Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

How to lose weight as an athlete

24 Jul 2025 · 1 min

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0:45

In this segment, the speaker explains that a calorie deficit—consuming fewer calories than you burn—is the only physiological way to lose body fat. However, for athletes, a large deficit can dramatically lower energy availability and impair performance. The speaker cautions against drastic cuts of 500–1,000 calories and instead recommends a strategic, gradual approach, such as reducing intake by about 250 calories per day by eliminating a snack or a portion of a meal. This method aims to promote fat loss while preserving athletic performance.

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.