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I've adjusted my training & nutrition to prioritize fat loss, and it's working ever so gradually, just like it should. But man… doing this The Right Way is... HARD.

It's going well. I'm down ~10lbs over ~4 months. I spoke with a dietitian & implemented a few of her recommendations:

less sugar/simple carbs

On days I don't ride, I've swapped my high-carb oatmeal breakfast for scrambled eggs & a slice of toast. Snacks feature veggies/hummus, etc.

prebiotics & probiotics, fiber

I now supplement to support gut biome health:

• breakfast: fiber supplement
• lunch: prebiotics
• dinner: probiotics

more sleep

It's easy to stay up watching TV or playing games or doomscrolling, and for me that results in ~6½hrs of sleep per night. Getting in bed earlier & pushing that toward 7½hrs has really helped.

NOPE: more veggies

I've gotten some more veggies into my diet, but not nearly enough. There's 100% room for improvement here.

I've also made some adjustments to my training to prioritize fat loss.

consistently make time for weight training

My love of biking often leads me to want to skip my Thursday's barbell session so I can give Friday's ride my all. But for me, consistently doing SOMETHING every day is FAR more conducive to fat loss than going hard every other day.

I have to remember that a new PR is nice, but what I really want is a whole stack of new PRs as payoff for dropping this extra fat I'm carrying around. I'll be healthier & significantly faster if I drop the extra weight.

on-bike fueling

I usually put Gu Roctane in both bottles. That keeps me fueled through the end of the ride, which is good for recovery. But it also means more sugar in my system than I really need. So now it's 1 bottle of Roctane, 1 of water.

That cuts just 250 Cal from my daily intake, and my rides typically burn 800-1400 Cal. But I find that cutting sugar in particular has an outsized effect on body composition.

What's the Goal?

I'm starting to notice clothes fitting differently, and I'm maybe starting to notice that I'm feelign stronger on the bike. So that's encouraging. I'm down from ~205# to reliably under ~195#, and I'd love to get back down under 180#, where I was in April of 2019. I felt great back then, and wasn't strugling or pushing myself to maintain that.