Maybe you're right but if you're anything like me, I don't believe you.

I am just not a good observer for my own actions. The very act of logging what I eat changes what I eat, how much I eat, and how often.

If you asked me last year how I lost weight, I'd have said by drinking more water. That is likely not true in hindsight. At least, it is not the complete truth. The point is that I can't tell you what worked, even just for me.

This right here is the correct answer.

It's also why studies on the topic is really hard.

People aren't deliberately lying, but subconsciously ignoring what you actually eat is REALLY pervasive in people, and like you say, logging what you eat changes what you eat, in almost everyone.

So many people (including myself) that say "I just started lifting weights" did so much more. In reality what happens is you have an epiphany/catharsis/turning point in your life that makes you want to become healthy, and the direct action you make is start excercising, but the indirect actions you make are not stuffing your face with a bag of chips as often, and drinking more water, redistributing macros on your plate, and maybe substitute a protein shake for a meal at times.

And presto: You've lost a ton of weight (figuratively) "just by excercising a bit".

maybe not the complete truth but: drinking more water makes you feel fuller and thus less hungry, decreasing your overall calorie intake by making you less likely to snack.

Here's a study of just the satiety part [0]. Now, I won't state that there couldn't be an effect on diet anyway.

[0] "Drinking water prior to a meal does not affect hunger and satiety ratings in young adults and older subjects"

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/c...

Even drinking more water alone might have been enough, it could have displaced you from consuming other beverages, like my own vice of sugary fizzy caffeinated drinks.

Worked for me. And also after a while all the cycling helped me change my diet after a while since I no longer fancied eating a whole 12" pizza after a big bike ride, I'd just get a light salad or something.

I also started cycling (2x 1 hour a day) but noticed that I needed to eat more in order not to become overly exhausted and to keep my concentration. After three months, I didn't lose any significant amount of weight.

if you weren't in particularly good shape before you started cycling, the lack of weight loss might have been caused by your muscles growing. Almost every study/article about weight loss fails to mention that starting excersize causes muscle growth. And muscles weight 2x times more then fat. So if you're only checking your weight it might stay the same, but it's just you exchanging fat to muscles.

Yes, muscles definitely increased. My upper legs became more muscled which I could simply measure by the fact that I didn't fit in my jeans anymore. But at the same time, belly fat remained roughly as pronounced as it was before exercise.

The whole "exchanging fat for muscle" thing is wildly exaggerated. It really doesn't happen to any significant extent. You'll put a little muscle on your legs from cycling but at most probably a pound or two. When people claim they stayed the same weight but gained muscle, it's mostly wishful thinking. It's hard to put on significant muscle even when exercising specifically for that goal and intentionally gaining weight. It just doesn't happen accidentally from cycling to work.

Do you drink much? Anecdotally my friends seem way thinner shape once they cut out beer, maybe even alcohol entirely.

Studies leave it out because it's such a minor effect. You won't put on a meaningful amount of muscle from cardio. It's just wishful thinking when people see their weight stay the same and assume it means they've gained a bunch of muscle. Meanwhile their pants don't seem to fit much different... Lots of stomach muscle, I guess.

Sounds like your blood sugar is singing. Cutting excess carbs can get you to start burning fat and alleviate them.

Yes I'm now on a low carb diet since a number of weeks. I'm losing some weight, and feel less dizzy. But still every now and then I feel a need of energy, and eating e.g. some nuts doesn't seem to help much. But perhaps I'm still adapting.

swinging

Possible, this means you were already eating very close to your TDEE, all you needed was to slash off a few calories (which you burned cycling) to be on a caloric deficit. Plus the cycling sped up your metabolism enough so that your body at rest also burned more calories. This is how you lost weight.

Doesn't work for everyone cause most out of shape people eat far above their TDEE, and simply don't exercise enough to burn enough calories to cut away that surplus and get into a deficit.

To save others Googling — "Total Daily Energy Expenditure": your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR; i.e. energy used up at rest) + calories burned through any activity (exercise).