Download Cutting Weight and Weight Loss

Cutting Weight and Weight Loss
One of the most popular techniques in competitive sport is cutting weight. When executed
properly, cutting weight can be a beneficial and effective maneuver for being the “bigger,
stronger” athlete in a contest. When executed improperly, this can be a disaster.
Cutting weight is usually referred to as the dropping of the last few pounds to make a specific
weight class. For example; if an athlete is 190 lbs. and is competing at 185, he will have to cut
the last five (5) lbs. The most effective, long term method of meeting weight requirements,
however, is from proper diet and exercise. This may include regular fasting, detoxification,
moderation of weight training and cardio exercise, and also a more efficient diet of low saturated
fats, and a moderation of the other nutrients.
Long-term Weight Cutting
Before we get into the methods of cutting weight short term, let’s talk about cutting weight in
the long term. Weight loss, though seemingly very complicated, can be vaguely understood
with a few simple guidelines.
First off, what is weight? Our weight consists of 75% water. This water is used for many
important functions in the body, including transporting nutrients such as vitamins, minerals,
proteins and carbohydrates to the muscles, bones and organs of the body. This is why it is so
important to never let yourself get dehydrated. The average person should drink 7-8 glasses
(about 2L) of water a day, however, the average Canadian citizen doesn’t exercise as much as
a serious athlete (and based on Canadian Statistics, the average Canadian is also overweight).
As an athlete, especially one interested in cutting weight, we should be consuming at least 3-4L
of water a day. This is approximately 12-16 glasses of water.
Some interesting facts about water intake:
 Sometimes our dehydration is masked as hunger –when we seem hungry, we may
actually be dehydrated. If you find yourself looking for a snack an hour after a meal, try
drinking a bottle of water first.
 One sign of dehydration is not being thirsty. This is because our body is retaining all the
water it is receiving. The more you drink, the more you will want!
 Drinking 3-4L of water a day will stop our body from retaining as much water, therefore
aiding in natural weight loss, and decreasing excess “water-weight”.
 Dehydration can decrease strength by up to 4%
 Every pound lost during exercise is lost by sweat and urine. If you are 205 before your
aerobics class, and 201 after, you didn’t lose 4 lbs. of fat, it’s all fluid. Make sure you
replenish all fluids lost from exercise, preferably with a diluted sports drink or fruit juice,
to also replenish electrolytes.
Be sure to not confuse body weight with muscle mass and fat content. You can lose and gain
up to 10 lbs. in one day from food and fluids. Remember, one 500ml bottle of water is 1.1 lbs. It
is important to keep in mind the true aspects of losing weight. Although water is a huge factor in
our weight, effective weight loss should be from excess calories in our diet, and increased
exercise. One pound of body fat consists of 3600 calories. Therefore, to lose one pound of fat,
we must burn 3600 calories above and beyond our daily intake of food, and our “sedentary”
activities (the average person burns about 1500-1700 calories a day doing regular daily
activities). This can easily be achieved by monitoring caloric intake, and increasing exercise.
A few tips for losing weight long term:
 Burning 500 cal. a day above our food intake and sedentary caloric loss can promote
weight loss of up to 1 lb. of body fat a week.
 Decreasing saturated fats, simple carbohydrates and drinking plenty of fluids will
promote natural weight loss.
 Muscle weighs more than fat – sometimes when on a routine for more than 6-8 weeks
we will “plateau” or even begin to gain weight – this can be due to added lean muscle
mass. Trick your body by always changing your routine to avoid plateaus.
 Excess complex carbohydrates may also add to weight gained. Avoid this by increasing
exercise intensity.
 Weight lifting also burns fat – a common misconception is that cardio exercises are the
only method of losing fat but this is not true. Adding more muscle mass to our body
makes our body’s ability to burn fat more efficient. The more muscle you have, the more
fat you burn.
The best method to insure effective, positive weight loss is to always monitor your gains and
losses, take notice of your diet and exercise, and mix it up. If you don’t change it up once in a
while your body will get used to your methods and weight loss will not occur. Although I could
write pages and pages on diet and dieting methods, I will save it for another article and at this
time I will move on to cutting weight in the short term.
Short-term Weight Cutting
Cutting too much weight close to an event may be a disaster. It can leave you feeling
fatigued, exhausted and dehydrated. This is because most weight lost in a short periods
consists of sweat and urine, which is comprised of important electrolytes. Electrolytes are
chemicals such as sodium and potassium found in the body. They are used in transporting
nutrients, such as proteins and carbohydrates, as well as reducing muscle cramps, muscle
fatigue and injury. If not replenished, these electrolytes will seriously hinder an athletes’
performance. Dehydration itself can also make an athlete half as effective, reducing stamina,
endurance and strength, as well as increasing risk of injury. For an athlete who competes in
boxing, mixed martial arts or other combat sports, dehydration and a deficiency in electrolytes
will decrease vital flexibility, fluidity and also increase risk of knock outs. Needless to say, if you
are not educated in cutting weight, it can be a risky venture.
I will go over a few methods of cutting weight safely, and methods you can use to lead up to a
cut.
There are a few aspects in play which the average athlete may not be aware of. Some extra
elements in the composition of our “current weight” may be toxins, fluid levels, decrement or
waste, and of course body fat and muscle content. We can become somewhat in control of
these factors with proper methods. It is not recommended to attempt some of these methods
the first time a week before an event, rather try a few trial methods well in advance to find what
works for you.
1) Expelling Body Waste
Believe it or not, there can be up to 10-15 lbs. of decrement, feces and toxins in our
body at one time. The best way to relieve this waste is through natural dieting methods.
Some athletes may use clinical laxatives as a method, however this will actually take
vital nutrients out of the body as well, leaving you fatigued and exhausted. Some natural
and VERY effective methods of relieving extra waste is from high-fiber foods, such as
whole grains, whole wheats, corn (VERY effective), beans etc. These will help cleanse
the colon of occurring wastes. Green Tea and water are also powerful aids in detoxifying
and removing the body’s waste. These methods take about 3-4 days to start working
properly. Another effective aid is Prune Juice. Prune juice is a natural laxative and can
remove up to 5lbs. of waste in as little as 2 days. It is also safe to use about 4-5 days
before a weigh-in, allowing you to remove extra waste that won’t return until after the
competition. I have personally used Prune Juice and effectively removed about 4 lbs. of
waste in 48 hours. Other helpful juices include grape juice and cranberry juice. Avoid
foods such as bananas, white breads and white grains. Because of their glycemic
factors, these foods will actually promote weight gains.
Some athletes will try a “home enema”, which is a technique used to cleanse the colon
of wastes and toxins. For more information on enemas, contact a pharmacy technician.
Another popular technique is fasting. Fasting will remove the body from all waste and
toxins. It is not recommended to perform a fast without medical supervision, and
especially within a week of a competition. It can leave you very fatigued for up to 7 days.
2) Dehydration
The method of dehydrating to cut weight is effective and dangerous at the same time.
There are many techniques of losing “water weight” out there; some are good, some are
not. I will highlight some methods that based on my research can be executed safely if
done carefully.
Leading up to a dehydration cut, for about 6 weeks, you should take in at LEAST 3.5-4L
of water a day. This will make your body retain less water, therefore making the
dehydration process much more effective. Within the last 1-2 weeks of your preparation,
be sure to avoid consuming foods that produce a lot of waste, or make you retain a lot of
water. These foods include high-fat foods, high-sodium foods, and any foods or
supplements containing psyllium fiber (found in Metamucil). High-fat and high-sodium
foods will clog up your lower intestine with wastes that will add weight. They also cause
your body to retain water, which is contradictory to dehydration techniques. Be sure to
perform exercises that cause you to sweat a lot as well, to get your body used to
relieving itself of fluids. Besides water intake, make sure you are getting all of your other
nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and sufficient protein.
Continue your water intake every day leading up to the weigh-ins. If you are fasting or
cleansing, be certain this is done 4-5 days before the weigh-in. Performing these maneuvers
too close to a weigh-in will cause fatigue and exhaustion, and too far from the weigh-ins will
leave time to fill up on wastes again.
Pre-weigh-in Dehydration
Same day weigh-ins
For same day weigh-ins (same day as the competition) it is not recommended to lose more
that 4-5 lbs. of water. It takes time to replenish your nutrients and re-hydrate yourself, and a few
hours really isn’t enough time to recover after a big cut. Try to meet your weight the night
before your weigh-in. Start by cutting off all of your food and fluids about 12 hours before the
weigh-in time. Most “same day weigh-ins” are in the mornings, so if you go to bed at your
weight, you may wake up 2-3 lbs. under your weight after your morning “bathroom trip”. Don’t
get too excited and drink a big glass of Orange juice, sometimes the scales at your event may
be different then your own. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
The best method of dehydration for a same-day weigh-in is to dehydrate the night before the
weigh-in. Use methods such as layered clothing, sauna suits and an actual sauna to sweat off
excess water weight. We will go more in depth with these methods in the next few paragraphs.
You can use these methods for same-day weigh-ins if you keep strict to these guidelines:
 Strive to achieve your weight the night before your same-day weigh-in
 Try to meet or beat your desired weight before you go to sleep
 Do all of your weight-cutting exercises, such as layered clothing, sauna suits and the sauna,
the night before your weigh-in. These will minimize your body’s stress levels the day of your
competition.
These guidelines are in place to help you safely cut weight for same-day weigh-ins, while
promoting a healthy recovery after the weight loss. It is important to know the difference
between same-day weigh and day-before weigh-in weight cutting.
Day-before weigh-ins
For day-before weigh-ins (day before the competition) you can start the evening before you
actually weigh-in. So, if the competition is Saturday, and weigh-ins are on Friday, start your
program Thursday evening. Again, start by cutting off all of your food and fluids about 12 hours
before the weigh-in time. Also, depending on your weight cut, it wouldn’t hurt sweating a bit the
night before as well.
Just from cutting off your fluids overnight, you can potentially lose 5-10 lbs. In my own
competition in September of 2007, I went to bed weighing about 209lbs. and by the time I got to
our club’s scales the next day at 12:00pm I weighed 201lbs.
Most of your cut should be done starting the morning of the weigh-in. Start by weighing yourself
the morning of the weigh in, to gauge what you need to lose. An effective method of sweating
heavily is putting on layers of clothing, such as shorts, t-shirt, hoodies and jogging pants.
Another very popular aid in cutting weight is the sauna suit. These sauna suits are a jump-suit
style garment made of plastic and cover your whole body with an attached hood as well. Just
doing light exercises in these suits can promote a weight loss of up to 15-20 lbs. in the 12 hour
period, and they are as little as $10-$15. Using your heavy clothing and/or sauna suit, do light
exercises such as jogging, stationary bike, maybe an elliptical machine; basically any light
exercises that promote sweating. Using a sauna is also very effective as the day goes on if you
stop losing weight. Sometimes athletes will do their light exercises inside the sauna while
wearing their clothing and/or sauna suit. Most times this is a true test of heart, as the body
attempts to fight back while cutting this water weight.
If done properly, cutting weight should be successfully achieved by following these guidelines.
Post-weigh-in Recovery
After your weigh-in replenish yourself carefully. Start with small, easily digestible foods such as
fruits, vegetables and maybe yogurt. Be sure to get your fluids from pure water, diluted fruit juice
or diluted sports drink such as Gatorade or Powerade. Drinking these drinks without diluting
them can cause spikes in your insulin levels causing a “crash”. This will leave you fatigued and
tired feeling. A very popular drink among athletes who cut weight is Pedialyte. Pedialyte is a
juice-based drink originally intended for children, but because of it’s high level of electrolytes,
and balance of other nutrients it has became very popular as a “post-cut” supplement. Never eat
aggressive foods that are high in sodium or fat within a few hours of your competition either.
Your body has gone through a lot with the weight cut and may not digest these foods properly. If
you feel ok after the easily digested foods, try some lean meats such as chicken or steaks no
sooner than 3 hours before, as well as whole wheat breads or rice. Be careful with sauces,
condiments and spices, because these will not digest well either.
After a weigh-in a lot of athletes tend to “pig out” on foods they couldn’t have in the weeks prior.
This is not recommended. Your body is used to a routine, and for maximum performance it is
suggested to have the same foods the day of your competition as you have in your training
program. Your body will work most effectively with the fuels it has adapted to.
In summary, here are a few of the important tips to remember when cutting weight for a
competition:
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Try to minimize the weight you need to cut by utilizing regular diet and exercise
techniques.
Try a few test runs of your weight cut a few weeks before your actual cut.
Educate yourself on the various weight cutting techniques like fasting, cleansing,
dehydration and of course body fat and muscle content.
Be sure to drink plenty of fluids leading up to the the day of the weigh-in
With same day weigh-ins go to bed at your weight, day before weigh-ins cut most of your
weight starting in the morning of.
Always replenish your nutrients after a weigh-in, starting with non-aggressive foods such
as fruits, vegetables and fluids. Pedialyte is a good recovery aid.
Eat the same foods before the competition as you have in your training. Don’t shock
your body!
Good luck!
Ricky Goodall
Personal Trainer
http://www.mmaonestop.com