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@Oliver Schick
Commuting every day has proven health benefits and is rising up the agenda as a health policy imperative. We're working with NHS London trusts at the moment to get funding in place on the back of pilots in LBs Sutton and Tower Hamlets. There's shedloads of evidence on the benefits of these small routine workouts.
As others have said--make sure you do enough for yourself based on your current fitness. Don't overdo it. There's no shame in missing a ride if you don't feel up to it one day. The 'experience' of public transport will be enough to have you back on the bike with newfound enthusiasm the next day.
Some key things:
(1) Don't focus too much on weight loss--gaining power and fitness may have to come before you notice any significant weight loss. Too many cyclists starve themselves and then find that they've lost all power. Make sure you feel good. Perhaps you may have to re-gain lost muscle mass, core stability etc. first.
(2) Most people focus too much on distance when in fact it's the quality of your workout that matters. Building exercise into your normal daily routine is one of the best things you can do in any case, and you don't usually even need to formalise this much.
(3) Commute satisfaction is unlikely to be determined by the time you take alone, but rather by how happy you are with overcoming the various small logistical problems encountered en route. Clothing is an example, but also bike equipment, or traffic flow in certain areas. Or campaign for better facilities for cyclists at work?
(4) Top tip in an earlier post--try to get lost every once in a while to really get to know areas. Vary your route with this knowledge. You will probably start out doing the same route every day, but in London there are always different routes you can take while you're on a bike. The local knowledge you gain will give you a really happy feeling of 'owning' London. Not to be underestimated!
Happy commuting!
Oliver
LCC