Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

How to lose fat as an athlete

16 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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0:45

In this segment, the speaker defines a calorie deficit as consuming fewer calories than one burns, noting it is the only way to lose body fat. He explains that for athletes, large deficits can dramatically reduce energy availability and impair performance. Therefore, he advises a strategic, gradual approach to fat loss, recommending modest reductions—about 250 calories per day, such as eliminating a snack—rather than drastic cuts of 500–1,000 calories, which would compromise athletic output.

Chapters

What is a calorie deficit and what does it mean for athletes? A calorie deficit is when you are consuming less calories than you are burning. A calorie deficit is the only way we as humans can lose body fat. So what does it mean for athletes? My issue with calorie deficits for athletes is it's going to take your energy way down, which means it's going to make your performance come way down. So we have to do it in a strategic way if you're trying to lose fat and maintain performance at the same time. You don't want to cut out 500 to 1,000 calories or— because you're going to have 1,000 calories less energy to pull from during your performance. So if you're trying to lose fat, do it slowly and just cut out 250 calories, cut out one snack or part of a meal, but don't do it drastically. Don't do a hard cut because that's when your performance sucks.