Couple of things have helped me drop 20. First, I put a calorie counter app on my phone. I use LoseIt, but I reckon there are dozens. Second, I read Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald. Somebody recommended it on here.

When I got back into cycling, it pissed me off that I couldn't dance up hills or lift out of the saddle to get on top of a gear like I remember doing back in the Reagan years. That was my motivation. At 6'4" nobody was calling me fat at 200, but when I raced I was 155, so I'm shooting for 175 and have 5 to go. The principles in Racing Weight have really helped me, especially improving diet quality. And using LoseIt, I am religious. No fudging, no BS. It helps me, among other things, avoid eating too LITTLE. Maintaining a steady, small daily calorie deficit has kept me losing a pound or two a week without losing muscle or energy.

Just like material goods, with calories you can have anything you want, you just can't have everything you want. Coming up with what works for you, not just to hit a number and get a prize, but to live how you want to live, is the key. I'd suggest buying whatever the hell you want and can afford for cycling if that's how you burn calories, and set some cycling goals. I think it's healthier and more sustainable to lose weight in order to do a century, than to do a century to lose weight.

But that's just my opinion, as Dennis Miller used to say. I could be wrong.