How to Manipulate Fuel In a "make weight" Situation

The week leading up to a weigh in can be stressful, anxiety riddled and downright miserable... If you read the last blog post laying out what this week might look like in general terms you probably know that it DOESN'T have to be that way, and actually can be a powerful tool to empower weight class athletes on competition day.

When I discuss 'Fuel' in this context I have a few very specific things in mind. Specifically when it comes down to the final days before stepping on the scale, we are no longer worried about the "big ticket" items in terms of everyday performance nutrition concepts. These days become their own entity, and look very different than the standard. The most important concepts I will dive into here are fiber, carbohydrate timing, and food mass.

Fiber is the portion of food that our bodies does not absorb. This portion of food is one of the main drivers for regularity and consistency when it comes to bowel movements. Meaning, more fiber in the diet in general, will lead to more 'stuff ' hanging out in the gut and accounting for a little bit of weight. The next logical question to ask is, where do we get fiber? Thankfully there are some simple guiderails to help you spot sources of fiber. The first and most obvious is by reading the any food label, there is a section on every food label dedicated to fiber and it will tell you if there is any present and if so how much. When finding fiber this way look to keep it as low as possible (under 2g per meal). When it comes to the rest of the diet there are very common sources of fiber are whole wheat breads/rolls/pastas, brown rice, nuts/seeds, fruits and vegetables. NOW, there are some easy switches in most cases, switching whole grains with white breads/pastas and watching food labels is a good place to start. As well, there ARE fruits and vegetables that are lower in fiber and they should still be included but figuring out how to tiptoe around that takes some practice.

It is important to say that in a regular every day diet fiber plays a large part in overall health, and in general people should work to include some more if it day-day. With that being said, when a weigh in is looming we can manipulate this factor for a short period of time. Knowing that there is a bulk of food in the gut at all times, we can make an effort to reduce the physical mass of this bulk and in turn bring the number on the scale down. Pulling fiber from the diet for at MAXIMUM 3 days is a simple yet effective trick to get the weight moving down before you start to try any hydration manipulation strategies. In removing fiber from the diet we effectively maximize the contents of the gut that will be absorbed and utilized while decreasing the physical weight of that mass that is not providing us with energy.

Carbohydrate timing is also a very important thing to pay close attention to as carbohydrates serve a dual purpose in this last week. In a normal performance focused diet the role of carbohydrates is essential for fueling workouts and supporting recovery. When it comes to the last hours leading up to weigh ins we can treat this macronutrient a little differently. Carbohydrate when it is stored in the muscles and liver is stores as glycogen, and glycogen in order to be held in the muscles pulls water into them as well. Essentially, for every gram of glycogen that is stored there is 3 grams of water stored right alongside it. Meaning, as the last workouts of the week happen we can significantly reduce carbohydrate intake and work to deplete the muscles of glycogen just a little we can in turn move just a little bit of water weight.

The important thing to think about here is the need for proper fueling for intense sessions and sessions where you really need to be on top of your game. Usually the last 36 ours or so leading up to the weigh in are designed with less intensity and can be used to simply move the body around and "get weight off" as you get closer to weigh ins.

Food mass is something that just about every weight class athlete already understand without even knowing it. I remember the Friday nights in the hotel, standing on the scale with my food trying to figure out juts how much of it I should eat so that I wasn't too far overweight in the morning. The idea is quite simple actually, everything mass mass and because of this we can look to modify the mass of the foods we are eating so there is less physical mass on the body. This is a strategy that is best within the very last home stretch leading to the weigh ins, meaning the final 24 hours. Making food choices that are higher in nutrient/calorie while being low in physical mass is a way to once again manipulate the scale just a little bit before you have to resort to other methods.

Navigating the world of making weight can be difficult and downright frustrating. Its important to know that working with a professional who has your safety in mind FIRST and the results SECOND is the best way to ensure your taken care of in the long term while also maximizing the opportunities you have right in front of you.

Stay tuned, the next post will discuss the fluid balance and how to manipulate hydration leading up to the weigh in... its everyone favorite topic so tell your friends and get them tuned in so everyone can step on the scale with some confidence.