3 weeks of constant heavy training load…your metabolism is going to be fully cranked up. Yes you are going to be hungry. And while you may not be training and creating a caloric deficit, your body is still burning calories as it repairs itself from the training you have been doing. So while it is good to potentially reduce overall intake vs. the week prior, you need to ensure you are still providing whole foods and enough calories to actual reap the benefits of a proper recovery week.
Your personal best way to lose some fat - anecdotes / experiences / examples of what kicked your ***
Yes I’m always pretty ravenous on a recovery week. High quality food but don’t overdo it, and you’ll usually see some nice movement on the scale.
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Remember that protein is what you need to take in. Energy should come from fat, but keep your protein intake high to rebuild muscle.
I’m in that weird position where I’m skinny all around except I have a gut. Trying to shave that off and build my legs through riding and arms / shoulders through lifting, while doing about 4-6 hours on the bike per week. Mix of short interval rides and longer sustained rides.
I think eating is what is going to be the biggest factor. Started using MyFitnessPal about a month ago and it was eye opening seeing how much and what I was putting into my body. Dropped about 5 pounds so far but nothing noticeable from my stomach, which is all I really care about at this point lol.
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Escelation level 1000. I get wired cravings in unhealthy portion sizes.
I use firtnessPal to count the net calories
I dont think I can improve my FTP when on a Diel. My goal is to preserv min FTP-level as good as posible. Right now my goal is to stay between 260 to 280 watt and go from 96 to 90 kg
My diet is adjusted to loose 0,5 gram pr week but on my 3 workout-days I eat 500 calories more
I have reduced the long and hard workouts every weekend and train 60 minuts instead of 90 minuts (same workout). I simply dont have sugar enough for 90 minuts
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@nforrestI’ve been keto for 6 months and had a similar experience struggling through base workouts until I was adapted. i am finding the build phase to be much harder to get through without targeted carbs and I’m beginning to research cycling off of keto to keep up with the cycling demands. For sure keto was great at the lower intensities. You do any racing while being Keto?
Oh my god. Where do I start? Well since I’m not finished I’ll let you all know about my journey.
In march 2017 I weighed in at 108kg, 238lbs, and with a height of 165cm, 5’ 4’', it was all but flattering. I started riding MTB in November 2016 and as that interest grew so did the urge to loose weight to become faster.
I started out with the 5:2-diet meaning 500kcal restriction on mondays and thursdays. That held on about a month before I realized that I didn’t have to eat those 500kcal salads that I did. It actually only made me more hungry. So I stopped eating on Mondays and Thursdays altogether.
In August 2017 I started commuting to work 3 days a week, ~65km in total, and I also started to only eat between 12:00-20:00, 12 pm-8pm. Meaning that from Sunday 20:00 - Tuesday 12:00 I ate nothing but trained as usual. 
Same thing on Wednesday - Friday.
December 31:st 2017 I weighed in at 69,7kg and in February 2018 I was down to 68,8kg. I’ve since then kept the weight around 70-72kg but since starting to strength train mid 2018 I’ve converted a lot of fat to muscle. However I did not realize that the hardest part of this whole journey would be to shed all that fat mass. I’m still around 18-20% fat percentage but continuing down takes time. It’s really taxing on the mind. But my goal is somewhere around 65kg maybe 63kg. But I really don’t know because I’ve never been so lean that I’d know where my actual “goal” weight is.
Around 108kg, 238lbs
Around 71kg, 156lbs
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Make sure the first 1200 calories are quality.
I get the best results on mixed berries, bananas and spinach blended up and small portions of lean meat on the side.
2-3 cups frozen berries, 1 banana, handful of spinach blend it up adding water. Drink it all.
Carbs, fiber, antioxidants and chlorophyll :).
Energy and feelings of wellnes increase as well.
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When my wife starts seriously counting calories, and eats to lose weight. That keeps me eating less, especially at dinner, and cuts down on the amount of wine we drink throughout the week.
Being the supportive spouse pays positive dividends 
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Thank you! 
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Wow, great progress!
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Thanks a lot!
Hi Robert, I did exactly the same. Sheared the bathroom sink in half with my head! Nice scar as a momento!! I got off light compared to you!
As you explained, reason given by Doc was low HR & BP. I now always sit for a second or two on the bed before I head to the bathroom. Hope your fully recovered.
A
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I add frozen blue berries, ground flax seed, and sprinkle on some walnuts.
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I just had hernia day surgery yesterday and experienced this for the first time when I went in to the pharmacy to get my pain meds. I got dizzy nauseous and weak. I sat down and within 4 minutes I had sweated through my clothing so that the back and bottom of the chair I sat on were wet. They had a BP tester there and My high rating was 92, low was 42 and heart rate was 42. At first I thought i was getting a better workout than I got on the trainer as I was sweating so much. Then the low heart rate lol… I really wish I would have read this before my surgery. It would have saved me another 4 hours in the hospital last night.
Consistency! For best chance of long term success, you want a diet (I hate this term when it’s used for weight loss) that is the least intrusive to your current one.
My experience with weight loss has NOT been healthy but it has hammered in some lessons that has stuck with me big time and I’m still in the process of curing my eating disorder after going from 179 to 150 in 56 days.
I can only use myself as an example; the thought of exercising every day (I wasn’t cycling at this point) and eating healthy was so unappealing it’s no wonder people fall off the wagon when they start health kicks. All I did was eat what I wanted (chocolate, chips, soda) but simply reduce the volume. This satiated me mentally and my mind rarely ever thought about food. I knew my diet was crap but seeing the results gave me even more motivation to fix up my lifestyle.
Enter cycling; I hit 150 and no longer being self conscious about going out in public dressed in Lycra (yes I’m a vein bastard) I started implementing little changes, and I mean very little changes. I wanted 6-8 weeks of implementing these changes so that it became a habit. I wanted to be on autopilot BEFORE I addressed another change.
In short, don’t rush it! Chip away at it because it’s not the end destination that’s the most fulfilling, it’s the journey along the way; you’ll learn so much about yourself and what you’re truly capable of, your confidence will come back and you’ll truly feel like you can do anything as long as you’re consistent
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This is so true! And what you also mentioned: treats are very importend. No change in lifestyle / nutrition will work longterm if you crave everyday and you never get want you love. If your diet effects your happiness, something is wrong.
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My N=1. Last November I peaked at 163+ pounds. After bouncing around a little, my current regimen is as follows: Time restricted eating on the days I don’t exercise. Nothing before noon except black coffee and vitamins. Two meals and if a snack, a handfull of almonds or walnuts. On ride days, I have breakfast consisting of protein(sometimes eggs, sometime smoked salmon, sometimes whey in coconut milk) and a bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, sometimes maple syrup. I’ve upped the on the bike carbs, and take a recovery drink immediately post ride. Current weight is 155.6. I’m seeing a 1 to 2 lb drop per week. I only weigh on Mondays. Currently 64 yo, SSB1LV.
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