Science-Backed Nutrition Plan for Cyclists | Cycling Science Explained

Caloric deficits are commonly used to try to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, but a new study showed that if the deficit is too big, it can have detrimental effects on performance in an alarmingly short period of time.

So what can you do to optimize body composition? Calculate your energy availability based on your goals to know how much you should eat outside of training, use an optimized macro ratio for your daily nutrition, and fuel your workouts based on the research-backed instructions in this video.

Consult with a medical professional and/or expert in the field of dietetics when you are undertaking changes that could compromise your health.

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[ericduncan]

A calculator would be valuable, especially if it prompted you for the input weight

[kjwedey]

Yes PLEASE for the calculator!!! I need that in my life!!

[christoph_wattever]

That's an awesome video! Not too long, not too short and explained very clearly

[ilikebikesandfood]

Hi TrainerRoad - funny story: I am in the video at 4:14 in the stock footage haha. I also just finished my MPH in nutrition in dietetics and am an RD who works in eating disorder treatment. Happy to see you bring awareness to REDs! Just a note - would always recommend adding a disclaimer to videos to work with your primary care provider and a dietitian (RDs with a specialization in sports will have a CSSD by their name! And eating disorder providers will likely have CEDS by their name, but not all eating disorder providers carry this credential) when attempting to lose weight. Thanks again for talking about this!

[willfromfreeport]

It's like they noticed my reported weight has kept going up and wanted to give me a hand to drop weight in a better manner. Thanks TrainerRoad!

[pmccarthyable]

Calculator Please ! - Awesome video, more like this

[nickadams]

I've read the paper. I think the physiology is sound and as a proof of concept addressing the metabolic response to extreme caloric restriction on muscle metabolomics is interesting and of value. However a 900 calorie/d restriction is of course extreme and perhaps the responses don't necessarily reflect the responses to more modest restriction. The concluding advice I'm sure is reasonable!

[DustyMoth.]

Ok love this & saving for later. Clear, concise info and a simple plan to be able to put it into action, thanks and awesome work 👍

[gmjohnson]

Yes, a calculator would be super helpful! :)

[JeffRElliott]

Great video and I like that you covered the basis on why eating enough is important for everyone and gave concrete instructions on a way to calculate macros and ideally lose fat.

And yes to the calculator!

[mmchrisp]

Calculator and article with all that info written down please! Keep up the great work!

[valiantabello]

Id pay good money for TR to add that calculator please

[HydeMyJekyll]

There's nothing really wrong with running a 900 calorie deficit as long as you're getting all the macros you need. I started TrainerRoad and ran a similar deficit all the way until summer, lost 30 lbs and gained 80w on my FTP in the process. Now I've stayed the same weight and have added another 35w on top of that. Just have to be smart about how you do it, don't cut out so much food that you're not getting the correct amount of protein or not enough carbs for your workouts!

[robsprimallife]

Great Video! Cutting the KCal in half is very drastic and it is no surprise that the bmr dropped. In terms of weight loss you shouldn't drop more than 1% of you body weight per week in order to prevent severe much muscle loss. If you you are a 125lb female that would be around 600kcal deficit (very restricted), diet breaks would be highly recommended to reduce impact on the BMR. Increasing Protein is also a must during those restrictions in my opinion. A Calculator would be great!

[mikehhhhhhh]

As an overweight cyclist 20kg into a 35kg weight loss goal, while still trying to get faster, I am in love with the concept of a scientifically backed formula for calorie consumption. Thank you TR!

My problem is much more than 30*FFM (as measured by Garmin index s2) grinds my weight loss to a halt.

Is this a case of YMMV? Should I look at validating my scales FFM/body fat estimate? Could it be the distribution of macros of my diet?

I use MFP for calorie tracking and tend to be on the pessimistic side of any unknowns and use a power meter to track workouts, so I’d like to think they’re not miles out

[ethanbelot]

This is exactly what I needed! Please please please get a calculator going 🙏🏾

[brandonyaw]

Okay I’ve watched this a few times now. Super helpful. One question: how does fasted riding and fat-adapted training factor into this? For example, is doing the occasional 45-60 minute endurance ride first thing in the morning (fasted) doing more harm than good? Or is that still okay if you adequately replenish afterwards?

[derekkuhl]

Ok, now I have watched the video four times to get every bit of info. Best stuff I have heard in a long time about nutrition. I like like like the defined plan. Keep this stuff up. Up there with the best content for athletes on youtube

[StephanieLuff]

Thank you for talking about female athletes 🤗

[Shmoodoggy]

I've got pounds to lose for the sake of climbing and even more importantly for health in general. I need to be in caloric deficit to lose weight, but don't want to lose muscle mass. I am eating more protein than before the path to a smaller and lighter me began, and weighting it in the AM. I have to rewatch this video!