Is Bicycling A Good Way To Lose Weight?

To lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit so that your body will dip into its fat stores for energy. You can create this deficit with a combination of calorie-burning aerobic exercise and a reduced-calorie diet. Biking can help you burn enough calories to lose weight consistently and to keep that weight off once you reach your goal.

Types

You can ride indoor stationary bikes or outdoor road bikes or mountain bikes. Many fitness centers provide both upright and recumbent stationary bikes. Upright bikes closely resemble road bikes, while recumbent bikes allow you to sit back and pedal with your legs stretched in front of you. Both upright and recumbent bikes allow you to adjust the resistance of the pedals to simulate hills. Indoor bikes allow you to exercise year-round, but many people enjoy getting outside on a road bike. Choose the type of biking that you enjoy most, or alternate between indoor and outdoor biking for variety.

Calories Burned

An hour of biking at less than 10 mph can burn 292 calories for a 160-lb. person and 436 calories for a 240-lb. person, according to MayoClinic.com. An hour of biking at speeds above 10 mph can burn 590 calories for a 154-lb. person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Considerations

The number of calories you burn by biking will depend on several variables, including your weight, the speed at which you bike, the incline on which you bike and the amount of time you spend biking. The greater your weight, the more calories you will burn. The harder you work, whether by biking faster or up hills, the more calories you will burn. And, of course, the longer you spend on the bike, the more calories you will burn.

Time Frame

Try to lose weight gradually and steadily over a period of weeks or months. People who lose weight at a rate of about one or two pounds a week tend to keep the weight off more easily than those who lose weight more quickly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To lose one pound, you must burn 3,500 more calories than you take in. Thus, to lose one pound a week, you must consume 500 calories fewer than you burn each day, and to lose two pounds a week, you must consume 1,000 calories fewer than you burn each day. Biking can help you burn some of those calories each day.

Benefits

Exercising regularly on a stationary bike, road bike or mountain bike can improve more than just your weight. Regular aerobic exercise can also help you reduce your risk of heart disease, strokes, metabolic disorders, diabetes and some forms of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Daily physical activity can also improve your mental health and promote better sleep, says the CDC.