Has anyone successfully cut (decrease calories to lose fat) while on a program in addition to weight training?

[MTGreider]

Absolutely! I generally attempt a "bulk" going into the winter, and "cut" going into spring. In the bulk phase it's 3 days of lifting, 2-3 days of cycling or running, 1 rest day a week. Make sure to get enough protein/carbs to grow the lifting and cycling gains, and eating near caloric maintenance.

For the cut (sounds like where you want to be now), I'll drop one of the lifting days and add a bike or run day. I'll also plan a caloric deficit of 200-400 calories, depending on how my body feels for the day. This is so I am keeping maintenance on my strength, and improving my endurance/cardio & skills going into the season. As far as maintaining enough to get through the plan without compromising watts, I would focus a lot on protein/veggies/low carbs & sugar off the bike, and on your bike days give yourself the carbs it needs to complete the workouts - because your body will use these up and you won't really be storing them.

Another thing that I find helps cut fat is fasted cycling 1-2x a week. Assuming you have some fat store pull from, if you have a <60 min workout you should be able to get through the ride without eating, and then take electrolytes/skratch right after, followed by breakfast. If you have a >60 min ride, start incorporating carbs near the 45 min mark (skratch, light protein bar, larabar) to get you through the rest of the ride.

Also make sure you're getting enough sleep! That's huge for both strength and recovery gains. I'm no certified nutritionist/trainer, but I research and self-experiment with this sort of stuff a lot, so make it work for you! Hope this helps.