What is referred to when someone says “I’m cutting weight“? The standard definition for cutting weight is the practice of rapid weight loss prior to a sporting competition. It most frequently happens in order to qualify for a lower weight class (usually in combat sports, where weight is a significant advantage) or in sports where it is advantageous to weigh as little as possible (most notably equestriansports). There are two types of weight cutting: One method is to lose weight in the form of fat and muscle in the weeks prior to an event; the other is to lose weight in the form of water in the final days before competition.
Nutritional experts will rarely give advice on how to cut weight safely or effectively, and will simply recommend against cutting weight at all. However, many athletes choose to do it because they wish to gain an advantage in their sport.
What are some of the ways of how to cut weight? I know many of you can think of several ways right off the top of your head. You can just stop eating or drinking liquids, you could do excessive exercise to sweat off the weight, or even resort to jumping into a hot sauna for half an hour. Pretty much all of these techniques work for cutting weight when done correctly. However, most don’t consider the reverse process of adding those pounds back on for the next fight or match. You may think that just eating and drinking will be the simple solution to feeling better and this is where most run into some problems. You must remember that the replenishment of the body is just as important as the shedding the weight process for your body too.
Before attempting a cutting weight regimen, you must already have a solid diet in place and for adequate weight loss, you should be within the ideal range of about 10-12 pounds from the weight you are looking to achieve. We err on the side of caution that anything above this can be very dangerous and not considered. So always be in control of your calories before any competition and place yourself within 10-12 pounds of your weigh in weight. If you can follow these simple rules for cutting weight, you should have much less to worry about when your fight approaches.