Weight Loss Nutrition for Cyclists, Learning from Races, and More - Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 418

[@jc74435]

I broke my clavicle 6 months ago, needed surgery, and gained 12kg in recovery. I’m now rebuilding my fitness and losing the extra weight. Already lost 3kg. Now for the next 9kg 💪

[@TTWalt]

Thank you for this episode. I am 6’ and a former power lifter, bodybuilder and rugby player. I am at about 190 lbs and obsessive about my weight. This helped me accept my weight, be grateful for my power and enjoy my rides and races.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I was an all-american shot putter at 320lbs. Started cycling due to a poorly timed injury in my last year of eligibility. I lost over 100lbs in about 10 months and dropped another 30-40 in the next year. Raced as a cat 1 on the road and track with an Olympic qualifying time in the pursuit the year before it was taken out of the Olympic program🙃 *I did "everything wrong" for sustained weight loss but sustained it and did very well. Excessive calorie deficit and just made it happen.

[@sebrooks1]

1:00:51 - Jonathan says a 190W average is "like a recovery ride for me." I began using TR 2-1/2 years ago and after my 2nd Ramp Test (first one, I really didn't know what I was doing), had an unimpressive FTP of 179. Today it is 210, so up 31W (17%+), and honestly, most of that gain has come over the last 6 months as I've gotten the message about CONSISTENCY. So yeah, a 190W recovery ride -- can't really relate, haha! Oh, I'm 60 yrs old, and started cycling what I would call "seriously" about 5 years ago. I don't have a background in athletics, and have some limiting circumstances in my life, so I'm basically happy with what I have accomplished and what I'm currently able to do -- but still hungry for more, and that's why I use TR. Just kind of staggered me a little to hear Jonathan say 190W was a recovery ride for him, but I do realize where I am in the food chain :D Great episode that I will pass along to a friend who I think could benefit from the info!

[@mantelles]

Greertings, FIVE Stars PLUS for this discussion on nutrition and body mass. I find all of your podcasts very interesting and always lots to learn from the presenters. However, for me personnally, this podcast's nutrition, weight, and body image perception discussion was one of the most useful, thought provoking, validating, and drove a lot of self-reflection. Best advice, get rid of the scale... THANK YOU to all ! ! !

[@jake.vigesaa]

Love the diet talk. I was very slowly losing weight on a calorie deficit, but also not feeling great in sessions and throughout the day, especially towards the end of a build phase. In the few weeks leading up to my first big 'B' race, I ate about 500 more cal/day and started feeling noticeably better and somehow was still losing weight 😆

[@Mike0]

I usually burn 1000+ extra calories during the week, so eating 3000 calories a day and I'd suffer from under-fueling. If you're still losing weight with an extra 500 I can't imagine what deficit you were actually in before.

[@cschmitz]

23:40 "it should be us vs our limits" I really appreciate this perspective on racing amateur. This year is my first year racing track and I'm only ever going to do it amateur. I've been doing pretty okay in cat c, but this past Thursday I had my first cat b+c race. Going into the race I thought I would have a decent chance of sticking through at least half of it (it was an elimination race), but I got called six racers in. I wasn't beating myself up, but I did feel a bit down about it. That said, while I was in I did perform well relative to my other races and I did learn a bunch during the race. It's good to get a reminder to think about that and not take it so seriously that it's not fun anymore 🙇🏾‍♂️

[@The80shilling]

I started Mountain Biking again after 36 years off the bike; at 61 years old, I was 230 lbs at 5' 11" tall. After 8 months of riding 3 times a week, 20 miles each training ride, and a once a month 52 mile ride, I'm down to 176 lbs. as of today. The combination of intense exercise and going on the OMAD (One Meal A Day) diet was the key. As well as just getting fitter from the exercise, the weight-loss has been a major contributor to my performance improvements. When I was first fit enough to start riding my present training loop, it took me 2 hours and 11 minutes to complete the loop; 2,100 feet of climbing, 20 miles. Today, the same loop takes me 1 hour and 18 minutes. Some of my Strava segment times have literally been halved. I get faster and stronger every ride, my times and power output increase every ride, my technical skills improve every ride.

[@1269Dondude]

I stopped eating greasy crap foods and started eating brown rice, lentils, chickpeas, more sea food. Less red meat. I lost 17 lbs in 3 months and maintained the same power. 162 lbs to 145 lbs

[@elliekusa65]

I am currently 40 lbs heavier than I was in 2021 when I had a very successful Paracycling season. The weight gain (60 total lbs) was due to harsh medications during a severe illness. I am working with a nutritionist and she has helped me lose 1/2 lb a week (14 lbs in 7 months). It was SO hard to increase calories, carbs and protein but I finally “got it” and did what she told me. During the month leading up to my last big race we focused on FUELING and not a calorie deficit. I stayed off the scale until recently. I ended up racing faster at 40 lbs heavier because I am also doing weights and I am really strong. So, we are in the long game (1-2 years) to get that 40 lbs off my body. 👍❤️🚴‍♀️

[@Steve-r3g]

I raced mtb xc here in Colorado in the 50+ groups. At this age group there were only a six to eight of us mixing it up towards the front of races and USA Cycling would routinely bump the winner up from Cat 2 to Cat 1 if we won a race. Because there was such a vast difference between Cat 1 and Cat 2 we would go from winning to finishing :15 down on the leaders of a Cat 1 race. But then would appeal to USA Cycling to be down graded back to Cat 2, which they always complied with. One race Danny Pates father raced a Cat 2 race with us, smoked us and either he voluntarily disqualified himself or the officials did it for him. That was the only time I recall anyone was accused of sandbagging.

[@scottreutter]

Insulin resistance is caused from excess fat, not carbs.

[@richardmiddleton7770]

Fat doesn't raise insulin so I'm not sure how you got to that conclusion! Sure fat AND carbs will cause insulin resistance in excess if you're not active, but fat alone won't cause insulin resistance.

[@jonathanlong3356]

Wow, I listen on Spotify and was listening to an episode from end of August 2021. Listening to what type of coffee would each grand tour be, nobody said french press for the tour de France, was so surprised. I'm living in a motel 6 getting ready for BWR Cedar City with no way to heat anything up and cold brew french press has become my favorite

[@skickbush1]

So here we are its next year. Is Jonathon doing IM Cozumel and Unbound?

[@dahonkie]

Dear TrainerRoad Team, I know there have been a few questions about weightloss that were basically answered by setting the priorities between power/ training quality straight but I’d like to ask another question about weightloss. I’m 185cm tall, 95 kg and have a ftp around 300w. So I’m fit but my bmi is around 28 and I’m a little overweight. I’d like to loose that weight but can’t keep more than 4h of structured training up because of work and family.

[@joshuacrutcher402]

Knowing who you are going to compete with in the higher category is a huge consideration for upgrading. When I was racing XC in MT, I upgraded to Cat 1 which would put me on the start line against Sam Schultz, Stephen Ettinger, and other local pros. This made my goals for the races to not get lapped and that wasn’t quite as fun as the podium in Cat 2.

[@ΘάνατοςΧορτοφάγος]

After corona, i've gone up in weight, and am now stuck about 5 kg more than before. Stress and health are really making it difficult to get back in my best shape.

[@vinniep01]

Best way IMO to carb load is jel type sweets. Regarding Bill and his CX bike : what about 650b wheels and wider tyres?

[@ComandanteNissaro]

I am 37 yrs old 5'7" and 176 is what I used to weigh junior year of high school when I played high school ice hockey.

[@richardmiddleton7770]

There's a study that shows losing weight fast or slow makes no difference to whether the weight was regained later or not. In fact, if you lose weight slowly you're more likely to get disheartened and give in. There are multiple health benefits from losing weight, why would you want to delay that?! Sure, don't just eat salad the day before a race, but in the off season, when training is, and should be easy, drop them kcals! And yes, especially carbs as they're not essential like protein and fats are.

[@mojo3398]

This is interesting. When I started mountain biking i actually gained weight because i was so hungry all the time. I've been doing that for 4 years and i am fitter then ever just after a marathon but i still have about 10 kg too much compared to my twenties. I will lose 3-5kg every summer but in winter, which is infection season, i will gain even more because the hunger remains. How can I adjust eating during intermitted training? (83 kg at 175 cm, more of a strong body type but clearly excessive fat)

[@MrMattie725]

Nate "we will pay for a world class coach to help you with your swimming" Jon "I'm going against that!" :D

[@tr2340]

Dear Nate (or anyone else who might know), on a podcast episode a while ago, you mentioned a good book on Attachment Theory. I’ve been fascinated with the topic ever since. Can you tell me the name of the book? I missed the name on the podcast and cannot find it

[@pinkie7803]

I'm guessing this is Levine and Heller's popular book, 'Attached'. But you can do better, and go to the source: John Bowlby is the originator, and his work is widely available and accessible. Enjoy!

[@jsten1147]

You should list the social media accounts of the presenters. Mentioned good follows on the podcast, but don’t have links or recommendations.

[@alexlarsonnutrition]

You can find me @alexlarsonnutrition 😊

[@psy-v]

I feel like all of these conversations become "don't worry about weight" but... you're already in top form. I've got about 30 lbs I need to lose. So how do we at least preserve muscle mass while losing weight at a steady rate?

[@michaelmaher3428]

As someone who is just under 6'4 and currently 200# I was at my fastest when I was right around 181#. I never really paid attention to weight loss or anything like that. For perspective once I got married I was fast again but never got below 190#. Now with kids I'm lucky to ever see a 1 as the first # on the scale but am hoping to keep gaining fitness and maybe lose a couple #s

[@edwarddruitt7521]

I aggressively disagree with Jon's view on top triathlon swimmers having garbage technique. Yes some of them are strong and yes some of them have less than ideal form but fundamentally their strokes and body position is good. Not to mention that for Jon, work on technique will likely be the best time/effort to benefit ratio thing that he can do for his swimming.

[@sanchorides]

The show I'm waiting for every week, my dose of motivation and learning, thank you traineroad (Podcast or video you guys are the peak of my week )

[@TrainerRoad]

Thanks so much for joining us!

[@ComandanteNissaro]

I am currently 182

[@ComandanteNissaro]

I like to climb so I want my legs my arms and my abs to be strong. I just want my whole body to be strong. I don't care about how much I weigh. I just want to feel good on the bike

[@JamesBoz]

When is the head coach (Chad) coming back?

[@abstractabby1921]

I love cycling and want to lose weight for health, but I’m so nervous to bike because my legs are naturally more muscular and I really don’t want my legs to get any bigger. As a woman, I’m constantly hearing to not worry about it because building muscle is harder. But my legs are mainly muscle (if there’s fat its under the skin where I can’t grab it via calipers, etc.) , and I want to get into mountain biking so I’m concerned that my legs will just become humongous and it’ll mess with my body dysmorphia even more :/ I’m stuck between loving the bike so much, but being afraid of what might happen to my body image if my legs get any bigger

[@richardmiddleton7770]

Cycling won't make your legs bigger.

[@xtractify]

Ivy has the cutest laugh

[@jakebroeckel650]

Regarding the discussion/topic on eating disorders: I would like to make a motion for the creation of some sort of online “support group” for individuals facing this issue. All ages, sexes, rider type, abilities are welcome. While I understand it cannot simply stand in place of formal ED recovery. I think it might be helpful to have more candid discussions and encouragement from a community of cyclists who are currently or have in the past, faced this problem.

[@richardmiddleton7770]

These days, we need some sort of eating disorder. Otherwise we'd just eat high calorie foods every waking hour! This is what we were designed to do. So you need to pick a 'disorder' that works for you. Cut down fat or carbs, intermittent fasting, alternate day fasting, fasted rides, count calories, be in a calorie deficit most of the time but suck down 4 gels an hour on the bike! They're all disordered ways of eating, all to keep calories in check which is the opposite to what we are designed to do.

[@bikeste]

I enjoy this show, but wonder if you need a bit more specific information on the person who asked the first question. We don't know his current body composition, maybe he has 25 lb of fat to lose that could be beneficial for his performance? If he has four to five months to do this, he could easily lose a pound a week, which is totally doable while fueling rides, making good physiologic adaptations, and being healthy in general. Two cents...

[@alexlarsonnutrition]

It’s always better to have more info, but based on what we had and the type of event he was training for… even a pound a week would be at least a 500 cal/day deficit which during high-volume training could significantly impact performance. It’s not the it’s an impossible goal, but it likely isn’t optimal.

[@elliekusa65]

Just FYI “easily a pound a week” is not reasonable for some people. I have been training for Paracycling and after working with a nutritionist I realized that 1/2 lb a week is reasonable for me while training for performance. It took 7 months to lose 14 lbs. So, I have a long-term goal and I FEEL great,

[@elliekusa65]

EXACTLY. it is hard to feel good and have enough energy for performance with a 500 calorie deficit.

[@MrMattie725]

On Zwift, which could also be translated to real live, sandbagging is considered as riding below what you're capable off and then smoking everyone at the end. This way your numbers don't make you jump a cat, but you still win everything. So if someone is just chilling the whole race next to you and then out sprints everyone, he's sandbagging.

[@JB-uv4hm]

10 min before bf% was even mentioned. All the old “if I lose weight, my power will drop” mythology.

[@Gozzilah]

Jump cut @ 46:30 ☕️

[@richardrutishauser4689]

"Hard to carb load"...amatuers! ;-)

[@alexlarsonnutrition]

For newbie carb-loaders, they are surprised at how much planning is needed to hit the big carb numbers.

[@richardrutishauser4689]

@@alexlarsonnutrition oh I know, I was just being silly!

[@kellyperkins4139]

All depends if your event has a bunch of climbing, if it does then shed kilo's it works. Also 6'3 or 6'4 176 is not crazy light. What are you guys smoking?

[@bikedawg]

Where's Chad?

[@annadrone4859]

Where is Chad??

[@rondickinson3963]

Chad, left the company

[@richardearley4249]

Nate fired him.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

🥫d

[@elliekusa65]

The majority of people commenting are MEN and many are young. Most of the research in nutrition has been done on MEN and not women (especially older women). One meal a day, big calorie deficit and low carb are not healthy for most people training hard but especially for women (google Stacy Sims).

[@jamieokane989]

Does Nate ever smile, I’ve seen happier folks at a funeral… Cheer up for goodness sake 😮

[@kellyperkins4139]

You can be overweight with a gut if you are racing a flat crit.. duh

[@SioLazer]

If Tom is following the traditional method of 3500 calories=1lb of body weight, then isn't he talking about a 1000 calorie daily deficit for the next 12 weeks? BRUTAL don't do it. :(

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I lost over 100lbs in 10 months. I had a much bigger calorie deficit than that and kept that calorie deficit(on paper) for years afterwards. Riding +30hrs a week at ~190lbs(6'1") while rarely eating over 4000 calories and my bodyweight largely stayed where it was for years of racing. Our bodies learn to be very efficient and do a better job at taking in calories with expelling fewer calories(referring to calories in our feces)

[@baribari600]

1000 calorie deficit for 12 weeks isn't that bad, especially for someone that big. He's still going to be eating a ton of food if he's training a lot

[@asun3630]

Damb good 🦫. I really want to do Grinduro!!! I named my dog Quincy because of that town long before I started gravel racing.