Cycling and weight loss?

H

hicarbon

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I was just curious if this type of cardio excercise would be doing me any good.

I recently joined a gym here in Richmond, Va. (American Family Fitness for anyone in the area) and have been going each night after work. My main excercise that I've been doing is using the cycle (It's the reclined type bicycle with the heart rate sensors on the handles at your sides). Each night I have been doing 45min. on either the Fat Loss or Cardio program it has with an hourly heart rate between 145-150 and keeping my RPM's between 100 and 115. I do this for 45min. and end up cycling roughly 15-16 miles. Would this type of excercise be good enough to lose the "tire" and "bloated" look in my stomach? I also do about 20min. of regular and side crunches (Till it burns and I can do no more, then rest a few seconds and repeat) at least 3 times a week. As for my diet, I've been trying really hard to stay away from fried foods and really fatty foods. I don't eat vegetables (It's really hard to eat a well balanced meal because of my schedule at work), but I try to eat fruits as much as possible. That and I eat chicken almost all meals, trying to make it either baked or grilled chicken.

So with all of that information, would doing this and keeping at it be good enough to eventually get rid of the fat in my stomach? I'm 5'8 and roughly 160lbs. (With light clothes and a pair of sneakers on) and my stomach is pretty much the ONLY place on my body that has fat. I am very thin everywhere else.
 
Well I'd definately add vegetables to your diet, there's really no way around veggies for a good diet. belly flab can be very stubborn. that's a lot of cardio I would suggest cutting down a tad (something like 3 times a week) on the cardio and taking up some weight lifting especially if you're very skinny, the added muscle will help with the fat loss.
 
yep, add some salads (with no fat dressing) and veggies. and in general really watch your calories. be a good idea to keep a log of what you eat, so you can see the actual calories you're consuming. your diet will be more important than anything else in losing the belly fat, IMO. the exercise sounds good though.
 
I'll definately be taking a look at what I'm eating like you guys said. It's just really hard for me right now because of my schedule at work. I'm not real fond of vegetables, unless it's broccoli, green beans or peas, other than that, I just don't eat them for the most part. :( I also rarely EVER eat salads, I've actually only had salad maybe 3 times. I just can't seem to get used to the taste of it!

I also wanted to ask this. I wear some of those pants that windbreakers are made of (The pants soccer players and other sports wear over their uniforms) when I'm working out, would it be a good idea to maybe wear a jacket of the same material, or one of my PT sweaters from the Marine Corps, in order to sweat more when I'm on the cycle? Or would that cause me to overheat (I keep water with me so as not to dehydrate myself, but I don't drink a LOT)
 
Couple things I wanted to mention, that I think are key and have not been mentioned. First, diet is key when your trying to lose fat from stubborn areas. So you should try to eat 5-6 small meals (I know you said you work schedule is bad, but fat loss doesnt come easy, sacrifices have to be made). Second, try to drink lots of water. 2L/day is good to start but you should work towards 4L/day. Finally, you have lots of cardio in your routine, BUT I would suggest using the treadmill if you can OR jogging/running. It is the best form of cardio out there. And again I wanna repeat myself and say diet is key. You could be doing all the cardio in the world, but if you dont eat well, then you wont see changes in these stubborn areas. Good luck, and remember that time and patience is needed to be successful.
 
Why is it that water is such a big importance when it comes to weight loss? I thought that your body retained a lot of water, causing your weight to go up even though you aren't technically that weight. Why is it that drinking so much water is so essential?
 
waz said:
And again I wanna repeat myself and say diet is key. You could be doing all the cardio in the world, but if you dont eat well, then you wont see changes in these stubborn areas. Good luck, and remember that time and patience is needed to be successful.
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just want to stress this point
 
hicarbon said:
Why is it that water is such a big importance when it comes to weight loss? I thought that your body retained a lot of water, causing your weight to go up even though you aren't technically that weight. Why is it that drinking so much water is so essential?
Click to expand...

Water is important for many reasons. From a scientific point of view, our bodies contain a lot of water, many reasons are that our organs, cells, muscles need it to live. Now, drinking lots of water is important whether your on a weight loss program or not. The reason water intake is suggested is because our body naturally stores water for the future. Now if its not getting enough per day, it will start storing. But it is notices that it has enough or too much water per day, it will start to store signficantly less water. This is good for three reasons, you weigh less, and you get a better figure because you will no longer have a bloated look because of less water, and finally, your body will be hydrated and can function properly.
 
waz said:
Water is important for many reasons. From a scientific point of view, our bodies contain a lot of water, many reasons are that our organs, cells, muscles need it to live. Now, drinking lots of water is important whether your on a weight loss program or not. The reason water intake is suggested is because our body naturally stores water for the future. Now if its not getting enough per day, it will start storing. But it is notices that it has enough or too much water per day, it will start to store signficantly less water. This is good for three reasons, you weigh less, and you get a better figure because you will no longer have a bloated look because of less water, and finally, your body will be hydrated and can function properly.
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So that "bloated" look in your stomach can actually sometimes be attributed to not drinking enough water? Wow, I never knew that. I always thought it was opposite, that it meant you had too much in your system. Interesting. Thanks. :)
 
i have to agree with the phrase that "sacrifices will have to be made". if you truly do want to lose the belly fat (and tone up in general), you're gonna have to change some of your habits. salads and veggies and a lot of water are a must, no getting around that. and you MUST watch your caloric intake, as was mentioned above it is even more impotant than the exercise. and also expect to put in some time with this - months, not days or weeks. it has to be a real change or you wont get results. this is why most people fail at getting into shape, they cant break old habits and expect results to come without change. get a handle on that and you'll be on your way. BTW, i drink a good gallon of water a day, easily, and am very slim/toned. i'm not sure where that idea that drinking lot's of water makes your body retain it and look fat came from, but it isnt true. :)
 
Since these fine people have already nailed diet down , I'll do exercise.

Lets be realistic. You say your 5'8 and 160. The heavier a person is, the easier it is for him/her to lose weight. Carrying that extra weight around burns more calories throughout the day. You don't have that extra calorie defecit, you have to make yours.

How you might ask? Weight training and HIIT. Weight training raises your metabolism for up to 72 hours after your done lifting. The increase in muscle mass will also increase your daily overall caloric deficit.

HIIT is great for fat loss. See some of the threads in that section for tips.
 
I do that most nights, too, like you do….do you do any weights? The bike isn’t my only exercise. I do exercise videos each morning (toning) and I think both together makes more sense.
 
some people like cooked veggies more than raw. you might be the opposite. but ya gotta eat light, gotta move a lot,and watch the sugars and carbs. good luck, let us hear from ya! p.s. i am originaly from arlington, VA
 
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