How to lose weight by cycling after 40

If you’re looking to lose a few pounds, especially if you’re older than 40, riding a bike is a great way to start. If you are a woman and you are not used to heavy cycling activities, using the breeze step-thru electric bike for women is a great solution. 

Now, as many cyclists have already realized, while daily exercise like cycling has undoubtedly improved your cardiovascular health, your mood, and improved your overall fitness, the truth is that some of you haven’t lost a beat kilo weight.

And even several to a few extra pounds have gained, but do not be discouraged and above all do not put away your bike, because by continuing to use the bicycle regularly and with a little order in your diet, this matter will be resolved to your complete satisfaction.

A good diet and a lot of bike: the best formula to lose weight

While pedaling short or long sections on a bicycle brings multiple health benefits and brings you closer to the beginning of losing unwanted weight, you should know that what you eat is an essential part of making sure you lose those extra pounds that you want to get rid of. 

But before you stop reading this text with the excuse that you won’t stop eating your favorite foods, let me tell you that you don’t necessarily have to give up your favorite foods to lose weight.

What it is about is a balance between exercise and what we eat. But before I start with the advice, I want you to be aware that not all weight is the same. Yes, you read that correctly: not all weight is equal, and this is what I mean.

Not all weight is the same

Yes, it is true that you lose weight when you reduce the consumption of calories, but the pounds lost are not always body fat – which is what many of us want to get rid of. Many times in this attempt to lose weight what happens is that we lose muscle tissue.

Which is why many dieting cyclists often end up leaner, but run the risk of becoming slower and weaker on the bike. What is involved here is that you find a balance between your body weight and your muscles, and of course you do not have to be a muscular cyclist, but remember that the more muscle volume you have, the more calories your body can burn, even when you are lying on the sofa.

So, you have to be careful about your diet, because some dieters can end up having a higher percentage of body fat even when they lose weight. And here are some tips to help you roll off those extra pounds.

1. Balance your meals

It’s not always about how much you eat, but about the nutritional balance with which you combine carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the foods you eat. Generally, you don’t need to make radical adjustments to achieve this balance – small changes work best. For example, don’t eat a whole plate of meat. Instead divide that plate with half the brown rice, then serve a small amount of meat on top – if you’re vegan, be careful with the carbohydrates in the pasta. You can also try substituting nonfat yogurt for sour cream and fruit for sweets.

Just remember that you need balanced amounts of carbohydrates, as these will be a source of energy to resist your long rides; fats – they do not necessarily have to be of animal origin, it can be in avocado, nuts, etc. – to feel satiated and proteins – there are also non-animal origin, for example legumes – to repair your muscles after a long ride.

2. Eat in moderation

Do not think that you will lose weight faster if you do not eat, you will simply become weak and even risk injury or illness. So do not stop eating anything, really do not deprive yourself of absolutely anything, but everything in moderation.

You should also be honest with yourself about what you eat. There is so much junk that people have in our diet that it is simply out of habit. Try to cut down and, at best, eliminate soda, processed sugar, artificial sweeteners, and junk food in general.

This does not mean that you leave them completely -although it would be ideal from the beginning-, because as I said at the beginning: it is possible to lose weight without abandoning your favorite foods, but I assure you that, as your body adjusts to a healthy diet and good physical health, he will only give you signs that it is time to stop using them.

Try to have a couple fewer beers each week, or drink wine, as it usually has fewer calories. But if for some reason you can’t, you will have to pedal for many more minutes to burn off your favorite food.

While it is important to eat your vegetables, these will also have to be in moderation.

If you have a strong inclination – as I do – to sweets, eat a small portion of sweets or desserts from time to time. Well, if you deprive yourself of a lot, it is more likely that you will go crazy.

3. Keep your torso in shape

Because cycling is primarily a lower body sport, cyclists can lose muscle bulk in their upper body, causing us to consume fewer calories to feed those missing muscles. The solution? A simple series of special exercises for cyclists with which you can strengthen your torso (core), and that you can perform in just 15 minutes two to three times a week, without the need for special equipment or going to a gym. 

4. Long and slow rides

Cycling long routes (up to 6 hours) and at low speeds at least once a week burns a lot of fat and gives you a good base of resistance for greater challenges. Although speed is also our ally to lose weight, the advantage of long rides is that the metabolism works for time, which inevitably represents caloric burn. Try it, in addition to losing weight, you will feel very good about yourself when meeting these types of challenges. For your info, you could use an electric bike if you want to do a long trip. Don’t worry about the price. You can buy this cheapest electric bike online.

5. But short and fast help better

Remember, even 40 minutes of cycling can help you lose weight if you pedal faster. Try doing it at intervals to get the most out of your time on the bike. One fascinating fact is that: you excrete lost fat through your lungs. Does it sound strange to you? I know, it is very common to fall into the usual error that it is by sweating that we lose fat, and no, by sweating what we lose is liquids.

Research shows that the process of losing fat consists of metabolizing the triglycerides that you have stored in your fat cells.

As you know, you burn fat through oxidation (that’s why aerobic exercise burns fat). You exhale the waste product (carbon dioxide) as you breathe. While it is an extreme simplification of the process, it is a good reminder to boost your pedaling rate enough to breathe heavily, as this will help you lose fat more quickly.

Good luck with our tips!