The amount of fat burned on a ride is vanishingly small but almost every Calorie counts in the end. Anything else which is used will be replaced in the long term.
8-10 hours' cycling will burn about a pound of fat if you eat nothing. In reality, you'll eat about half that on the day you ride and need a will of iron not to eat the remainder over the following week.
The amount of fat burned on a ride is vanishingly small but almost every Calorie counts in the end. Anything else which is used will be replaced in the long term.
Not if you cycle for 10 hours it isn't vanishingly small.. At Audax/touring pace (i.e. not racing) you're probably getting 70% of your energy from fat reserves. It really doesn't matter, from a weight-loss perspective whether you are getting your calories from fat or carbs. Carbs will get replaced by metabolising fat. It's just important to burn more calories than you eat.
8-10 hours' cycling will burn about a pound of fat if you eat nothing. In reality, you'll eat about half that on the day you ride and need a will of iron not to eat the remainder over the following week.
The process of just existing on a sofa burns about 2000 calories a day for a man. Cycling for 10 hours requires extra calories than merely existing. So you don't have to eat nothing. You can still eat your 2000 calories to support your sofa existence. 10 hours extra effort will take care of many more calories. Personally I find it impossible to eat as many EXTRA calories as I burn off on a long ride.
When I'm in RRTY mode and also cycling most days I find it almost impossible not to lose weight.
I gained 2 stone in the year after PBP. I knew I would. I stopped cycling and ate more.
I stopped eating so much in August and lost a stone.
When I start RRTY again I'll lose even more weight (Between 1-2 pounds in the days following a 200km, Maybe slightly less than a pound but in that area ).
It's simple Calories-In:Calories-Out maths. People just need to find out how many Calories-In they (or their "metabolism") REALLY need then metabolism becomes a moot point. Lots of people kid themselves with the "slow-metabolism" thing. What they actually mean is it's too slow to deal with the amount they are eating. Therefore "Slow-metabolism" = "Eating too much". There's no way around it.
A slow metabolism is a good thing isn't it? Food is expensive.
To the OP. I guess the answer is "It depends". If you maintain similar Calories-In following your ride then you will lose weight, maybe a pound for a 8-10 hour ride (maybe more, maybe less). If you pig-out and over-reward yourself you may not lose anything or you may gain weight.
Do the math (as they say over there).
