New to cycling to lose weight

[Randysnyc]

Just purchased a Rad Rover electric bike to aid in weight lose and getting in better shape. Im 42. 6'0 280 lbs and appreciate any advice. I bought this bike for the peddle assist that helps me at least so far. The bike is quite heavy but ive started with 3 miles at a time at 12 to 14 miles and hours.

Once again any advice appreciated.

 

[Shalem'sDad]

Hey there!, I just registered here on the site and this is my first comment.
I'll probably need to learn how to articulate my comments over time but I had to reply to this, because I actually have experience with it lol.
Little back story, growing up I never in a million years thought I'd be cycling! Then I lost my license and got a motorized bike.. I used it for a 6 mile round trip to work and back for a year, and now to the point I would have been better off using it to do curls to lose weight. Darn things are heavy. Now if you have some good hills, even bunny hills, as long as you put everything you got into going as fast as you can on that heavy ass bike it will probably help you lose some of that weight. I didn't enjoy pedaling that thing at all and the motor made enough noise for people to notice the assist and it was embarrassing to me. So all in all my experience with the motorized bike was awful. Maybe you have a newer and nicer one though.
Well around 5 years later now I got me a road bike, it was probably a month and a half ago when I got it. I love that thing. I've put around 400km on it already. Well 2 different ones. I bought a 1993 trek 1100 all original off Facebook for $30, although it was too small for me and I had lots of trouble shifting gears bc they are on the frame. Wrecked twice, once going up a hill on a dark highway with no lights, was inches from my head getting smashed, had to be an act of God that they saw me. But the style and looks, the light weight, finding the awesomeness of a drop bar and all the holding positions built a fascination. I knew after the second wreck where I was going around a curve hitting top speeds and trying to shift those stupid frame built shifters, barely hitting the edge of the asphalt and BAM! Blowouts on both tubes, a few good bruise's and a little blood, all I thought was I need to get a bike that fits me.
Sometime a few weeks ago my mom called me and said she was in a thrift store that had a bike that looked like mine, I immediately perked up and said send me a picture. The picture sucked but I saw the yellow drop down bars and Diamondback across the frame. She has no knowledge of bikes so couldn't describe a thing except it was $40! Buy it lol. I love it and am now sporting 3 headlights, 4 taillight's and a headlamp. It's not perfect, it's called a Diamondback Interval and I can't find another one one the web that looks like it to see the age or anything.
The point of this long story is that unlike the hit to my pride by having a motor on my bike and the relatively non existent health benefit, a simple light weight bike that looked cool and felt cool gave my vanity I guess a boost. I originally bought the trek to resale not ride but I'm glad I did. Now when I see a big ole hill up ahead of me I think at what put going up will I start shifting and the thrive to make it up without having to get off and push which I had to do Many times with the motorized bike but I've conquered them all with this one and I feel a great deal of health benefits. My desire for coffee, sodas, candy, cigarettes have been diminishing quickly.
Yea for my first post lol. I hope it was helpful and wander if someone will actually read it all haha

 

[dabac]

While exercise helps, the real way to weight loss is through your diet. Calories are so much faster eaten than burned that it's close to impossible to lose weight through exercise alone.
People simply can't ride hard and long enough for a useful burn.
A cupcake is about 450 calories, an average guy hard riding is maybe 600 cal/hour. Meaning one cupcake over your daily calorie allowance will take 45 minutes of hard riding to burn off. Want to lose any that day, you have to keep going.
Don't focus on speed or miles, think of time and effort. You want a level where talking begins to be difficult but not impossible, and you want to keep going more than 45 minutes. The longer the better. The body will use up energy stored from the last meal first, before starting to burn fat, and using up the reserve is often assumed to take abt 45 minutes.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Once again any advice appreciated.

1. See your doctor and discuss a diet and exercise plan.
2. Buy a bicycle without a motor.
3. Eat less.
4. Ride more.

 

[cardioboss]

1. See your doctor and discuss a diet and exercise plan.
2. Buy a bicycle without a motor.
3. Eat less.
4. Ride more.

I don't think you need to see a doctor. You can find a lot of great information on diets online or by using common sense really.
2. agree with you on that point
3. maybe but eating healthier can be more critical. Often the amount is fine but not what's actually being eaten.
4. Awesome advice but for someone who's just starting out maybe they shouldn't push themselves too much on the first few days

 

[Kathy044]

Cycling early in the morning may be even better. Drink lot of water and avoid junk food.

 

[Choice Cut Nutrition]

1. See your doctor and discuss a diet and exercise plan.
2. Buy a bicycle without a motor.
3. Eat less.
4. Ride more.

Totally Agree with Campybob!
I'm a Registered Dietitian.
Yes, check with your doctor. You need to know that the kind of riding you are doing is right for you. Intensity, distance, etc can be a risk for your particular health history. And if the doc says to go at it, then manipulating those factors can be a game changer in accomplishing your weight loss goals.
Make regular CONSISTENT riding a priority, and don't worry about weight loss happening. You will be improving your health. Weight loss will follow.
And yes, diet will have more impact than exercise for weight loss. Fill up on fluids and bulky fibrous foods like vegetables.
Remember, consistency is everything. You need to LOVE cycling. Make it your favorite thing to do. Do it when you want to, and do it when you don't.

 

[ambal]

Eat less Unless you're a pro, diet will account for 80% or more of your weight loss
Ride more just because you should.

 

[Andy Jennings]

Totally Agree with Campybob!
I'm a Registered Dietitian.
Yes, check with your doctor. You need to know that the kind of riding you are doing is right for you. Intensity, distance, etc can be a risk for your particular health history. And if the doc says to go at it, then manipulating those factors can be a game changer in accomplishing your weight loss goals.
Make regular CONSISTENT riding a priority, and don't worry about weight loss happening. You will be improving your health. Weight loss will follow.
And yes, diet will have more impact than exercise for weight loss. Fill up on fluids and bulky fibrous foods like vegetables.
Remember, consistency is everything. You need to LOVE cycling. Make it your favorite thing to do. Do it when you want to, and do it when you don't.

Gotta add my 2 cents worth here as you are where I am. I'm 6' 265Lbs and haven't done exercise for 16 tears since I left the Army for health problems. Yes took that long to get back in gear. lol

I have to agree with both Campybob and Choice cut nutrition.

I went to my local witch doctor for the all clear and algthough it found some things I didn't expect I was ok for exercise.

If you ride a bike with a motor there is NO WAY you can gauge the calorie burn for the exercise.

Exercise alone will not really help you lose weight, unless you expect to lose your weight over a LONG time period. You must cut the calories you eat. If calories eaten are less than calories used you will lose weight. It is the only way. Have a look at the "my fitness pal" site. It is great for losing weight by counting and logging your calories and also logging calories burned so you know you are in deficit. Also a veritable mine of information from teh site and the community of people using it.

As for riding I started on flat roads at about 10km/day. You may be able to do more at first or less. It doesn't matter. Slowly build up as you go. If you can do 5 km first week try for 7.5 the next week and so on. I have just come back from a 70Km ride burning somewhere in the range of 1800 calories. I have been back to riding only 3 months. My progress could ave been faster but I have been splitting my rides to help my GF get in to cycling as well. That technically give me an extra 1800 calories to consume but by eating better food I would have trouble fitting all that in before bed tonight.

And as stated by Choice cut nutrition. make cycling, or whatever exercise you do, your best pal and above all FUN. And when you really don't want to exercise get out there and do it anyway. Please don't forget rest days though for recovery. Either do a different exercise or lower intensity of normal exercise. It helps me recover for the next hard workout.

Hope it all works out for you but I see you haven't posted back here as yet. If you see this don't give up and just start working. It will help you so much.

 

[nikhil sharma]

Cycling early in the morning may be even better. Drink lot of water and avoid junk food.