allen39x

Hey i recently purchased a bike in order to get in some mileage in order to lose some weight. I'm really overweight but 15-18 lbs wouldnt really hurt. Im 6'0 185 lbs and i just started riding yesterday. i rode 12 miles to the beach here in Fort Myers,FL, swam for 30 minutes and then rode back home. when i got home i went back on the scale to see how i did for the first day and to my surpise the scaled said 177. Is this a common thing to do to lose that much in one day. i used to be star athlete in high school 6 years ago so im very atletically inclined and would like to get back to that way. im tryin to get to around 160-165lbs range. any input would be appreciated and how often to people cycle for loss of weight, 3 times a week , 4?,5? everyday? .. thanks for reading.

spinnaker

You are not drinking enough water. You should not lose that much weight in one day, you lost all water.

Ride as much as you can without burning yourself out. But drink plenty of water.

G-Whacker

spinnaker's right, you lost all water.

Really, you won't lose any weight right away, it tends to fall off quickly after you reach a certain level of fitness.
Of course the swimming will help greatly.

Adagio Corse

what i love about swimming is that you will always have a soft thin layer of baby fat, unlike runners who are just skin and bones.

digger

If you are 6 feet tall and 185 pounds then you are not overweight...unless of course you have almost no lean muscle...?

160 pounds at 6 feet tall is much too UNDERweight, IMHO.

Losing 8 pounds after one ride does seem like alot, even for water loss. I'm wondering if it is a combination of inaccurate scale and water loss...?

Ritehsedad

2 years ago I weighed close to 200 and had to lose some weight for my health. I changed my life style (diet is temporary, life style permanent) and started exercising (stationary bike at first mtb later). My weight loss was reasonable, 2-3 per week. I ultimately lost 50 pounds.

Be patient it will come.

DannoXYZ 

I've found that with a 500-calorie deficit a day and riding 200-miles/wk, I'm able to lose about 1.0-2.0 lbs/wk without detrimental effects such as increasing soreness, aches & pains, chronic fatigue, apathy or depression. Trying to lose too much weight too quickly will result in non-sustainable conditions that will wreck the weight-loss trend quickly.

DTownDave22

Well, yes--that is true in the case that a runner does not do cross training like weightlifting. (That reminds me that I have a book due about running). Swimming does not allow you to burn much fat because the water temperature is too cold.

stapfam

If you want to lose weight- Then the basic rule is to consume less calories than you lose in exercise. But at your weight you do not have a major problem.

With exercise you may not initially lose weight. You will burn off a bit of fat- but the body will start to reshape with muscle build up so you will look slimmer and fitter. Now to lose weight by exercise can cause a problem- You have found one way of doing it and that is by sweating but to keep exercising- you have to keep hydrated. In fact- I weigh myself before a hard ride and if I weigh more than 2lbs less at the end of a ride- I start drinking. Otherwise- I will de-hydrate just standing there. Then there is a thing called "Bonking". If you do not keep up the Carbo-hydrate level on a long or hard ride- you will lose energy- In other words- Hit the wall. So if you want to exercise hard- you have to eat the right foods and you have to keep drinking on the ride. Big problems ahead to find your right balance.

Now if you seriously want to lose weight- There is a way by using your heart rate as a guide. Find out your Max heart rate and do a ride- a long ride once you are bike fit- At 70 to 75% of your max HR. This will put you in the "Fat" burning zone and enough rides and the lbs will drop off- Providing you keep the carb intake good enough and the water intake up high enough to enable you to keep riding.

genec

I swim in cold ocean water.... my "layer" is not exactly "thin."

My ocean swims start when the water temp reaches 64 degrees... usually right after day light savings time starts.

flameburns623

Biking alone probably won't make you lose a lot of weight. You will need to change some eating habits and you will need to cross-train a bit. Right now, unless you made a mistake, you are at a desirable weight for someone 6'00" tall. My GOAL WEIGHT is 185 lbs, and I'm 6'00". (My present weight is 225 lbs). The range of ideal weight for someone your height is 170-185 lbs, based partly on bone mass. If you are small-boned it might not hurt to lose not more than 10 lbs or so, but you probably need to be very cautious not to encourage any tendency towards anorexia. If you were 'pretty athletic' just a few years ago, if you are only in your early twenties as i garner from your post, you probably have better things to be concerned about than your weight. Stay in shape, of course, by any form of intense activity you enjoy, but don't encourage a body image of yourself as obese. You sound as if you are a LONG way from having to be concerned about that!

jpatkinson

Fantastic goal weight, given an active 72" tall male. Recognize that the perception in our culture [USA] is that people who are at an ideal weight [BMI around 22] are 'skinny,' and people who are overweight [BMI around 27] are perceived as 'healthy.' 185 is definitely above ideal, and I would say that is only a good weight for a 6-foot tall guy if he is really muscular [someone who gets lots of attention at the beach].

The advice for ONE pound of fat loss per week -- at the most -- is generally considered to be safe. If you cycle and run and swim and lift weights [or a combination of any of these], you may lose weight much slower than that, but you will certainly lose FAT at least at that rate, as long as you eat fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins/low-fat dairy on six out of seven days. Remember to give yourself one day per week to have crazy food treats -- keeps you from feeling deprived if you are used to eating crap.

flameburns623

I have never seen a medical chart that recommends 160 lbs for a six-foot tall male. Your reference to 'body-mass index' is on-target, of course, but 160 lbs is not likely to be healthy for ANYone (small-boned or large-boned) who is 6'00". You are setting the OP up for anorexia. Most charts I have seen recommend 165-170 for a small-framed person, 170-175 for a medium framed person, and 175 to 180 for a large-framed person. I weighed 175 in the Army and looked like a refugee from Dachau--I want to be at least 10 lbs above that weight. If this person is truly as athletic as they suggest, they probably also need to figure on carrying just a few pounds more than the 'charts' suggest, just to look and feel healthy.

wahoonc

I wonder where the OP got that weight idea from? I am 6'-2" and according to my doctor a "very ideal" weight for me is around 185#. I currently am fairly active (just don't eat as well as I should) and need to loose about 10#. I may make that....eventually

Aaron