by James Bee
A big mistake athletes make when going into a weight cut is over complicating things.
They get so much advice from different people and end up being lost with no real starting point. Most of them end up with information overload. Coaches do it too. They pile on so much information people get overwhelmed and confused. I know I've been guilty of doing that in the past.
I used to be so excited to talk about nutrition and cutting I didn’t realize there is stuff I need to know as a coach and stuff they need to know as the client. Although science talk and reciting your technical jargon may sound impressive, it wont actually help them cut weight.
Over time I realized the more direct and simplified a client’s instructions are, the higher the success rate will be. So nowadays, when I talk to an athlete/client about where to start I just stick to these essentials:
Clean out your fridge
First thing's first. Do yourself a favor and clean out any junk foods from your fridge. This will reduce the temptation to snack on rubbish. Fill your fridge with fruits, unprocessed meats and vegetables. You can use this athlete’s grocery list as a good place to start. You don’t need to have everything on the list but get the things you like or haven’t tried before.
Drink more water
How much water are you drinking? This is a good sign of where your priorities lay. Each day you should aim to be drinking around 3-4ltr no matter what weight you are. When it comes time to cut water weight having a higher water intake will increase your water losses. Use a drink bottle so you can keep track. This is a big one.
Reduce calories (but not too much)
Lets not get too stuck on this point, but it's good to know about calories. What you need to know is this: it's important to drop calories early in the cut to start burning fat. For most it's a fine balance between eating enough to make it through training while having calories low enough to lose weight. Remembering there are adverse effects dropping your calories too low. For example; Drop your calories too much and your likely to also lose muscle and strength. I recommend lowering your calories to 10-12 x body weight in lbs. For most who are training hard this will be a safe way to lose weight. Every athlete needs to test this out for themselves to see what works for them.
Increase vegetable intake.
Even though this is one of the most effective steps, people still don't like to hear it. Increasing veggies will help keep you feeling full for longer and give you essential fiber which all helps with cutting weight. Another point to raise is when burning fat, the body releases toxins stored in fat. This is why it's important to load the body with plenty of free radical absorbing antioxidants.
Take fish oil
If your someone who doesn't get much fish in your diet (like me), one of the best things you can do while cutting weight is taking a liquid fish oil. Evidence tells us the omega 3's in fish oil can slow fat production and improve insulin sensitivity. This creates a far better environment for the body to lose fat. There are so many other benefits to fish oil like reducing inflammation its silly not to take it. You need higher dosage for it to be effective so that’s why I always recommend liquid fish oil because it's concentrated. Take 1tbsp. per day is better than downing 20 capsules each day.
Eat nutrient dense foods you actually like
Finding foods you actually like which are still healthy is the secret to diet adherence. Find healthy foods that work for you and your taste buds, you gotta enjoy the food journey or it won’t last. To eat healthy, don’t be always thinking you NEED to eat kale and coconut oil just because it’s popular or "supposed" to be healthy. Trust me there’s so much out there to choose from. Not sure where to start? Download a free list here.
Eat the majority of daily carbs at night
People always ask me when is the best time to eat carbs. I know most of you have been told if you want to lose weight avoid carbs after 3pm, but let me tell you this is a myth. A 2011 study published on PubMed indicates that eating carbs at night can increase metabolic response and greater hormonal change actually helping with weight loss. Consuming carbohydrates during and around training (before or after) will also help cut weight.
Mentally prepare yourself for water cutting
It’s probably the most underrated secret in cutting weight and life period is being positive. If you have even a crumb of doubt and negativity in your mind going into a cut it will fester. If you have a mindset like "Oh this is going to suck" then it will every time. Next time you’re going into a cut, remember that being in a positive state of mind will take you a long way. And IMO this is a BIG secret to cutting weight.
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James Bee is a writer, a consultant and nutrition coach to professional combat athletes. If you would like to learn tips, tricks, and awesome information for fighters and like-minded athletes, check out his Facebook page. You can also download his brand new 8 week cutting guide Here.
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