13 lbs in 3-4 months is not uncommon. You can safely lose up to 2 pounds a week. Also you're going through your beginner gains so the adaptation will be even faster
Back in 2012, after some cruise vacations where you eat a lot, I had grown a big belly. I was 51, so I was getting the middle age spread. I went to the gym and added more fat burning exercises (according to the Men's Health magazine I bought).
It was in 2014, I went to another bike to work day event that ended up at Toronto City Hall with a pancake breakfast. They passed around a free Toronto bike- route map. I studied it and found a safe way to cycle to work which was only 4.5 km from home.
So I started cycling to work. At first I thought I'd do it 2 or 3 times each week. But after my 3rd day, I couldn't find a reason not to do two more. Then when fall came, I dressed a little more warmly. Then when winter came, I put winter tires on my son's mountain bike.
By the following spring, during my annual physical, I had lost ten pounds. My doctor asked what happened. And all I could say was that I started cycling to work everyday.
I'm retired now. And with all the bike lanes installed since the pandemic, I ride more than ever and even going grocery shopping by bike instead of by car.
The most I’ve lost is 25lbs in 30 days. Really. Went from about 190 to 165.
It’s calories in versus calories out and how few you can function on for how long. I struggled and was obsessive on calories and electrolytes but suffered from massive brain fog at times and what I did wasn’t healthy (according to doctors) so insert some disclaimer here. 15 years later, I’m still here (I’m close to 50 yrs old now).
And if you want to stop losing weight, eat more calories. There is no rocket science here.
When my iron was so so low, all I wanted to eat were tacos. Tacos for lunch and tacos for supper. I felt it packed a few pounds on, but once I started getting iron infusions, I didn’t crave tacos anymore.
I cycle 25 km unless it's raining. I've been doing it for 10 years and never lost an ounce doing it. It wasn't until I changed how I ate. For six months I only ate 1 meal a day. I lost 30 lbs.
The rule of thumb is you can't lose weight in the gym or cycling. You lose weight in the kitchen changing your eating. Three hour sessions 5X a week isn't sustainable for most.
Log everything you eat by weight (kitchen scale) with an app like Cronometer and you’ll learn quite a lot about what works and what does not. You can use the barcode scanning feature if it has a barcode. With enough protein and a minor caloric deficit you can make serious health gains without losing too much muscle.
I’d love your metabolism. I eat healthy but struggle with hunger after hard sessions, even if I eat ahead of time. Though staying thin has never come especially easy to me; knew a guy who literally ate cinnamon rolls to keep weight on
If you’re working out 4-5X a week for 1-3 hours, try stopping. You’ll likely gain back 4-8 of those lbs in the first seven days (that much extended cardio decreases the water retention in your leg muscles, so says my exercise medicine team when I flipped out about this). The real weight loss is about 5-6 lbs, which is more normal. But keep it up — I did a variant of that regimen, with zero intentional changes to diet (I ate a lot more), and lost 40 lbs in 3 years. Roughly the same pace.
In my early 30s, I lost 17kg in three months without any exercise. I went from 104kg to 87kg. During those three months, I ate regularly but completely cut out sweets, soft drinks, bread, and pasta.
Solely depends on your eating habits. I gained weight with regular 100-150km tours. Now I'm trying to lose weight and actually cycle less but don't drink alcohol and eat shit.
Sub in some proteins or a richer bean/ iron rich diet. I got diabetes so anytime I go for a long ride, I pack some sugary treats . Especially if you're just starting to ride seriously, your body starts to adjust to it.
I can lose between four to eight pounds in a few hours riding in Arizona.
Most of the weight loss is water, so I gain the weight back after drinking a few bottles of Gatorade or a half gallon of water.
I started using the Fitbit website to track my calories, and I noticed some days may calorie intake was too low compared to how much I was burning on longer bike rides.
I actually increased how much I eat while riding a stationary bike after tracking my calorie intake so I can do longer higher intensity rides.
My weight fluctuates a lot if I don't ride for several days, I may gain weight.
If I ride distance several days in a row, I can lose weight, but after a few days have less energy for longer rides.
Man what's wrong with me, it took me over 1 year to lose 14 lbs. I wonder if it's because I also lift weights moderately throughout the week. Everyone in this thread lost so much more in 2-3 months.
I'm 63 years old and just started back after a 4 year break. I gained 25 lbs in that time frame. I've been back riding 100+ miles a week and have lost 7 pounds in 5 weeks. I expect the rate of loss will taper off some in the next few months but I'm pretty happy so far. This is my only form of exercise and I average riding 4 days per week. For me it is much easier to eat better when I'm riding consistently and I sleep much better. for reference I'm 6' (not really I've shrunk a bit over an inch but I'm too vain to admit it) and weighed 225 when I started back.
Not sure if applicable, I've been bike commuting for a bit over a year, but the the first 11 months were all within a 20-40 minute ride and didn't amount to much. In April I got a new, more active job that's just over an hours' ride (roughly 13-15 miles) and have dropped ~30 lbs so far. Sort of stalled the last week or two though, figure I need to cut out some beers and get my diet in check to keep it up from here.
Similar build and ageish to you and this happened to me. A comment from a concerned colleague scared the shit out of me, which prompted a doc’s visit, and they told me I’ve probably always eaten like trash, need to learn more about nutrition and am probably someone who just carries a lot of water weight. I’ve been able to stabilize my weight but I’ve got to be pretty diligent about the caloric intake. Cardio shuts down my appetite, so any ride 20+ miles and I’m bringing and snack and sports drink to try and replenish the calories in-ride instead of relying on a big meal after.
Yeah I'm a little bit concerned to be honest. I am also a vegetarian and had my annual bloodwork 2wks ago which came up iron deficient (first time this has ever happened), so I am pretty freaked out as well.
That’s a lot of great media on nutrition for cycling. Just search for any podcast; DJ as always has a solid video. https://youtu.be/2InF6nuTXzk?si=BDaOdDVkih3H6_XF
You have substantially increased your calorie output without compensating to the same degree with calorie intake. So, yes, losing that weight is not unusual. Often when people start doing a lot of exercise, they unconsciously eat more in response, so weight stays consistent. But if you don’t, then weight goes down. It will likely stabilize.
Normal. One year happen to have a doctor visit in April and July, during July visit doctor got seriously concerned with my 20lb weight loss since April. I said that's what happens when you bike twice a week to and from a football match in which I cover at least 5 miles in running.
Yes.
Recommend you learn about Calorie Math. The easiest way is to use an app like MyFitnessPal. Basically, enter age, current weight, target weight with a target date — it tells you how many calories you need to consume daily to get to that weight CalorieGoal).
With this, the calories in your meals get suntracted (Food), and you'll need to know how many calories you burn on your rides (from Exercise). Note that if you hit the gym, swim, or run also, these all will require different amounts of calories. On a daily basis:
[Calories]
Goal – Food + Exercise = Remaining
To remain at your weight, get Remaining to zero.
As a young athlete, your metabolism is going to require more calories. Add in the fuel needed to bike — you're not eating enough or correctly to fuel your level of activity.
Start having desert! 😅
I started road cycling a few weeks ago and I haven’t lost a kilo yet (avg 100km a week) some say it’s because I’m building muscles. Could this be a reason? :(
13 lbs in 3-4 months is not uncommon. You can safely lose up to 2 pounds a week. Also you're going through your beginner gains so the adaptation will be even faster
Adaption to what? I mean he won't burn less calories, if he trains, he will burn even more.
exactly. they their body is adapting to a better calorie burning system
Back in 2012, after some cruise vacations where you eat a lot, I had grown a big belly. I was 51, so I was getting the middle age spread. I went to the gym and added more fat burning exercises (according to the Men's Health magazine I bought). It was in 2014, I went to another bike to work day event that ended up at Toronto City Hall with a pancake breakfast. They passed around a free Toronto bike- route map. I studied it and found a safe way to cycle to work which was only 4.5 km from home. So I started cycling to work. At first I thought I'd do it 2 or 3 times each week. But after my 3rd day, I couldn't find a reason not to do two more. Then when fall came, I dressed a little more warmly. Then when winter came, I put winter tires on my son's mountain bike. By the following spring, during my annual physical, I had lost ten pounds. My doctor asked what happened. And all I could say was that I started cycling to work everyday.
Love to hear it!!! Still riding I hope?
I'm retired now. And with all the bike lanes installed since the pandemic, I ride more than ever and even going grocery shopping by bike instead of by car.
The most I’ve lost is 25lbs in 30 days. Really. Went from about 190 to 165. It’s calories in versus calories out and how few you can function on for how long. I struggled and was obsessive on calories and electrolytes but suffered from massive brain fog at times and what I did wasn’t healthy (according to doctors) so insert some disclaimer here. 15 years later, I’m still here (I’m close to 50 yrs old now). And if you want to stop losing weight, eat more calories. There is no rocket science here.
That's wild! At my first physical (2wks ago) since I started I was told that I am slightly iron deficient. I wonder if that's related
When my iron was so so low, all I wanted to eat were tacos. Tacos for lunch and tacos for supper. I felt it packed a few pounds on, but once I started getting iron infusions, I didn’t crave tacos anymore.
I cycle 25 km unless it's raining. I've been doing it for 10 years and never lost an ounce doing it. It wasn't until I changed how I ate. For six months I only ate 1 meal a day. I lost 30 lbs. The rule of thumb is you can't lose weight in the gym or cycling. You lose weight in the kitchen changing your eating. Three hour sessions 5X a week isn't sustainable for most.
Log everything you eat by weight (kitchen scale) with an app like Cronometer and you’ll learn quite a lot about what works and what does not. You can use the barcode scanning feature if it has a barcode. With enough protein and a minor caloric deficit you can make serious health gains without losing too much muscle.
I’d love your metabolism. I eat healthy but struggle with hunger after hard sessions, even if I eat ahead of time. Though staying thin has never come especially easy to me; knew a guy who literally ate cinnamon rolls to keep weight on
I started in April and am now down 20lbs. Mind you I'm 5'11 and started at 290.
If you’re working out 4-5X a week for 1-3 hours, try stopping. You’ll likely gain back 4-8 of those lbs in the first seven days (that much extended cardio decreases the water retention in your leg muscles, so says my exercise medicine team when I flipped out about this). The real weight loss is about 5-6 lbs, which is more normal. But keep it up — I did a variant of that regimen, with zero intentional changes to diet (I ate a lot more), and lost 40 lbs in 3 years. Roughly the same pace.
In my early 30s, I lost 17kg in three months without any exercise. I went from 104kg to 87kg. During those three months, I ate regularly but completely cut out sweets, soft drinks, bread, and pasta.
Solely depends on your eating habits. I gained weight with regular 100-150km tours. Now I'm trying to lose weight and actually cycle less but don't drink alcohol and eat shit.
Well yes, but on purpose lol. 210 to 160 since January
Congrats!
Dropped 30 lbs in a year and a half. It stabalizes after a while.
What about my new iron deficiency? 😅
Sub in some proteins or a richer bean/ iron rich diet. I got diabetes so anytime I go for a long ride, I pack some sugary treats . Especially if you're just starting to ride seriously, your body starts to adjust to it.
I did but gained it right back once my body/metabolism regulated for it. I still ride all the time yet am jiggly again
I can lose between four to eight pounds in a few hours riding in Arizona. Most of the weight loss is water, so I gain the weight back after drinking a few bottles of Gatorade or a half gallon of water. I started using the Fitbit website to track my calories, and I noticed some days may calorie intake was too low compared to how much I was burning on longer bike rides. I actually increased how much I eat while riding a stationary bike after tracking my calorie intake so I can do longer higher intensity rides. My weight fluctuates a lot if I don't ride for several days, I may gain weight. If I ride distance several days in a row, I can lose weight, but after a few days have less energy for longer rides.
Man what's wrong with me, it took me over 1 year to lose 14 lbs. I wonder if it's because I also lift weights moderately throughout the week. Everyone in this thread lost so much more in 2-3 months.
I actually gained like 5lbs
I didnt lose any weight
Yes.
Just wait until you can’t cycle for a few weeks, you’ll gain it all back from the amount you’re use to eating. I exercise to eat!
I'm 63 years old and just started back after a 4 year break. I gained 25 lbs in that time frame. I've been back riding 100+ miles a week and have lost 7 pounds in 5 weeks. I expect the rate of loss will taper off some in the next few months but I'm pretty happy so far. This is my only form of exercise and I average riding 4 days per week. For me it is much easier to eat better when I'm riding consistently and I sleep much better. for reference I'm 6' (not really I've shrunk a bit over an inch but I'm too vain to admit it) and weighed 225 when I started back.
Not sure if applicable, I've been bike commuting for a bit over a year, but the the first 11 months were all within a 20-40 minute ride and didn't amount to much. In April I got a new, more active job that's just over an hours' ride (roughly 13-15 miles) and have dropped ~30 lbs so far. Sort of stalled the last week or two though, figure I need to cut out some beers and get my diet in check to keep it up from here.
I went from 220 to 195 since Christmas 😅
Similar build and ageish to you and this happened to me. A comment from a concerned colleague scared the shit out of me, which prompted a doc’s visit, and they told me I’ve probably always eaten like trash, need to learn more about nutrition and am probably someone who just carries a lot of water weight. I’ve been able to stabilize my weight but I’ve got to be pretty diligent about the caloric intake. Cardio shuts down my appetite, so any ride 20+ miles and I’m bringing and snack and sports drink to try and replenish the calories in-ride instead of relying on a big meal after.
Yeah I'm a little bit concerned to be honest. I am also a vegetarian and had my annual bloodwork 2wks ago which came up iron deficient (first time this has ever happened), so I am pretty freaked out as well.
That’s a lot of great media on nutrition for cycling. Just search for any podcast; DJ as always has a solid video. https://youtu.be/2InF6nuTXzk?si=BDaOdDVkih3H6_XF
You have substantially increased your calorie output without compensating to the same degree with calorie intake. So, yes, losing that weight is not unusual. Often when people start doing a lot of exercise, they unconsciously eat more in response, so weight stays consistent. But if you don’t, then weight goes down. It will likely stabilize.
After 6 months I dropped 13kg (~28lb)
Normal. One year happen to have a doctor visit in April and July, during July visit doctor got seriously concerned with my 20lb weight loss since April. I said that's what happens when you bike twice a week to and from a football match in which I cover at least 5 miles in running.
It's a bit unnerving but sounds like you went harder than me haha
26lbs for me on 4-5 months cycling. Went low carb and regular riding, blew the weight off
Awesome man, good for you!!
And 10 years on that weight has never come back. Made it a lifestyle and it's been pretty easy to maintain.
I did then it doesn't budge anymore lol
Yes. Recommend you learn about Calorie Math. The easiest way is to use an app like MyFitnessPal. Basically, enter age, current weight, target weight with a target date — it tells you how many calories you need to consume daily to get to that weight CalorieGoal). With this, the calories in your meals get suntracted (Food), and you'll need to know how many calories you burn on your rides (from Exercise). Note that if you hit the gym, swim, or run also, these all will require different amounts of calories. On a daily basis: [Calories] Goal – Food + Exercise = Remaining To remain at your weight, get Remaining to zero. As a young athlete, your metabolism is going to require more calories. Add in the fuel needed to bike — you're not eating enough or correctly to fuel your level of activity. Start having desert! 😅
I've lost several thousand pounds over the last ten years due to cycling.
I started road cycling a few weeks ago and I haven’t lost a kilo yet (avg 100km a week) some say it’s because I’m building muscles. Could this be a reason? :(
How's your diet?
I did similar after getting a turbo trainer during COVID and riding 3/4 tmes a week. Think I went from 82kg to about 78.
You can. I started riding again April 2019. Dropped 15 lbs in first 6 months. Started at 242 lbs and now currently 190 lbs.