From Tony Green, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK
As a keen long-distance cyclist, my experience (admittedly a single datum point) is that in the months when conditions allow plenty of long rides, my weight always drops by several kilograms. Unfortunately, outside those months, it creeps back up. Evidence that this isn’t simply a seasonal effect comes from last summer, where multiple heatwaves meant far fewer miles than normal and virtually no weight loss. So I would caveat this as “Why exercise doesn’t (always) help weight loss” (14 February, p 10).
