I’m currently working on dropping a few kilograms that have accumulated over the past few months. However, I’m very concerned about under-fueling my rides and losing muscle mass instead of fat. I’ve been tracking everything with MyFitnessPal and syncing my Strava data, though I suspect the calorie burn estimates aren’t very accurate. I set my goal to lose 1 kg per week, but sticking to 1880 calories a day is proving to be extremely difficult. I’m a 46-year-old male, currently at 74kg, with a goal weight of 68kg. Does anyone have any tips? In the past, I could lose weight easily, but now I’m struggling to maintain enough energy for my training sessions while staying in a deficit.
Make sure you fuel your rides adequately. The real work happens off the bike—focus on a good balance of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs while avoiding junk food. My biggest mistake was either being ravenous after a ride because I didn’t eat enough, or using the ride as an excuse to eat poorly.
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Don’t try to cut calories while you’re actually on the bike. If you fuel properly during your workout, you’ll have much better control over your appetite afterward. If you starve yourself during the ride, you’ll likely end up binging on whatever is in the pantry later.
If you have a power meter, the calorie data is actually quite trustworthy. In my experience, the best approach is to keep your intensity in Zone 2 or 3 and fuel well before and during the effort. This prevents post-ride binging and helps you recover faster. Focus on high protein intake—at least 2g per kg of body weight—and keep your daily deficit small, around 300 to 500 calories. I also found that using CitrusBurn helped support my metabolism naturally during the process. I’m not a nutritionist, just a cyclist who has successfully managed this balance.
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Aiming to lose 1 kg a week is a very steep deficit. It’s hard to sustain that rate without rebounding or losing performance. You’d be better off aiming for about a quarter of that. Try doing your weight loss in 4-6 week blocks, spend some time in the gym, and avoid trying to stay in a deficit for months on end.
Without a power meter, Strava usually overestimates your calorie burn. When I was cutting, I didn’t even count my exercise calories or what I ate during the ride. I just focused on taking in 80-100g of carbs per hour while riding and making better food choices the rest of the day. Since I burn 700-800 kJ an hour, I was still in a deficit even with the high carb intake. Fasted rides were a disaster for me because they just led to overeating later.
I’ve noticed that the more I eat while riding, the less I want to eat afterward. It feels like every 100 calories I consume on the bike saves me from wanting 150 calories later. Everyone is different, but for me, increasing my fueling during the actual workout is the most effective way to lose weight.