Originally Posted by
wolfchild
90% of cyclists that I see are slightly overweight in their belly area...They have an overall skinny appearance ,except that they have extra fat in their belly area. That right there tells me that cycling is not enough to loose fat. Sure cycling can make you loose weight but most of that weight loss will be muscle tissue and water weight, to burn fat you need to do more than just cycling.
Cycling is not a full body exercise as you don't really work the upper body much in most types of cycling. At the highest level, you see professional cyclists with thighs like tree trunks, and arms like a 10 year old girl.
But that is not what we are talking about here. The problem is, a lot of folks overestimate how many calories they are burning and underestimate how many calories they are eating. Go for a 2 hour ride and you might burn 1,000 calories, 1,200 or 1,400 if you are really working hard the whole time, climbing hills, doing sprints, or riding into the teeth of a 30 mph headwind. Maybe you ate an extra couple of hundred calories for breakfast before the ride, stopped and ate a 250 calorie energy bar in the middle of the ride, and came home and rewarded yourself with a big meal after the ride. Congratulations. You earned it. But if you are not careful, you might end your day with a calorie surplus.
Cycling is a terrific form of exercise, but it isn't some miracle weight loss cure.