Nutritioninterview

WEIGHT LOSS SIMPLIFIED (MEAL TIPS FOR BUSY CYCLISTS) | RDMN PODCAST CLIPS

with Rdmn Podcast Clips

8:38·22 August 2023

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

You don't need new recipes. You need to match food load to training load across a predictable weekly structure of recovery days, race-pace efforts, and intervals.
Build a repeatable breakfast template instead of improvising. Murchison's example: 60g oats, 120g berries, 20g maple syrup — roughly 400 calories with no decision-making required.
"Healthy" Instagram plates can quietly clear 1,000 calories. Sourdough, avocado, halloumi, salmon and eggs is a long-ride breakfast, not a recovery-day one.
Portion literacy beats food perfection. Knowing the calorie weight of common ingredients lets you scale meals to the session you've actually done, not the one you imagined.
Save calorically dense foods for the days that earn them. Reserve high-calorie meals for long rides; default lower on rest and recovery days to create the deficit weight loss requires.

TOPICS

Carrying extra weight as a busy cyclist doesn't require complicated meal plans or trendy Instagram food. Learn how to match your nutrition to your training load, master simple high-impact meals, and understand the difference between eating well and eating for your training goals.

Key Takeaways

Plan your food around your known training week structure (recovery rides, race pace efforts, intervals) just like you plan your workouts
Master 2-3 simple breakfast templates (like 60g oats + 120g berries + 20g maple syrup) and repeat them consistently rather than seeking variety
Know what your calories actually look like — the difference between 20g and 40g of maple syrup can nearly double a meal's calories without tasting noticeably different
Match your nutrition to your training intensity: reduce carbs on rest days, increase them before hard efforts like intervals or threshold work
Avoid confusing 'good food' with 'food that's good for your training' — avocado and smoked salmon are calorie-dense and better suited to recovery meals after long rides, not daily breakfasts
Use simple, quick recipes with basic supermarket ingredients (tinned tuna, pre-cooked rice, tinned tomatoes, chickpeas) rather than complex cooking

Expert Quotes

"The Health and Fitness business is full of bullshitters, and there's very few people that understand food and nutrition from an athlete's perspective or a cooking perspective."

"You don't need 10 breakfasts, you don't need 10 lunches. You just need the ability to match your training load to your food load."

"That's eating a nutritional Instagram moment — it's perhaps not the best thing for your training."

CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

Each tagged with the strength of evidence behind it.

EXPERT
Alan Murchison's reference breakfast for cyclists pursuing weight loss is approximately 60g oats, 120g berries and 20g maple syrup, totalling roughly 400 calories.
Source: Alan Murchison, Michelin-starred chef and performance nutritionist, on the Roadman Cycling Podcast
EXPERT
A common "healthy" cyclist breakfast of sourdough toast with avocado, halloumi, salmon and eggs can exceed 1,000 calories — appropriate before a long ride but excessive on a recovery day.
Source: Alan Murchison, on the Roadman Cycling Podcast
EXPERT
Murchison advocates structuring nutrition across a weekly training plan with distinct recovery, race-pace and interval days, scaling food intake to the demand of each session rather than eating uniformly day-to-day.
Source: Alan Murchison, on the Roadman Cycling Podcast
OPINION
Repeatable meal templates reduce decision fatigue and stabilise calorie intake more reliably than rotating recipes, particularly for time-poor amateur cyclists.
Source: Alan Murchison, on the Roadman Cycling Podcast

KEY QUOTES

“A male World Tour Rider will take on at least 10 to 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilo of body weight per day on a stage race female athletes are taking on eight to ten grams of carbohydrate per kilo body weight per day. Now that's a number that will mean nothing to anybody unless you wear out and if you put in context a banana is 20 grams of carbs approximately do the math.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“That's a great example only really well toasted Artisan sourdough with seeds and in it crushed avocado with Sicilian olive oil to organic smoke common and Poached Eggs — that is probably a thousand calories maybe 1200 calories that's not eating well that's eating — eating well would be I've got intervals to do today man you could have a bagel with nut butter and jam that's perfect for intervals.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“The difference between being in a calorie deficit equal or Surplus is — it's a bit like you could make porridge up and you could do 60 grams of oats 120 grams of berries and 20 grams of maple — the difference between that being 80 grams of oats with Chia and flax seeds full fat milk you then have a banana on berries and you put 40 grams of maple is probably double the amount of calories.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT3 SECTIONS

Planning Meals Around Your Training Week

So kind of continue to pull it that nutrition thread and exploring a little bit more of those Club Reuters who are maybe carrying a little bit extra weight is there like I love that Pareto Principle the idea 80 20 like is there an easy way for them to optimize their nutrition across the week bearing in mind most listeners here will put them into that bucket of time crunch cyclists where they're looking to balance work training family and maybe some sort of social so a lot of the time food becomes an aftertaught so is there like strategies that can make eating well easy across the week yeah I think it's planning you know you know most of us would know what what riding they're going to do a week so if you think a textbook cyclist and it doesn't matter whether your world tour I just want to be the best in your street you probably do two recovery rides two rides that replicate your event Pace or event effort and two rides that are maybe over and above that so recovery practicing race pace and then intervals of some description so if you can then plan your food alongside that you know we all kind of know that you might do a trainee on a Tuesday night you might do intervals on a Thursday you might do something on a Saturday and do a log ride on a Sunday that's a traditional week um and do the same thing with your food you know like food doesn't need to be complicated you know if you take virtual music for example so you're time poor 50 grams of Oats 50 grams of Greek yogurt 100 milliliters of apple juice one grated Apple pinch of cinnamon handful of raisins that is a good mixture of quick release and slow release carbohydrate you throw it in the fridge maybe some chia seeds some pumpkin in there if you want fancier pumpkin seeds that can be made up in less than a minute and that's got everything you need alternatively if you take say 60 grams of Oats as in porridge oats cook that in one and a half cups of water or milk have 120 grams of berries and 20 grams of maple syrup plus a 400 calorie breakfast you know I mean it doesn't need to be overly complicated I know those for facts because it's a so I will have about 400 calorie breakfast pretty much six days out of seven and then the one day off a week that I might have pancakes or I might have you know poached eggs with avocado and smoked salmon and I think that's the difference is that you know you don't need to over complicate it with recipes for example you know you can have something as simple as and I'm not this isn't a a podcast to promote a book but if you look at the books I've done we've tried to make sure that everything can be bought from Tesco's and cooked in under 30 minutes so you could make up say a Moroccan tagine which could have some Moroccan spices which you can buy in Tesco's you could have a Tina chopped tomatoes a tinor chickpeas you could have them peppers and some form of protein you have up with couscous or rice you've got a meat that's got protein it's got carbohydrate it's got fat and you've got your vegetables in there to give you all your nutrients it doesn't need to be too

What 'Eating Well' Really Means

Wonky per se you know and that's the thing with it but if you imagine your Monday is your SD then by default maybe increase the amount of protein you're eating reduce the amount of carbohydrate if you know on a Tuesday evening you're going to go out and do the chaining and give your head kicked in half carbs for breakfast have carbs for lunch another protein and carbohydrate dinner but it does it you know you don't have time a tin of tuna a chopped up avocado and a packet of pre-cooked rice is protein carbs and fat do you know what I mean it does it doesn't need to be over complicated you know what I think the big separation I see is really early in that conversation you you spelled out one recipe and you're like that's a 400 calorie breakfast when I chatter World Tour guys they know exactly like oh yeah that's a 500 calorie meal that's a 700 calorie meal they're very in tune on what the intake is when I look at some of my friends who are trying to be healthy you know quote unquote healthy and I'll tell them what did you have for breakfast and they're like oh you know I had some eggs I have an avocado I had smoked salmon and some grilled halloumi and you're like there's a big color that's probably like the problem is is the the Health and Fitness business is is is is full of bullshitters you know what I mean and not as a problem with it and and there's very very few people that understand food and nutrition from an athlete's perspective I'm from a cooking perspective so you can eat really well so that's a great example only really well toasted Artisan sourdough with seeds and in it crushed avocado with Sicilian olive oil to organic smoke common and Poached Eggs you know from chickens that have been fed Gold Dust man that's beautiful man that is probably a thousand calories maybe 1200 calories that's not eating well that's eating that's a mean that's more than you'd eat in a mean meal eating well would be I've got intervals to do today man you could have a bagel with nut butter and jam that's perfect for intervals you could have risotto rice cooked in coconut milk with white sugar that's brilliant for intervals that isn't great that's that's eating a nutritional Wok trendy meal that would look good on Instagram it's perhaps not the best thing for your training and that is exactly it so if you think you know World Tour Riders you'll see they will know where the calories are they will know it's a bit like do you know what five watts per kilo looks like do you know what it feels like do you know what six feels like they have that ability to do that and I think if you can do nothing else buy yourself a small set of kitchen skills and go 60 grams of Oats well 60 grams of Oats do they know what that looks like and or the difference between 20 grams of maple syrup and 30 grams is that that's it it's but the difference between being in a calorie deficit equal or Surplus is that it's a bit like again you could make porridge up and you could do 60 grams of volts 120 grams of berries and 20 grams of maple I know this because that was my default breakfast for two months so I knew

Matching Food Load to Training Load

I could do that blindfold the difference between that being 80 grams of oats with Chia and flax seeds full fat milk you then have a banana on berries and you put 40 grams of maple is probably double the amount of calories don't tasting oil it's wild so the so if you were one of those people that can't keep weight on those I think they're called Annoying bastards I think that's what they're called you know what they're called those annoying people I can't keep way on or bless you I used to be one of them those gifts that we we occasionally know you know so if you want you then get color really with colorifically dense foods so good foods not butter you know avocado oily fish those are really colorifically dense full fat milk cheese all of those things are things you avoid like the plague if you want to actually have you know if you want to will have weight management and say unless you're one of those rare beasts so I think that's something that's really really important that you don't need 10 breakfast you don't need 10 lunches you you just need the ability to be able to match your training load to your food load and that's something again is really important is if you're under fueling or over fueling or overeating using your avocado smoked salmon you know example of it that's good food that's good foods for possibly after a four or five hour ride where you need to get nutritionally dense color efficiently dense food in it's not something that's a breakfast uh you know it's just it's not and I think you know it's it's a model of if you looked if you well you've been about enough to if you actually went and looked at what people were eating in world tours or World Tour races stage races or even one day races quite often it's low in fiber because your body can store a lot of water and you can have a couple of kilos of undigested fiber and it's high in carbohydrate and I know we talked about this before a male World Tour Rider will take on at least 10 to 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilo of body weight per day on a stage race female athletes are taking on eight to ten grams of carbohydrate per kilo body weight per day now that's a number that will mean nothing to anybody unless you wear out and if you put in context a banana is 20 grams of carbs approximately do the math and that that's them doing a stage race that's the kind of numbers that they're used to taking you don't need that if you're doing an hour runs left or an hour's chaining you don't need to be feeling like a world to a rider and I think that's the thing you've got to be aware of it's it's just different if you enjoyed that episode please press here for another conversation that I know you're gonna love and don't forget to subscribe to the channel and share it with your Club mates foreign

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How should cyclists match food intake to training load for weight loss?+

Alan Murchison recommends structuring your nutrition around a predictable weekly training pattern of recovery, race-pace, and interval sessions, then adjusting portion sizes to match the demands of each day. The core problem for most cyclists carrying extra weight is not a lack of recipes but eating the same amount regardless of whether they rode hard or easy. Reducing food load on lighter training days is the most direct lever for losing weight.

What is a good low calorie breakfast for cyclists on easy training days?+

Alan Murchison suggests a repeatable 400-calorie breakfast template built around 60g of oats, 120g of berries, and 20g of maple syrup. The value of a fixed template is that it removes daily decision-making and makes calorie tracking straightforward. Keeping breakfast consistent also makes it easier to spot where excess calories are creeping in elsewhere.

Can healthy meals still cause weight gain for cyclists?+

Yes, and Alan Murchison specifically flags meals like sourdough toast topped with avocado, halloumi, salmon, and eggs as a common trap. Despite being made from nutritious ingredients, that combination can exceed 1,000 calories in a single sitting. Looking healthy on a plate and being appropriate for your training load on a given day are two entirely different things.

When should cyclists eat calorie-dense foods during the week?+

Calorie-dense foods should be reserved for long or high-intensity rides when the body genuinely requires the additional fuel, according to Alan Murchison. Eating the same rich meals on recovery days is one of the most consistent reasons cyclists fail to lose weight despite training regularly. Portion literacy, knowing how much a meal actually contains and whether that matches the day's demands, is the central skill to develop.

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Key Takeaways

Plan your food around your known training week structure (recovery rides, race pace efforts, intervals) just like you plan your workouts

Master 2-3 simple breakfast templates (like 60g oats + 120g berries + 20g maple syrup) and repeat them consistently rather than seeking variety

Know what your calories actually look like — the difference between 20g and 40g of maple syrup can nearly double a meal's calories without tasting noticeably different

Match your nutrition to your training intensity: reduce carbs on rest days, increase them before hard efforts like intervals or threshold work

Avoid confusing 'good food' with 'food that's good for your training' — avocado and smoked salmon are calorie-dense and better suited to recovery meals after long rides, not daily breakfasts

Use simple, quick recipes with basic supermarket ingredients (tinned tuna, pre-cooked rice, tinned tomatoes, chickpeas) rather than complex cooking

Expert Quotes

"The Health and Fitness business is full of bullshitters, and there's very few people that understand food and nutrition from an athlete's perspective or a cooking perspective."

"You don't need 10 breakfasts, you don't need 10 lunches. You just need the ability to match your training load to your food load."

"That's eating a nutritional Instagram moment — it's perhaps not the best thing for your training."

KEY QUOTES

“A male World Tour Rider will take on at least 10 to 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilo of body weight per day on a stage race female athletes are taking on eight to ten grams of carbohydrate per kilo body weight per day. Now that's a number that will mean nothing to anybody unless you wear out and if you put in context a banana is 20 grams of carbs approximately do the math.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“That's a great example only really well toasted Artisan sourdough with seeds and in it crushed avocado with Sicilian olive oil to organic smoke common and Poached Eggs — that is probably a thousand calories maybe 1200 calories that's not eating well that's eating — eating well would be I've got intervals to do today man you could have a bagel with nut butter and jam that's perfect for intervals.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“The difference between being in a calorie deficit equal or Surplus is — it's a bit like you could make porridge up and you could do 60 grams of oats 120 grams of berries and 20 grams of maple — the difference between that being 80 grams of oats with Chia and flax seeds full fat milk you then have a banana on berries and you put 40 grams of maple is probably double the amount of calories.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How should cyclists match food intake to training load for weight loss?+

What is a good low calorie breakfast for cyclists on easy training days?+

Can healthy meals still cause weight gain for cyclists?+

When should cyclists eat calorie-dense foods during the week?+

WEIGHT LOSS SIMPLIFIED (MEAL TIPS FOR BUSY CYCLISTS) | RDMN PODCAST CLIPS

Key Takeaways

Expert Quotes

CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

KEY QUOTES

Planning Meals Around Your Training Week

What 'Eating Well' Really Means

Matching Food Load to Training Load

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

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WEIGHT LOSS SIMPLIFIED (MEAL TIPS FOR BUSY CYCLISTS) | RDMN PODCAST CLIPS

Key Takeaways

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CLAIMS FROM THIS EPISODE

KEY QUOTES

Planning Meals Around Your Training Week

What 'Eating Well' Really Means

Matching Food Load to Training Load

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

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WEIGHT LOSS SIMPLIFIED (MEAL TIPS FOR BUSY CYCLISTS) | RDMN PODCAST CLIPS

Key Takeaways

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KEY QUOTES

1.Planning Meals Around Your Training Week

2.What 'Eating Well' Really Means

3.Matching Food Load to Training Load

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WEIGHT LOSS SIMPLIFIED (MEAL TIPS FOR BUSY CYCLISTS) | RDMN PODCAST CLIPS

Key Takeaways

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KEY QUOTES

1.Planning Meals Around Your Training Week

2.What 'Eating Well' Really Means

3.Matching Food Load to Training Load

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Planning Meals Around Your Training Week

What 'Eating Well' Really Means

Matching Food Load to Training Load

Planning Meals Around Your Training Week

What 'Eating Well' Really Means

Matching Food Load to Training Load