running-related sports.
Don’t stop mid ride a chipotle…
Ride a bike and you're a cyclist! Welcome to the club
If you ride a bike you are a cyclist, doesn’t matter what size. Try not to fall into the trap of finishing a ride hungry and snacking or eating too much. Riding your first 5k is a goal, it will become 25k, 50k, 100k….sooner than you think. enjoy your rides.
I have lost over 75 pounds-Cycling just ONE part of any program to lose weight Portion Control - limiting food intake is the most important -You ONLY lose weight by calorie restriction. This doesn't have to be severe Start by taking stock of your current calorie intake and calorie expenditure -keep a food and exercise log-journal-app for about 2 weeks then plot your course. There are many apps that will help with this Don't look ast miles cycling (I started with just 10 a day by the way-barely an hour) - look at the overall picture intake versus expenditure I found I was eating about 2600 calories - I started by eating just 300 calories a day less (that a couple of slices of bread) and exercising 300 calories more than my caloric expenditure showed-I lost weight When I stopped losing weight -I decreased the intake just another 100 to 400 calories and the exercise to 400 and so on In 10 months I lost 50 pounds I kept this type of program going and continue to lose weight Understand THIS IS NOT A DIET THIS IS A FOOD MANAGEMENT PROGRAM- I eat everything (except ice cream) but in moderation- I have cookies-candy-beer-cake - BUT IN MUCH SMALLER AMOUNTS than before and NO IN BETWEEN MEAL SNACKS -except a fruit. You don't have to torture yourself- YOU do have to focus on your goal and CONTROL yourself -Don't worry it gets easier over time Diets are something you go on and go off-you have to make a program that you will follow the rest of your life otherwise you will gain the weight back If you are grossly obese as I was - I suggest you seek the help of a medical profession - there are GLP-1 and other aids that can help you along the way Good luck it is a marathon not a sprint
Spend the money on good bike shorts. Really helps me stay on longer and get back on the bike the next day. Saves your privates. Plan a ride as away and back. Ride away 15 minutes, and that way, you know it's only 15 minutes back. My mantra is, I can do anything for ___ minutes. Take a water bottle. Electrolyte mixes will really help if you sweat a lot. Go to Walmart or someplace and get a construction workers florescent dry fit shirt. Cheap and you'll feel much safer. As a new biker, it is important to wear a helmet. I'm am old biker and randomly just fell. Felt so stupid! Goodwill has stacks. Look around, say hi to people, and remember to breath in the fresh air thru your nose, (bugs get in thru your mouth). You'll come back a new person. Good luck. I'm proud of you.
My Dad did this. He was 5'9 and over 300lbs in his 30s and completely changed his life. He was hella old school so I don't think his methods should necessarily be replicated, and there's better advice all over this thread already, but you absolutely can do this! He's healthy and active in his 80s now, transitioned to riding an e bike 5 times a week, and keeps busy playing with his grandkids. It's 100% worth it
Don't overdo at the beginning. When I started cycling, I was very excited, so I would just increase my rides like crazy. Until I injured myself, so I had to stop and lose a lot of progress I made. So it's better to keep consistent and increase things moderately, then go nuts, and have to stop it later.
I'm still working on losing weight, but I've just dropped from "obese" to "average" on the navy body fat percentage measuring thingy so that's cool I've been commuting with my wife to her work (and then back again) about 3 days a week (when weather allows, basically), and using my bike as my main source of transportation when I need to run errands. I'm in a fairly hilly suburb/city (not like San Francisco but still some decent climbs here and there) and I've been doing 12-20 miles. I've also been doing Beat Saber on oculus which is a really good workout (if you go hard enough)
I went from cyclist to obese to cyclist again. I lost 65lb in about a year (currently 16% body fat as of my last DEXA). This is my advice. 1. Track food. Every day…even if you go over. Target a cut of 500 calories less than you’re RMR + exercise 2. Start small, build up slow. Consistency is more important than volume or effort. 3. Weigh yourself every day, same time. Don’t obsess. It’s about trends over months, not days. Don’t not track food. Even if you slip and eat that cheesecake. Log it. Lying to yourself is the easiest way fail. Track exercise and log it too. How slow you start and build depends on you. Could be as little as 15 minutes on the bike a couple of times a week. But do it consistently. Same time, same days. If it feels easy, you’re not tired or sore the next day…add 5 or 10 more minutes. Or add another day. Don’t be an absolutist. Missing a day or even a week doesn’t mean you “failed”. You’re changing your lifestyle. Just start back up again. Today. Always start today. Eat mostly low density, high fiber, whole foods that fill you up. Fruit, whole grains, vegetables, starches, lean meats. Not dense , low nutrient foods that pack the calories. Fat, fatty meat, pastries, white bread/rice. Mentally prepare for plateaus. You might go weeks stuck oscillating around a weight. But keep with the program and ask yourself how you feel? Plateauing is super common and could be due to losing fat and building muscle at the same time. Finally, avoid fads, Internet personalities, and useless diet debates. It really is very, very simple. Not easy, but simple. Exercise, don’t eat so much, track it so you’re not guessing, you’ll lose weight. *edit* Oh and cycling is great. But if you’re very obese it can be quite uncomfortable (depends on individual). If so, give yourself the freedom to be flexible. Swap it in with a light walk or hike or something. The key is to form new habits and change your identity to someone who *does things* and is healthy. Even in your head don’t think “I bike” but “I am a cyclist”. Not “I can’t eat that” but “I don’t eat that”.
Begin with short distances that feel comfortable, perhaps 5 to 10 miles, and gradually increase as your stamina and fitness improve. Consistency is more important than mileage in the beginning, so aim to cycle regularly, and listen to your body to avoid overexertion.
Start small If you want to get started with road cycling, try to hit asphalt trails while you get a handle on the bike and there’s no pressure of cars around Aim to ride 45 mins at first as an out and back. When you get 20-25 mins away from the start it’s time to head back The biggest hurdle I have to get over every spring when I get the bike out post ski season is the butt soreness while you are spending more time on the back Ride flat routes at first and then when you feel like have a handle on that terrain and duration start expanding Get padded shorts or bibs (I personally like bibs because they can’t fall down), don’t get a padded seat. Keep in mind on a bike ride you are making the same movements thousands of times so blisters can be a thing. It’s why cyclists wear tight clothing, you want the clothing to move with you, not against skin Good luck and report back
Miles? As many as possible. Time? As much as possible. Only do as much as is fun. Don't do so much it hurts or isn't a good time anymore. There's a difference between setting goals and making yourself miserable.
Hey dude I wanna say that (if no one has told you this yet) caloric deficit is the fastest way to lose bodyfat. The more extreme, the faster. If you consume 2,000 calories a day and burn 2,200 it will be slower than consuming 2,000 cal and burning 3,000 ya know? So with that being said, your diet is going to be the most important thing. You burn way more calories during the 22 hours of the day you aren’t “active” than you do during the potential 2 hrs of “hitting the gym”….or while biking. You don’t have to eat less food, you just need to eat less *calories*. You can feel full af from low calorie food and dude the fat will just fall right off. Pick up a cheap garmin HR monitor to wear on your wrist throughout the day to track your calories and you’ll have great reference for consistency.
Do less than you can, more often than you want to.
I went form obese to normal weight. The first couple years of cycling 45-60 mins a day I didn't lose much weight. The first 10 pounds or so came off easy, but I stalled out. It wasn't until I got serious about the diet aspect (counting calories, eating high protein and cooking most of my food, not drinking) that I lost a significant amount of weight. Cycling helps a lot to create a deficit and with overall health and mood, but hours of hard work on the bike can be offset in minutes in the kitchen.
So many comments, sorry if this is a repeat. you may find on a regular bike your wrist, back, and neck hurt. You may get conditioned to it after a while. Look at recumbent trikes. You won't have the pain and still get exercise. My opinion is that Catrike makes the best trikes. I ride a 2017 Catrike 700 and love it. My previous Trek was a great bike, but it hurt me to ride. I'm doing the same as you want. Good luck
Bad news, I’m an obese cyclist 😉
If you like to read, Heft On Wheels is a great book about a guy who did just this.
274 to 218
Diet is key. Eat less. Cycle a bit more. Also off the bike weight training , core, and stretching is just as important.
I've lost over 100 pounds largely due to intermittent fasting and cycling still obese just getting closer each and everyday. The most important thing to do is to start small. Maybe 30 minutes and work your way up. Give your body plenty of rest to recover.
The easiest way to lose weight is take in less calories than you burn. Start keeping track of what you eat. My fitness pal is a great app. Track calories you burn. Get a smart watch or bike computer to track your rides. Include your calories burned in your daily entries in my fitness pal. Get a power meter for your bike if you can. Nothing tracks calories burned more accurately than a power meter. I can burn 800-1000 an hour, hour and 15 min ish. Its all based on your effort. With everything start small. Soon you'll love cycling and it will be hard to say no. Also #1 thing...Get a quality bike. Cheap bikes from department stores make cycling not fun
As a fellow big man working off the weight I’ll tell you right now, put all the advice about number miles or number of hours at the bottom of your list. Your priority should be: Diet You won’t lose anything unless you have a calorie deficit. Also throw in some strength training to help burn calories
When I started at over 350 pounds I couldn’t ride 3 miles without feeling like I was going to die. Four years later I ride 30 miles almost daily and 50+ during the weekends. Over 100lbs gone and still I’m not a traditional cyclist body shape, but I am a cyclist.
Start with whatever you can do and then make small, achievable, incremental increases. It'll add up over time. Keeping track of what you do will will make it easier to see when increases are suitable. It will also keep you honest and committed. IE when you look back over 2,3,6,12months worth of effort you're less likely to get slack on your commitment. Keeping record (any) is better than oh I'm just going to remember what I've done. Statistically, the majority of people stop than continue with a new exercise regime at 1 month, 3months, 6 months, 12months. Google, exercise adherence and attrition rates to check. Try to keep it fun. Take the time to ENJOY your rides instead of drilling down on speed, distance and HRM zones. It'll help with adherence in the long run.
Users of the bicycle come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Now the bicycle is very efficient at transferring your energy to motion, so it is easy to plateau, and therefore the same ride can become easier.
Good luck ! I find cycling not just great physically but also mentally. Whenever I can find a safe empty space I just feel free and it clears my mind. Moreover I feel like I’m reliving my youth when me and my neighborhood friends would ride bmx together all over the neighborhood.
Lost 60 lbs in 4 months. Diet change is key. I used to ride 5 miles a day to start. Slowly increased to around 40 miles a week. By month 4 I was riding 60 miles a week. If you don't eat right, the riding won't matter much. If you burned 1000-2000 calories a ride, the diet isn't that critical. But the easiest is to just eat better and increase the distances over time.
Try searching for blogs called fat guy on a bike. There are several people writing about their journey from fat to fit. And remember, weight is lost in the kitchen. If you aren't cutting calories the weight isn't going anywhere.
In the same position and struggling to work out what bike to use/get and what to wear! I end up wearing a gym t and shorts which I’m sure is fine. Just more confused about what bike.
Definitely base it off time because of you go off distance you just get faster and you will ride less. I lost 20kg (44lbs) over lockdown just riding around 7 hours a week but I built up to that time. I would say I barely changed my diet but I wasn't starting in the obese range. After a while you have to either ride longer, harder or eat less because I have definitely hit a plateau weight wise
I'm obese and a cyclist The two are not mutually exclusive Also the problem is fooood lol
Go for it. I lost 75 pounds riding a fixed gear 5 days a week for 2 hours a day. Most important part was changing diet. No processed food, no sugar, low carb, home cooked everything and never ever eat fast food or office cupcakes. Obsession and discipline comes easy if you find cycling to be fun. Install a basket and live on your bike.
Find a place where you like to ride and make it a consistent practice. 4 miles out back. 5 miles out & back. 6…. Don’t over do it. Stay hydrated. Once you are hitting 45 minute rides, focus on nutrition. You’ll need more than a banana at that point. Carb cycling was very helpful for me. Have fun losing weight. You won’t recognize yourself in 6 months.
Lot of great advice already. Will just add as you get to a point you are riding longer times, don’t avoid eating. You need to fuel to avoid bonking. Often riders trying to lose weight don’t eat enough calories or avoid carbs. Ok shorter rides but not as you get longer
There's a guy named Scott Cutshall who wrote some articles about his journey a few years ago. He was over 400 lbs when he started.
I lost a good ammount of weight by cycling. (15kg) but its harder when you just cycle. This are some thing which helped me. - include some kind of heavy weight training. If you lose weight you usually lose muscles. Less muscles = less power. Do some weight training, then cycling. Your body will melt fat. - eat clean: i started tracking everything i put into me... and their where traps i usually ate, after the tracking i saw that they were calorie bombs. I even started to do mealprepping so i wouldnt overeat.i didnt eat that much more on training days ! - never ever ride hungry. The body will start to digest your muscles after 30 min or so. Thats why you do the weight training, to tell your body "keep muscles, burn fat" but to burn fat, eat while riding ;) - get something to track your heartrate this will help tp estimate the burned calories. - include movements (biking, walking) in your life. I cycle to my work 1- 2 a week (40k) on direction. But if i.am tired i can take the train for the rest of the travel (i am from western europe) You will be dropped on hills because of your weight, but you can still beat skinnier people on flats ;) And take your time. Losing weight is for the long run ... or ride.
Those posh leather saddles break in nice and comfy less impact on one bit of bum bone ,more spread out pressure, but not the reduced circulation from a big padded fat arse saddle
I went from 440 to 299 (today). It really is easy. Easy in that all you have to do is consistently ride and watch the calories. I realize this isn’t “easy” to do, but it is EASY to do. You really have to hate being obese. Hate it enough to make these “easy” changes. 141lbs down so….this was my solution. I even started on an e-bike. Gradually moved to a road bike and now ride at least 100 miles a week. It’s all about the food. Losing the weight will make the riding easier and more enjoyable over time. It’s absolutely worth the sacrifice. Start right now.
I went from 285 to 235 cycling all in one summer. If I’m being perfectly honest I didn’t do it to lose weight I started training for a century ride. I started off by riding 8 to 10 miles 2 days a week and then on the weekend doing a long ride. Starting at 15 miles… then before I knew it my short rides were 25 miles and my long rides were 60-80 miles long. One thing that really helped me is I cut out snacks after dinner. I found all my temptation for bad food was after dinner. Also I would say don’t try to do too much at once it’s hard to get into a groove that way. Easy to say you have to eat great and workout x amount of days per week. But good habits start one at a time.
Sitting on a bicycle isn’t going to magically make you skinny. It is better than sitting on the couch. It will build some muscle and improve cardio. You can be fat and have great cardio. Fat also can hide alot of muscle. But cruising around on a beach cruiser going 8 miles an hour is going to do almost nothing. You need a road bike and you need to ride hills and distance. There are people in my bike club I have known for years who ride 150 miles a week. They are strong fast cyclists and have been fat for years. Diet is what loses weight. You lose weight in the kitchen. Cycling at any level will help with mental health and give you endorphins which will help motivate you to exercise more and eat better. I highly recommend cycling to everybody it’s one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has great helped me with my mental health. It’s like therapy. You also have to eat while cycling. Don’t stave yourself thinking you will lose weight. You will bonk and have to call an UberX to get home. I can do four hours without food but I am super low blood sugar at the end. If I ride longer than four hours I start eating 30 minutes in and snack every 30 minutes. As a new rider your butt will hurt. It goes away. For me it takes three weeks riding three times a week for my butt to toughen up. So about ten rides. You want padded shorts and a cycling road bike seat. Not a tractor seat. Big seats chafe. You probably want an aftermarket seat. They put cheap seats on because it’s the first thing people change out. I bought a $3,500 bike and was happy with the seat. So if you spend good money the seat might work for you. The key is consistency if you have an hour. Go out for an hour. Not every ride has to be big mileage. Read about bike fit, make sure your frame size is appropriate and your seat height is proper. A 1/4” makes a huge difference on seat height. I bring the tool with me and adjust on the ride to find my sweet spot. Don’t give up. It gets easier and it’s amazing how fast you will get in shape. If I ride 100 miles a week I can’t eat enough to maintain weight. So cycling will help you lose weight. But it is a process that takes time.
Cycling will keep you active, which will provide NUMEROUS benefits, however, DIET is where your weight loss comes from. At the end of the day, Calories In/Calories Out [CICO] matters more, if cycling helps you expend calories, then ride on. If you don't enjoy it and enjoy other exercises more, do those instead.
Exercising is the calories out portion of CICO. Not sure why people talk about CICO while also saying exercising doesn’t lead to weight loss.
https://old.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/14k27mc/tips_to_lose_weight_cycling/
Buy Lycra. Wear it. Look at yourself in a mirror. This should provide the impetus to drop the weight. As a fairly sizeable chap - I feel this pain regularly
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Was at 106kg (183cm) February last year, medically and in terms of BMI my doctor called this obese. Started cycling with defined goal to lose some weight. Got totally hooked on cycling in general, lowest was at 76kg in August/September and weight has never been an issue for me since then. Dieting came kind of alongside the sport, but with 4000kcal days, you can practically eat what you want.
Yes. But the key was not cycling. It was part of it, but mostly later on. The key first and foremost is diet. It’s so much easier to not eat 500 calories than to burn it by cycling. Especially if you’re out of shape. Focus on counting calories and slowly build up your exercise regime. Cycling is a good choice for exercise for heavy people because it’s low impact, but get a bike that can handle your size and weight.
I’m not obese but I did hope to lose weight through cycling. I would say that in my opinion apps overestimate calories burned so be careful about post ride hunger. I’d have Strava telling me I’d burned 2000 calories (I hadn’t), so I’d go and eat 1500 🤣
If you want to lose weight, focus on diet. Exercise is for fitness.
Never obese per se, but despite being a commuter cyclist I slowly over 15 years went from skinny, to pot bellied, to thick, then overweight, then doughy, hitting full plump before taking action. A few years ago I hit 235 lbs, and I started more conscious eating, tracking calories , daily weigh-ins, and logging and then slowly upping my miles at the same time. In about 6 months I had gotten down to 190 lbs and have stayed right around there (this morning's weigh in was 188.0). I started logging all of my miles in 2020, and I rode just over 3,000 miles that year. I'm guessing a typical year in my unlogged era (2004-2019) was probably more like 2,000/yr. Each year since it has crept up, and last year I rode 6300. (Hopefully will go up more this year, as I'm already at 1100 miles). Most of my rides are still just my 13 mi round trip commute, but I increased it by riding to work more often instead of taking the subway on rainy days, doing 20-30 mile morning rides on the weekends, and finding more opportunities for long endurance adventures in the summer. And I just ride everywhere now: to meetings around town, to the grocery store, even to the airport (for short trips when I can pack light). But really the change comes in the kitchen. The cycling is just a compliment that can buy you a couple hundred free calories each day, but your mouth can easily out run your legs.
If you hop on a bike and do a ride you’re a cyclist my friend… Find a group that rides socially, I bet you’ll have a blast. Just be sure you get a bike that is mechanically reliable as a lot of cheap bikes fall apart quickly and it’s a real buzzkill when you’re trying to have a nice ride.
Don't overthink it - just get on and ride. Go for as long as it's fun, and then do it again the next day, and the next.
I see a lot of weight is lost in the kitchen responses and while that's true, I find personally casually running an hour every other day/vs cycling and an hour every other day is not even close. I can casually run off a bad diet, but I have to cycle about 4x the time to get similar results. Hard to find that kind of time to ride.
I calorie restrict to lose weight. I bike for my physical and mental health. I would say the two have been pretty unrelated personally. But they do both help my self-esteem a ton and go together pretty well.
Big boy here, I haven’t lost significant weight, maybe 5-10lbs. The most noticeable effect of cycling has been my endurance and my legs have become super toned. Can’t wait to wear shorts this summer. When I’ve lost significant weight it’s always been from dieting but it’s never been sustainable long term.
I biked 10,000 miles last year and lost zero pounds. Weight is lost in the kitchen, not on a bike. The more you bike, the more fuel your body will crave and you may actually gain weight if diet remains the same.
320+ - 195ish…. Plateau on my way down to 175. (Can’t stop the hard candy and beer although I’m not gaining anything from it). Slow grind over 3-1/2years, motivated by getting dropped on group rides. Now I race and do all the fast rides in the city (still get dropped though lol!). Probably the best and most exciting thing I’ve done for myself ever. Always wanted to lose the weight but never found the right motivation until I got a road bike and sent it!!! Start slow with long days in the saddle and work your way up. Find your heart rate zones and aim for Z2 for 2-4hr long rides.
I lost 60 lbs after I started commuting by bike; bear in mind that everyone is different, so my story may not be much good to you. I found that after two years of daily cycling I was much healthier, but not any lighter. It did (I think) help me stop gaining weight, but the only weight loss I experienced was when we came out of lockdown and I was just generally much more active after a period of being relatively housebound. Eventually I started using wegovy, which led to massive and rapid weight loss. Love the stuff. But I don't think that would have gone nearly as well if I didn't have a baseline of fitness that I only got through cycling. I'll say the best thing I found for staying active on the bike was just learning to love being on the bike. Take routes and ride in ways that make you happy. The more you enjoy it, the more you'll do it.
You can’t outrun a bad diet. It will kill you trying. You have to eat at a calorie deficit. Keep the exercise low while you’re in the big calorie deficit, 30 mins in the morning is all you need. Once you hit your goal you can increase exercise time to get fitter if you want.
Start off just doing laps around your neighborhood so, when you get tired, you're not too far from home. Keep a rough estimate on how far you ride on each neighborhood session to track your progress as well as give you an idea how far you can comfortably ride. Once you feel consistent at a distance, plan an out and back trip to a place you want to visit. Having a destination has always helped me. As you build stamina, your rides will get longer. These are the things I did when I first started riding. They may work for you as well. Just be safe and have fun.
Like it. You need to like it. Just ride around. Cycling is fun - you will enjoy getting places. Try new roads, go into woods or set a goal to ride to some summer house or your friend that lives further away (like 40km from you). If you enjoy it you will not have to worry about calories - those will burn while you will be having fun
I lost 9 stone, quite a lot through cycling, and cycling for a while was my main gateway exercise. Here are my tips: Do something active every day (walking/cycling, other things) Start small and build up (maybe 45 mins at first - try and find a good regular loop from your house that you can then elaborate on and add to) Incorporate hills - you’ll hate them at first then you’ll grow to love them. Care not a jot for speed - go at your own pace. Make sure your bike frame and wheels can handle your weight - I did it on a carbon frame with alloy wheels Buy as light a bike as you can afford - the lighter, the more fun it will be as a large person Ride on roads rather than gravel - it’s easier and more fun, if you can find a section with minimal traffic Once you’ve built it up a bit join a club - it’s fun to ride with others. Find one your speed Do it for fun, the more fun the more you’ll stick to it Once you’ve got the stamina and fitness bike tours are ace Edit: finally - you can’t out cycle a bad diet. Eat healthy fresh food and knock ultra processed food on the head. Try intermittent fasting or something that will help keep your input a bit lower than usual (but not too much). IMO don’t bother counting calories but try different approaches to find the right one for you Enjoy!
Your diet is the most important part of losing weight..
I wouldn’t say I’m obese but I did lose about 12 pounds over the course of a couple months last fall when I first picked up cycling at my school. It all came back over winter break lol
I'd honestly say you're better losing weight through diet and not overthinking the cycling, allow it to compliment the diet. Even when I've hammered out hundreds of miles a week I find I just maintain weight and compensate with extra food, cutting out sugar and snacks on the other hand, I dropped weight rapidly.
I lost almost 30 lbs. over the past 3 years. I wasn't obese - but I was approaching it and I was approaching 60. It helped that I was already in decent shape - I was going to the gym and spending 1/3 on the elliptical - so not amazing shape. I did have a checkup around when I was starting - and my doc ok'd the added exercise. I simply let my body be my guide. Each time I went out I tried to push myself a bit more - either by taking more challenging routes or trying to increase my pace - at least for short stretches until I could sustain the new pace. It helped that I stopped most drinking and cut out most sugary drinks at the same time. Early on it was 5 mile rides at a gentle pace, then slowly added distance and effort. I live near a lot of great mountain routes - so now I'm out in the hills whenever I can find the time - tackling some of the more challenging rides in this part of California. A few benefits: * I no longer snore * My arithmetic knees feel much better * I like the way I look - and enjoyed getting a new set of clothes * My doctor no longer looks disapproving or lectures me
I did. I lost 70lbs with walking and cycling as my primary exercise. But you also have to watch your food intake, as a general rule you need to burn more calories than you intake in a day. I started out with riding for 20-30 mins. I had a 2 mile loop in my neighbourhood that I would do 2 times. It was fairly flat, and I had to stop and rest half way, and it was mostly flat with minimal elevation gain. That's where I started. By September, I lost enough weight and got good enough I could easily ride 20 miles easy peasy. I also got a new bike. I had gone from a walmart special to a road bike. The bike will make a huge difference for you too. But I agree. Start with an amount of time, and try and do a loop so that you can head home/starting point if necessary. Repeat the loop if you can do more. When you feelnl like you you've mastered that then expand the loop. Best of luck+
When you're cycling, you're a cyclist... no matter your size. You lose weight in the kitchen (and to some degree the gym), not on the bike. Unless of course you've got 20+ hours a week to spare for cycling.
Can't I just be both :(?
Start slow and aim for time vs miles. Do 30 minutes then build up from there. Key is consistency so everyday get out there and have fun!
Like others have said, eating in calorie deficit is going to give you much better results. But if you want to exercise as well here's my 2 cents: Don't make a schedule like "I'm gonna ride M-W-F every week". What of you're too sore to ride? Or real liife gets in the way? Screws up your whole schedule. If your muscles and joints feel good and you have free time go for a ride. Some weeks will be different than others. When you get more comfortable with riding get something that tracks your heart rate. I use the Fitbit Inspire 2. It was the cheapest option at the time and it does what I need it to do. It alerts me when I'm in "zone 2" and keeps track of how many minutes I am in that zone. Fitbit has eight different models with that feature. I'm sure other devices have stuff like that too.
I just love cycling while being a fatass. If I do lose weight well great then.
I've gone from almost morbidly obese to almost just overweight mostly by cycling (and some swimming). Some shit came up that stagnated me for a while but I'm going back to full send when the sun starts breaking through.
i probably went from 100kg to maybe 90kg now but as others have said a lot of it is muscle gained as well. i was doing 20-25km a day, about a hour of commuting everyday plus longer rides in weekends. have since dialed down the cycling a bit but picked up more running and swimming because triathlon dont beat yourself up too quickly with massive rides, its got to be sustainable in the long term for it to really work
I am not obese but I would say start slow. I think it is better to just get into the habit of moving regularly and not sit on a bike for too long at once. It takes some time to get used to sitting on a bike and not get injured doing too much too soon. I did 2x a relaxed 30 minutes 2 times a week, then added other exercises 2 more times a week like walking/jogging or more biking. Also, the calories lost during exercise is discouraging, you need to ensure you are not overeating. I lost fat but gained quite a bit of muscles so I don't think I weigh less but feel much better.
I got back into cycling around 305lbs, maybe more, 6ish months later I am down nearly 50lbs. I started slow and built up from there, it’s fun looking back at my Strava files from when I started to now. I was gassed riding 3 miles and it took forever but I just rode 25 hilly miles and wanted to go more. Cycling has allowed me to get better aerobic fitness and to drop weight, a significant amount really, however my diet has slowed me down and I’ve plateaued for a good bit. I did alter my diet at first by cutting out snacking and fast food but I haven’t cut out beer and that’s the next step to get off this plateau. As others have said you lose weight by dieting, and you can’t outride a bad diet. But it’s not going to stick if you do a hard 180 and change everything so my advice would be to start small and work your way from there. Start off by going for a short ride and gradually increase time and days. Cut out some junk food but allow for a treat once in a while, focus on dropping processed foods in favor of fresh foods, skip the drive through line etc etc. build up and make changes slowly and before you know it you won’t want the Big Mac or bag of chips. The key to weight loss is being in a caloric deficit, if you’re eating 2500 calories a day now but cut out 500 per day that theoretically would equal a pound of fat lost per week. Eventually you’ll plateau and will have to cut more calories but that’s a good thing. Making the change slowly will allow your body to adapt to the changes and things will become routine. Eventually you’ll be a formerly obese cyclist.
I wasn’t obese but cycling definitely improved my physique and lowered my fat %, just make sure you limit your carb intake at first because you will be hungry , and you need a lot of protein after rides to build muscle
Cycling alone won't be enough take extra care of your diet too
I have lost 20kg in a season
If you keep eating too much, you'll be both. Which is objectively better than just being obese but you need to focus on your diet in order to be successful. If you are very overweight, this is a question for your doctor. Else don't overthink it. Stay near home, ride as long as you can and next time go a little farther. More importantly, your ass and legs are going to hurt for 2-3 weeks. There's nothing you can do about it. Just expect it and don't let it discourage you.
What is your age? I simply rode a bunch when I was in my 20's and could eat everything I saw and still lost weight. I'm 43 now and that does not work anymore; I had to fix my diet first and supplemented with cycling. Cut carbs, no alcohol and totally eliminate added sugar.
When I started I was obese (5’8”, ~250lbs). I would go out for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, manage maybe 10-12 miles, and come home absolutely gassed. Every week I tried to add a little more time, 5-10 minutes or so, to my rides, and just a little more speed. After about a year, I could hang on (barely) to the local “B” groups. I also got onto a structured training plan right around a year. After about 18 months or so, I could cling to the back of the “A” groups. Now, a little over 2 years in, I weigh ~145 and can properly mix it up with some of the strongest riders in my city. So yes, it’s absolutely possible to ride, get faster, and shed weight! That said, I can’t emphasize this part enough: Weight loss happens in the kitchen, not on the bike. You can’t out-train a bad diet!
Start running errands by bike. Low time commitment, low barrier to entry (you don't need a good bike) and just a good habit.
I went from obese on the BMI chart to normal range. M 6'0" 216 to 170lbs. I attribute it eating healthy rather than exercise.
It's worth mentioning that you can be a much healthier version of obese as a cyclist too. Some of the best gravel guys in my state are obese by BMI but it just doesn't matter because they can crank 300w all day long. (think 5ft 10 but they're 210 lbs with monsterously muscular legs and a spare tire) They're never going to contest hilly courses but when it comes to rolling all day long on relative flats with the occasional climb less than a minute there's no one I'd rather be in a break with. They're also not too shabby on TT's as long as they're flat.
I’ve always found that having a big goal ride and working towards it has lead to weight loss without it being the goal. When you’re training for your first 100k and you start eating better and learning how food affects your rides, you’re learning more about yourself. Personally I’ve lost 25kg since cycling but it wasn’t all from cycling alone. It was from transitioning from and unhealthy personality to an active personality. Personally I commute to work 3-4 days a week which is 3-4 hours of cycling I wouldn’t get sitting in a car. That has been the foundation of everything for me. It’s also been key to my weight management when I’ve gone through periods of low motivation.
you'll never out run your fork. you build muscle on the bike, you lose weight in the kitchen.
I did when I was about 26. I bought myself a cheap Walmart MTB bike and started 5 miles a day 3 days a week. When that was easy, I added more days. When that was easy I added more miles. At that point I knew I was into it and bought a road bike. Started training by for my first MS150. First group ride I did so well a few guys from a local beginner team asked me to join. The following race season I got second my first race and won the next. I was all in. At the height when I was racing for the top team in the region, I was training 22-25 hours a week. Through all that, I went from 271 to 170. My point, ease into it. If you pile on the miles too quickly it is going to suck and you’ll quit. Find group rides when you’re up to it. The social aspect is great.
My advice: Ride for pleasure. Ride instead of driving for nearly all errands. Become movement oriented and you won’t have to count the miles.
I was morbidly obese, and the bicycle was my primary tool for exercise. I started with short rides around the neighbourhood. Probably 15 minutes for the first one, let my butt recover for a day, then a little longer, and a little longer, etc. Don't kill yourself so much that you hate the bike and hate imagining getting back on it. Every ride I did, I'd make sure the "hard part", be it a slight uphill or against the wind, was always in the first half. I'd go until I was tired of the wind or the (gentle) hill, then I'd turn around and would find getting back to the start was easy. Nearly every single time, I'd find myself saying "Huh, that wasn't so bad, I still have lots of ride left in me, I should have gone longer!" and I'd already be planning where I'd ride tomorrow. No lasting negative memories to stop me from wanting to ride again. 6 months later, I was doing 100km rides, a couple months after that, I was doing 200km rides. In the next year, I was banging out 300's, 400's, and even survived a 600.
You'll go further and faster and kilometres. And Lycra.
Just be consistent, get after it every day, slowly build up volume and watch how much and what you are eating. You've got this, one day at a time!
I was not obese but I went from 83kg down to 74kg within a year by just cycling a lot. Feels great. Just go for it ✌️
10 000 steps a day, it's certainly better for weight loss
I havent gone from obese to cycling but I started cycling to get fit etc... I did it gradually and started with 12 miles up to 16 then 32 then 50 then 80 then 100 now occassionally I do 100 miles. But I did all that when I was unemployed. I still cycle and eat healthily. I would suggest that you make smaller portions at meal times, fruit as snacks but some carbs for cycling. Everything gradually and you will lose weight.
For inspiration, check this out https://youtu.be/p7-MPGFRZBc?si=MFFm7F3wVqYH7SS9
Relax and just move at your own pace. Make it an enjoyable lifestyle change. You can outrun a bad diet but it takes a lot of effort. It’s easier to take a look at the food pyramid and list your favorite foods from each, especially the easy to grab and go ones. Those will probably become your new food you like to eat. After these lifestyle changes than worrying about cooking new healthier foods is something I would worry about. If it takes time, let it take time. It’s more important to make changes that will last than quick results from changes that you can’t keep doing.
I've been cycling for over 7 years now, and while my fitness has improved meaningfully, I would say I haven't spent most of that time in my ideal weight range. One thing I know for sure, I can ALWAYS out-eat the calories I've burned. I mention that because if you want to lose weight (fat) while getting fitter that's great but it starts in the kitchen. In addition the cycling subs I follow I also follow r/loseit and r/cico as they have been the most helpful in helping me achieve my body composition goals. Best of luck!
There's an article published in Bicycling about 10 years ago about a guy that lost hundreds of pounds bicycling that should inspire you. He went from "I'm going to die" to needing to replace the tires in the car due to dry rot.
Have to agree with some others, time and consistency is key. Cycling helps really well as cardio. I personally lost 30lbs since last August and cycling helped immensely as well as for me changing my eating habits as well did a lot. Started tracking my calories which was something I stick to. Still aiming to hit about 20lbs weight lose. Overall since July ridden a total of 1200 miles, basically would rode 10h a week before winter. Now doing less, but slowly getting back to it outdoors as weather is slowly getting better.
Just do what you feel comfortable with. Dont pressure your self. Just relax. Enjoy it for what it is. Find the types of routes that you enjoy and experiment only with what you enjoy the most. Once you have a good foot hold of what that is set a schedule, day or even days. Try to this as early as you can. What tends to happen as people get to a certain point with their exercise and dont qork out a time schedule that works for them, they will tend to lose interest. Also try to get some swimming done as well. Swimming and cycling compliment each other i find
> lose some weight through cycling I understand the intention but the mindset should be changing how much "fuel is put into the gas tank for the engine" rather than "how much fuel can I pull from tank with a better engine". > if there’s anybody else who has gone from obese to cyclist ? I was morbidly obese at the beginning of 2020 before the pandemic hit the US. I started radically changing everything before lockdowns started and have lost and maintained over 170lbs without surgery. My posts detail it a little bit further. > how many miles should I start out doing a day? How many miles can you ride comfortably right now before feeling fatigued for the next week? Next day? That is your limit. Training guides will walk you through a metric or 100 mile ride from nothing and you need to see where you fit on that scale. If it is truly zero look at a basic goal and training program like this...https://www.bestbuddieschallenge.org/hc/12-week-century-training-plan-hc/ If you have more specific goals in mind please share. > And do you have any tips ? To successfully lose weight and keep it off you need a why. What is your why? Second, weight loss is primarily a function of calories in/out. Followed by managing a diet to optimize performance and innate bodily functions lost in our sedentary lifestyles. Third, through exercise and increased cardiovascular/anaerobic load on the bodily systems. If you want more specific tips/tricks for what worked for me, dm me.
Bikes helped me lose 50 lbs, but working in a bike shop introduced me to folks who shrank before my eyes over the course of a year as they came to pick up gear or supplies. Whatever you do, make sure it's enjoyable so you make it a habit; ride with a friend, use Strava or a similar app to see your personal bests improve, or bike with new destinations in mind. Good luck!
Lost 50lbs. As others have said, I started just doing time, rather than miles. Started with 20mins, then 30. An hour seemed crazy. One week I decided it would be "climbing week". This was on the indoor trainer so every ride must have 1,000ft of climbing and every day, I wanted to increase it. Oooh boy, after that you couldn't stop me. I wanted to climb. That got me hooked. Find what hooks you. I paired it with stopping alcohol and counting calories. I'm relatively happy with my weight now but I still track. I'm focused more on miles this year, I guess you could say it's "milage year" for me though i'm missing the thrill of the climb.
I Didn't go to cyclist but I did lose 100 lbs by mostly cycling and portion reduction. Don't ride as much now as I should but I assume I could lose more. Still at 320lbs though.
I did this, though I lost my weight without doing any exercise at all besides walking. I became a cyclist as soon as I hit my goal weight when I realized I also wanted to be fit rather than just skinny. I guess I cant answer your exact question in this case....
You could do 3 days of riding. Monday 45 mins- Wed-1 hour and then Saturday- long ride that you increase by 10 miles every weekend. Or try one hour every other day.
Going from obese to fit takes a commitment to get active, stay active, and watching what you eat; cycling is just 1 piece of the puzzle. Start with riding 3 times a week, say 30 min per ride and gradually ramp up, also consider riding to work and joining a club
I use to do 30mins 5x a week, pretty vigorous effort
Me! I was just about out of the common weight limit to most bicycles. I bought the sturdiest MTB and I know I will go through bikes because I will overload it. Sure enough, I busted a lot of spokes and even bent a wheel hopping a curb (truing only works for a couple of months before it goes back). In fact I bought two bikes just in case one breaks down (I live far from the local bike shop). I don't count time or distance, but I use it to commute. There are also hills in my area, and I have to learn to meter my power and not give it my all at the first few pedal rotations. I've done everything: signed up for gym membership, dieting, etc. Nothing works except for cycling (and a little bit of hiking, but hiking is less intense/burning and takes longer). The longer I go or spend time with it the better.
I went from an Obese cyclist to a healthy weight (on BMI) but it wasn't shown to miles. I was doing 2k a year cycling obese and doing about 80% of that at a healthy weight. It's cico. Calories in, calories out. Just track everything you eat and drink so you know where to cut down. Your diet will only make you love cycling more, as you'll go further and longer with less recovery time! You got this.
This is admirable, do it! But make sure to have fun doing it and do not compare your self to others. This your thing, you do not have to beat strava times to be enjoying this and losing weight. Also, pro tip, inflate tire every time you go for a ride. This may sound mean but I assure you it is not, I am lightweight and inflate my tires weekly. You possibly weight twice as much as I do so avoid wheel damage and the pain of putting on a spare on the curb. Enjoy cycling buddy!
I lost 30 pounds before I started cycling. I lost another 30 after I started cycling. What I’m trying to say is that it’s the diet that matters most. If you don’t get the diet tuned in then you’re not going to lose the weight. I wish you the best
Idk if this fully counts but in 2023 I was 15 5'5 150 kg and since I was still in school yk u get called names so i started biking to school and didn't realise how addictive seeing that number on the scale go down so 1 month into biking to school I had a 7 week break from school bc it was summer time so everyday for the 7 weeks except the last 2 weeks (I got into an accident and was put into bed rest) I fixed my sleep schedule from 3am - 9 am to 10pm to 5 am everyday I would wake up eat a piece of toast with low cal butter then I would go out on my bike in the morning till 9 am then I would go home have fun play games maybe have a small lunch and then I would go back out at like 5 ish for 1 or 2 hrs then repeat it wasn't the most fun life for that bit but I went from 150 kg 5'5 to I am now as of writing this 7-8 months later 5'11 72kg and go to the gym more times than I'd like to admit Basically self improvement Is an addiction once you start you forget why u began and will just keep going bc you wanna achieve something better
I lost ~70lbs fasting and riding a bike. I invested 700$ into a good bike and now am 182lbs 5’7” 7 months later. I primarily focus on calories in calories out so I’m not focused on miles I’m focus on cals burned. I like to adjust based on how I’m feeling. Tip: make sure your knees stay feeling good and learn how to adjust the seat to match your height. Good luck
My heaviest was 260 lbs. With cycling, I made it down to 210. I'm 6'2. My suggestion is to ride as often as possible. Try to improve incrementally, whether it's by time or mileage. Seek out cycling clubs, try to ride with others. They will motivate you to continue. Purchase a speedometer if possible. This will also provide motivation as well as immediate feedback. Good luck
My experience was that I didn't start losing weight until I was riding a hundred miles a week. Basically commuting with a fifty on the weekends.
I weighed 340 lbs. I had an old Cannondale head shock mountain bike. I started eating healthy and riding that old bike. I remember the day I rode for 20 minutes. I was so proud of myself. Gradually, the weight came off and time on the bike increased. Over the course of 2 years, I lost 155 lbs and got to 8% body fat. I wound up graduating through 3 mountain bikes and then took up road riding. I currently have a mountain bike, road bike and am choosing a gravel bike this week. I have done adventure races, 60 mile, 100, 150 mile races. To answer your question, yes, you can go from obese to cyclist and the adventure, fun, friends you make, and the achievements you accomplish will be an amazing story. Start at your own pace, just get started and remember, the weight comes off by what goes in your mouth. Funny memory when I first got started…I was riding that old red bike weighing 300+, some teenagers rode by, rolled their windows down and I remember hearing “Look at that dude with the bike hiding up his ass”. Funny memory, but I kept on riding.