Training-Specific Weight Loss Tips: Oct ‘23

Hi, it’s Tom and Emma with the latest edition of our In-Form newsletter…

Musings

We thought we’d focus a little more on nutrition this month, rather than “training” specifically. With Emma being a qualified sports nutritionist, and having fairly recently written our Optimal Cycling Nutrition Guide, this is an area we want to provide more guidance in, since it’s so closely related to training and performance. 

The topic of weight loss is a particular area we’re asked about often, so we thought it’d be worth outlining some key points when it comes to achieving successful weight loss while training. 

1. Aim for a modest rate of weight loss

The first and most important point to note is that you should aim for a modest rate of weight loss. Rapid weight loss is never something you should be looking to achieve. 

This is because having a large energy deficit (the difference between what you expend and consume each day) can not only undermine your ability to complete your training sessions, but it also has longer-term impacts on your health and ability to sustain any weight loss. 

More specifically, maintaining a large energy deficit over a period of time causes your body to enter an energy conservation state, where certain bodily processes (such as the menstrual cycle in women) are suppressed. These processes remain suppressed for a period of time even if you start eating more or training less. Not only can this be harmful to health, but it increases the likelihood that you will gain weight over the longer term, because your baseline calorie needs are reduced. 

Aggressive dieting can also result in a loss of muscle mass, which causes an additional drop in baseline calorie needs, and makes weight loss even harder to sustain. 

Overall, a safe rate of weight loss is around 1lb or 0.5kg per week at most, which translates to a calorie deficit of no more than 500kcal per day on average. 

2. Periodise your nutrition around training

Our next tip is to periodise your nutrition around your training, so that you are still providing adequate nutrition to perform and adapt to your key sessions. 

High-intensity interval sessions require a good supply of carbohydrates, so you can try to time your meals so that the majority of your carbohydrate intake for the day falls before and during your high-intensity sessions. You might also aim for a smaller calorie deficit the day before an interval session to make sure your muscle glycogen levels aren’t too depleted. 

In our view, the best days for a larger energy deficit are when you plan to do low-intensity endurance training. On these days, you can get away with having a lower carbohydrate availability, since fat will be the primary source of fuel at this lower intensity. The calories burnt on long ride days are usually quite high too, making it easier to achieve a higher energy deficit. 

For more detailed information on how to periodise your nutrition around training, we have a full article on this topic here. 

3. Cut calories mainly by cutting down fat and alcohol

There are all sorts of different dietary approaches that can help you achieve a calorie deficit, such as intermittent fasting, low-carbohydrate diets and so on. All have been shown to have some success with certain people, and in general whatever you find easiest to sustain over the longer term will be the best strategy. 

However, as an endurance athlete, having an adequate carbohydrate intake is important for fuelling high-intensity sessions, as mentioned above. Moreover a good protein intake is needed to help maintain muscle mass while in a calorie deficit, and also helps you feel full. 

We’d therefore generally recommend that you focus mainly on cutting down fat and alcohol, with just a modest reduction in carbohydrate intake, and a slight increase in protein intake. 

Generally-speaking a good target is to aim for ~15% of energy intake from fats (don’t go below this, as fats are still important for health and performance). Carbohydrate intake can be in the region of 3-8g per kg body weight per day, depending on the type of session you’re doing and your overall energy demands. Protein should be around 1.8-2.4g per kg body weight per day. 

4. Lighter is not always better

Finally, remember that a lighter body weight doesn’t always equate to better performance. Each person will have their own ‘optimal’ body weight, and for some, this might be a higher percentage body fat than for others.

As always, we have plenty of training resources available on our website, including our Complete Workout Library, the Cycling Physiology and Training Science Guide, the Optimal Cycling Nutrition Guide, and our Hill Climb Handbook. 

We also have a selection of training plans, which you can view here. If you need advice on which plan would suit you best, just drop us an email!

Until next month, best of luck with your riding and training!

Tom & Emma