How do calories work? I bike 5 miles, I lose ~120-150 calories. But a small snack can be more than that?

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Trying to lose weight and putting it in numbers is demoralizing. I’ve started riding a stationary bike for 5 miles and then doing minor weight lifting after and I maaaaybe lose 200 or so calories. Is that not a good exercise? I’ve been doing this almost everyday starting 2 weeks ago. But it’s starting to feel useless if it’s such a minor amount of calories burnt. Is this a good trend to continue? What am I missing?

Edit: everyone here has been incredibly helpful, and surprisingly consistent with one another. I feel much more confident about what I’m doing and what I need to do. Seriously, thank you all.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

biggest mistake i see in people trying to *lose* weight is *trying to factor calories burnt*. calorie trackers *are garbage*. tdee calculators *are general*. you lifting weights or biking miles is *fantastic*, keep it up. you simply need to *eat less* if you’re trying to *lose weight*. lbs are lost in the kitchen, not the gym. muscle and definition are built in the gym. they’re entirely different things.

i checked the rules and apparently i’m allowed to post links as long as they’re not the primary content. [this one is about common mistakes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCbn05pda_4), and [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBUsZvMD-Qk) is general advice about calculations.

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