Most Endurance athletes are concerned about their weight and periodically diet. Since each pound contains about 3,500 calories, if we reduce caloric intake by 1,000 calories each day we lose about two pounds each week. Logically, the higher the daily caloric deficit, the faster the weight loss. Unfortunately, the faster that you drop the weight, the more muscle you lose. This observation was made by researchers at Rockefeller University. The researchers looked at the effect of daily caloric deficit on weight loss.