When it comes to weight loss, many people think the only way to shed pounds is through eating a whole lot less. Which is never a lot of fun. But what if I told you there’s a secret weapon that can make this journey more enjoyable and easier?
It used to be commonly accepted that exercise increases calorie expenditure and so it can cause weight loss. But that idea has been under attack recently. You only have to spend five minutes on YouTube to find clickbait titles like “Exercise Doesn’t Make You Lose Weight!” That particular video features Jason Fung, who always says exactly the same thing: “The only path to weight loss, and the cure for every disease, is to never eat any carbs for the rest of your life. And do intermittent fasting.” Sometimes I think he is a robot, powered by a very limited amount of AI. Because human beings change their minds a bit over time, right? I mean, as they learn new stuff, and realize that they were not completely perfect before. And that they still aren’t. The Fung robot has no such misgivings.
Yes, it’s true that you can lose weight by radically cutting carbs. I have done it myself. And it’s true that you can lose weight by radically cutting fat. I have done that myself, too. And it’s true that you can lose weight by eating a variety of foods but keeping your calories very low. You guessed it: I have done that myself too.
In general, it is true that calorie deficits result in weight loss. Numerous studies, including a comprehensive review by Hall et al. (2012), confirm that sustained calorie deficits—regardless of macronutrient composition—lead to predictable weight loss over time. Regardless of whether you achieve that by intermittent fasting, going keto, or by not eating anything but liver. But what these all have in common is that they are not much fun, and you have to have sustained will power to constantly eat less than you want.
Instead of Eating Less, Try Doing More
An alternative way to achieve a calorie deficit is to increase your level of activity. And it’s more fun, because you don’t have to restrict your eating as much. For example, as I am not a very large guy, the amount of calories I need to just maintain my weight the same is about 2000. That means that if I want to lose weight, I need to cut down to about 1500 calories. For me, this is not at all fun. It’s just not much food, and very little wriggle room to fit in things I love, like chocolate. So, my alternative is to not cut my calories, but make sure I burn an average of at least 500 calories a day by cycling. I like this alternative way more.
Another advantage of this approach is that doing a lot of exercise while losing weight causes you to lose more fat and less muscle mass.
But the catch is that many people find it hard to commit to even 30 minutes of exercise a day. And the calorie cut you need is not going to be achieved in 30 minutes. You need to be aiming for a minimum of a 300 calorie deficit per day, even for very slow weight loss. Thirty minutes is not going to cut it. And five minutes definitely is not going to cut it!
Computing the amount of exercise you will need to lose weight can be discouraging. Especially because people say things like, “Well, you will need to run for two hours to make up for that pizza.”
BMR and NEAT
Before we rush into the good news, let’s just take a quick look at the bad news. The reality is that increasing your calorie expenditure is a bit trickier than your watch would have you believe.
Contrary to what many people think, the relationship between calorie balance and weight loss is not a simple, universal mathematical certainty, based on Newton’s First Law of Thermodynamics (energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another). If it was that simple, we could predict with 100% certainty just how much every human being would lose on various diets. And if it was that universal, then a 40-year-old woman in her second trimester of pregnancy would lose exactly the same amount as a 14-year-old, male football player, provided they ate exactly the same. Obviously, they would not, because their bodies are extremely different. All kinds of factors come into play, from hormonal balance, to how your sleep impacts your hormonal balance, to how much exercise you are doing to maintain your muscle mass while dieting. And on and on. Human beings are much more complicated than protozoa.
Most of these factors are hard to compute, but a recent study (Careau et al.) explored the relationship between physical activity, total daily energy expenditure, and basal metabolic rate (BMR). Researchers tested a large data set of people (1700) and found that as their physical activity increased, their BMR decreased by an average of 28%. Basically, if they did 200 calories worth of exercise, their BMR decreased by around 56 calories. And, as the researchers say, “people who compensate more may be more likely to accumulate body fat.” So if you are reading this and you have extra fat, it is possible that your BMR may even decrease more when you cut calories.
However, it is important to note that this is only a partial compensation. People were still burning an average of 144 calories with exercise.
NEAT—(Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)
The other compensatory factor at work is NEAT—(Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). This refers to the calories burned through everyday movements that are not classified as intentional exercise—like walking, standing, fidgeting, and doing household chores. Research shows that when people increase their formal exercise, they often unconsciously reduce NEAT—by sitting more or moving less the rest of the day—leading to a smaller net increase in total daily energy expenditure than expected (Di Blasio et al., 2018; Silva et al., 2018).
You can imagine the scenario—you just got home from your first century, and you are lying on the couch with a remote control in your hand, totally exhausted. It’s all you can do to move your fingers. Well, two things. First of all, the reduction in NEAT will not be enough to offset the calories you expended cycling. And second, as you get fitter, you will get less exhausted. So it follows that you will not need to spend as much time on the couch, and your NEAT will decrease less.
The takeaway is: do not think of this as simple math. Even if you have computed your calorie expenditure quite accurately, you still need to be very conservative in estimating your calorie balance. The best thing is to experiment, and find out the balance of calorie intake and cycling you personally need in order to lose weight. If you are not losing weight, try cycling a bit more. Or, last resort, cut another 100 or 200 calories from your intake.
The Joy of Cycling: More Than Just Cardio
It is true that doing a large amount of regular exercise every day can be hard to achieve and sustain. However, what sets cycling apart is the sheer enjoyment and addictive nature of the activity. Unlike other forms of exercise that might feel like a chore, cycling can be exhilarating and something you look forward to. This makes it easier to spend longer periods on the bike, burning more calories over time.
From what I have observed, cycling for many people is more like an addiction than a chore. Because it’s just so much fun. For some people, because it is a great social experience. And also because of the boost in endorphins, which tends to leave you exhausted and smiling after a long ride. And already planning your next ride.
The Virtuous Cycle of Cycling
Here’s where the secret weapon come in As you fall in love with cycling, you naturally want to ride more. This increased frequency and duration lead to a higher total calorie burn. But it doesn’t stop there. As you ride more, your body becomes stronger and more efficient, allowing you to pedal harder and burn even more calories per hour. This means that you can move towards achieving the required calorie deficit while not having to cut your calories much, if at all. A pound of body fat is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, so creating a deficit of 500 calories per day through diet and/or exercise is widely accepted to result in about a pound of weight loss per week (NIH, 2020).
Of course, you can achieve the same with other exercises, such as walking. The YouTuber Paul Revelia explores this topic in detail, and he has a lot of interesting things to say about getting into great shape. However, for most cyclists, cycling is a whole lot more fun that walking. And you cannot increase the number of calories you burn per hour walking all that much. With cycling, on the other hand, you can increase the number burned per hour exponentially. To find out how, read on!
From Beginner to Experienced Cyclist: Calorie Burn Differences
It’s fascinating to see how calorie burn can vary. A beginner might only burn around 200 calories in an hour, while an elite cyclist could burn up to 1000 calories in the same time. Compare this to the 211 calories my Garmin watch told me that I burned by lifting weights and doing pullups for an hour. With cycling, the difference lies in the power output, or the watts per kilogram, you can sustain. As you become more experienced, you become able to generate more power, so that you can pedal harder and burn more calories per hour. This creates a “virtuous cycle” – the more you cycle, the fitter and stronger you become, and the more calories you burn per minute, without even realizing it.
And on top of burning more calories per hour, the amount of time you spend on a bike just naturally creeps up as you get fitter. I remember when I first started cycling to work, I could hardly make it all the way there. I would kind of stagger in, dripping sweat. But eventually I would leave a little earlier and cycle right past my workplace, go and do a loop somewhere fun, and then double back to work. Just for the sheer joy of it. And I would stride into work, feeling like a million dollars and ready to spend 8 hours behind a desk. Before repeating it all again after work.
Related Post: Stop Spinning Your Wheels: How Cycling Training Zones Can Take You From Casual Rider to Race-Ready
How Do You Know How Many Calories You Are Burning on Your Bike?
This can be a bit tricky, and is one reason why people often fail to lose weight by exercising more. Most of us have some kind of wearable, and this is supposed to tell us how many calories we are burning. But what if that number is incorrect, and you end up eating far more calories than you are actually burning? This is a primary reason why many people think that weight loss through exercise is impossible.
I have tested this extensively myself. For example, I did a one-hour recovery ride on Zwift. I was wearing my old watch, a Samsung Galaxy, and my new watch, a Garmin Instinct. Plus, I was wearing my Wahoo heart rate monitor, so that Zwift could monitor my heart rate. At the end of the ride, I got these numbers:
- Samsung watch: 758 calories
- Garmin Instinct: 320 calories
- Zwift: 280 calories
That is a massive range, obviously. But bear in mind that the watches don’t know my power output, so they don’t know that that was a recovery ride, and that I was coasting at a low speed. However, Zwift knew exactly what I was up to, because I’m on my Zwift Ride smart bike, and so it knows what my power output is for every minute.
Zwift uses multiple data points to calculate your calorie expenditure. It takes into account your watt output, your RPM (revolutions per minute), your heartbeat, your speed, and the gradient. It also knows all about your personal metrics. This makes for an accurate estimate of calorie burnUsing Multiple Data Points to Calculate Calorie Burn
I only paid attention to the calorie count from Zwift. The one from Samsung was just plain ridiculous. And the one from Garmin was a pretty good estimate. But I know that Zwift has all the relevant data: my height, weight, age, power output in watts per kg, heart rate, cadence and speed. Actually, some of that data is not all that necessary, but it’s good to know that Zwift is not just using generalized algorithms – they are calculating based on who I actually am, and what I am actually doing.
I know that not everyone has a smart trainer and a Zwift obsession (like I do). However, my point is to try and figure out your calorie output using as many data points as possible. For example, you could try putting in all the data points you have into Chat GPT, and ask it to calculate your calorie burn. Compare that to what your wearable is saying. Over time, you will get a really good sense of what your real calorie burn is. And Chat GPT has the advantage of being free.
Related Post: Garmin HRM Dual vs Wahoo TRACKR Heart Rate Monitors: The Ultimate Heart Rate Monitor Showdown for Cyclists
Have More Fun Losing Weight, and Then Keep it Off
Once you fall in love with cycling and get fitter and stronger, cycling offers a sustainable way to achieve and maintain a calorie deficit. Because you are having so much fun, you’re much more likely to stick with it, making it easier to maintain that calorie deficit over time. And it doesn’t have to be a huge calorie deficit. For example, you could cut your food intake by just 200 calories a day, and then add in cycling to burn through another 300 to 500 calories. This would enable a steady and sustainable weight loss. Or you could even keep your calories the same. You would lose weight more slowly, but you would still get there.
And the best thing about all this? Once you have lost weight, you are much more likely to keep it off if you do a lot of exercise. According to the National Weight Control Registry, over 90% of people who successfully maintain long-term weight loss engage in regular physical activity, with walking and cycling being among the most common choices (Wing & Phelan, 2005).
It is well known that the hardest thing about weight loss is keeping it off. Luckily, cycling will help you to achieve that, because why would you stop cycling once you lose weight? At that point, cycling is even easier, and you are faster, especially on hills. Which just makes it more fun, and more exhilarating.
You are also likely to become active in other ways, because being thinner and stronger means you can do other exercises better. For example, I was able to do pullups for the first time in my adult life after I lost weight. They are now a regular part of my exercise routine, because they are fun, and they give my upper body some exercise.
I was able to do pullups for the first time in my adult life after I lost weight.The Cyclist’s Secret Weapon for Losing Weight
Basically, our secret weapon is that we can actually do enough daily and regular exercise to lose weight, because we are having so much fun doing it. And as you get stronger, you output more watts, and so you burn a higher number of calories every minute. Over time, you can go from burning 200 calories in a day of cycling, to burning as many as 2 or 3 THOUSAND calories in a day. At this point you might be so addicted to cycling that you could be getting complaints from your partner, but at least you will be in great shape. And as I keep telling Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist, there are so many much worse addictions I could have.
So, if you’re looking for a fun and easier way to lose weight, hop on your bike and let the adventure begin!
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References
Di Blasio, A., Di Donato, F., Di Santo, S., Bucci, I., Izzicupo, P., Di Baldassarre, A., Gallina, S., Bergamin, M., Ripari, P., & Napolitano, G. (2018). Aerobic physical exercise and negative compensation of non‑exercise physical activity in post‑menopause: A pilot study. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 58(10), 1497–1508. https://doi.org/10.23736/S0022-4707.17.07320-0
Hall, K. D., Heymsfield, S. B., Kemnitz, J. W., Klein, S., Schoeller, D. A., & Speakman, J. R. (2012). Energy balance and its components: Implications for body weight regulation. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(4), 989–994. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.112.036350
National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2020). Maintaining a healthy weight. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/index.htm
Silva, A. M., Júdice, P. B., Carraça, E. V., King, N., & Teixeira, P. J. (2018). What is the effect of diet and/or exercise interventions on behavioural compensation in non‑exercise physical activity and related energy expenditure of free-living adults? A systematic review. British Journal of Nutrition, 119(11), 1249–1263.
Wing, R. R., & Phelan, S. (2005). Long-term weight loss maintenance. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82(1), 222S–225S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/82.1.222S
