How I Did It, Part II

Last week I talked about how to eat during the weeks leading up to a competition.  The next step, if you absolutely have to cut weight, begins five days before you weigh in.  For example, if you are weighing in on Saturday morning, five days out would be on Monday.  On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday you are going to drink 2 gallons of water.  What!?!?  Yes, I know it sounds absolutely crazy, and in some ways it is, but let me explain.  On those three days you are going to continue to eat sensibly as you had before, and you can and should add a little more sodium to your foods (I prefer sea salt for this).

On Thursday you are going to drink just one gallon of water and you are going to have as little sodium as possible in the foods you eat.  That means sticking to plain fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, fish, eggs, sweet potatoes, and all-natural sodium free breads.  On Friday you will drink half a gallon (8 cups) of water and keep your carbs and sodium as low as possible.

Here's an example of what I might eat the day before I tournament if I need to drop weight:
Breakfast: 4 eggs scrambled in coconut oil with green peppers, garlic, spinach, or broccoli and 2 slices swiss cheese (has very little sodium, unlike most cheeses), 2 cups water
Midmorning: 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, 2 celery stalks, 1 cup water
Lunch:  8 oz. of ground beef cooked with green peppers, salad of spinach or lettuce with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, 1 cup water
Afternoon (at least 1 hour before practice):  Same as morning snack
Dinner (with 20-30 minutes of practice): 8 oz. of ground beef cooked with green peppers, 2 servings of broccoli, 2 cups water
Evening (at least 1 hour before bed):  1 spoonful of almond butter, 1 cup water

On each of the days during the week you will train as you normally would for a competition.  This method is not easy, but it works.  When you are drinking 2 gallons you will be peeing like crazy and sweating like a pig.  Even once you reduce your water on Thursday you will still be peeing more than normal because it takes your body a little while to get used to less water.  The water manipulation, along with reduction of carbs and salt, will make you lose water weight while not dehydrating you.  That is because the weight loss will be extracellular water rather than intracellular water, which is the water that makes up the vast majority of your muscles.

As long as I am no more than 4 or 5 pounds over on Monday, I can make weight on Saturday with no problem if I follow this.  That means no skipping meals, working out in multiple layers, saunas, or anything else that will hurt your performance.  If you weigh more than me you may even be able to lose more weight, but if you weigh less you might only be able to lose 3 or 4 pounds as most.  I have found this to work for me many times, but I can't guarantee it will work for everyone.  If you are trying it for the first time, do so at a time when it doesn't matter if you miss weight, perhaps at a spring tournament.

Cut smart,
Jeff