Now, if I want to lose a total of 30/35 pounds in 3 months. How many miles a day do I have to ride my bicycle

Question

Now, if I want to lose a total of 30/35 pounds in 3 months. How many miles a day do I have to ride my bicycle

Answer 1

You need to lose about 2 pounds per week over the 3 month period.

Two pounds of body fat is equal to about 7000 calories. So to lose 2 pound of weight per week, you need to burn 1000 calories per day MORE than you eat.  

I  will assume that your current body weight is stable. So, if you burn 1000 calories per day on your bike you will lose 2 pound per week if your food consumption remains the same.

So how many calories will you burn in a mile??  This will depend mainly on your weight, the terrain, and how fast you ride wind direction and strenghth etc etc..  From the link referenced below a 75Kg(154lb) male rider would use 23 calories per mile on a flat course with no wind.  This would of course be larger on a normal course with hills.  So I would use say 30-40 calories per mile.

Using the 30 calories per mile you would arrive at around 33miles for 1000 calorie burn.  

So I would estimate that if you rode 33 miles per day at 15 mph average and didn't increase your calorie consumption you would lose 2 pounds per week and achieve you goal.  Of course that level of exercise will increase your appetite significantly and for good reason.  So strict self discipline will be required.

Answer 2

It depends on your weight, and your metabolism.

Consider that at 15 mph a 150 lb rider will burn about 600 calories / hr, but the faster you ride the more calories you burn.  In theory you burn about 0.3 calories/mile/lb, so you can calculate how many calories YOU will burn per mile and figure it out based on 3300 calories/lb of weight you want to lose ... BUT the body doesn't respond linearly and as you start to lose weight metabolism shifts to compensate, SO you will have to ride more and harder than a simple calculation says.

As a quick estimate I would guess if you control eating, you would have to ride about 50-70 miles/pound lost. Or something around 2000 miles of riding in 3 months.

BUT this would be very rough since it varies with your weight, metabolic rate, how "efficiently" your body adjusts, doesn't account for muscle gain (denser than fat), and assumes no change in caloric intake.

The calculator and article at the links may prove useful.

Answer 3

Some great responses here!

In addition, a "heart rate monitor" (HRM) would be a wise, affordable investment in your weight-loss agenda.  The ability to know when your in a fat-burning heart rate zone is worth the small expense.

Answer 4

Based upon my experience, the only thing that will make  you lose weight is to control your diet. I lost 70 lbs through dieting. I never lost a pound through exercise. What exercise did was significantly change my shape, greatly reducing fat and replacing it with muscle.

If you want to look better, slimmer and more toned, then do both. Control your eating and increase your exercise. I once lost 10 lbs a month for 2 months by diet only. It made me weak and I gained the weight back. Diet and exercise work together. You don't want to just lose weight. You want to lose weight and keep it off. That requires lifestyle changes on your part.

HTH

Answer 5

Hi Ashley M,

I  did exactly what your talking about.  Two summers ago, I lost around 50 lbs in about 5  months.  I went from  235 to 185.  I rode bicycle 100 miles  per week, as well  as some extra walking if I could fit it in.  

I  also cut calories down to maybe 2000 calories per day.  I ate lettuce salad with  grilled lean chicken breast every day for lunch,  with  whatever veggies I had on hand.  I also ate egg white omlets fairly regularly for breakfast,  with some fruit, maybe yogurt & toast, depending how I felt.  Some days just cereal w/ milk & juice & fruit.  Also, I drank a lot of water.  No more  soda or any other kind of soft drinks.  

Check out http://www.sparkpeople.com, it will help you  count calories and get an idea of how many calories everything is as well as tracking the nutritional value of the food.  It adds everything up and will show if you are  lacking in any nutrients, etc.  It's pretty cool.  On there I logged what I ate and really got a good understanding of how to balance my  calorie & nutritional budget.  You can also track your exercise on there and it'll tell you how many calories you are  burning for various activities.  It's a really helpful site, it gave me a great feel for how I was progressing towards my goal.  Best of all, it's free.

Answer 6

At least fifteen or twenty.

Answer 7

Think of it in time not miles. You would need to ride about an hour 5-6X per week. Work up to that if you don't have a base. Start at about a half hour. Up your time about every 2 weeks.

Answer 8

intrepid is right!!! i lost 40lbs in 4mos.