Wrestling Weight Control System - 38 Diet Tips & Facts for Wrestlers

Bill Swertfager - John Jay Wrestling

• Determine what weight class you want to wrestle, be at weigh-ins hydrated.
• Digestion begins in the mouth.  Chew your food! Mom was right, even though she probably didn’t know that chewing your food thoroughly stimulates enzyme secretion in the mouth & digestive tract for healthier digestion.
• “Yo-Yo” dieting actually makes losing weight more difficult.
• Fasting slows metabolism.  After fasting, returning to a normal diet triggers overeating and spiked metabolism (Yo-Yo effect).
• It takes 3500 calories to burn 1 pound of fat.
• You can only lose 2-3 lbs. of fat per week…anything else is just water.
• Eat fiber in the morning to decrease your appetite all day.
• Change your plate size from a 12” dinner to 9” salad.
• Six small meals a day is the healthiest way to lose and keep weight off.
• Concentrate on wrestling rather than cutting weight. This is a wrestling team, not a weight cutting team.
• Fasting will consume muscle protein and harm muscle growth.
• Losing weight rapidly will result in a loss of muscle tissue.
• Fat burning zone is somewhat of a myth. In the absence of carbs for fuel, the body burns a combination of fat and muscle for energy.
• Do not accept food from others unless you ask for it.
• The object is to lose FAT-not water.
• The darker the urine the more dehydrated you are.
• If you are thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.
• Lack of thirst can mask severe dehydration.  Stay hydrated!
• Big evening meal builds deposits of fat because of inactivity.
• When you eat, only eat…Focus!
• Slow sustained weight reduction will stay off longer, is healthier than fasting and dehydrating and is easier to achieve.
• Cut back on all processed sugar and processed flour, such as junk foods like candy, white bread, etc.
• All commercially available oils in the U.S. produce trans-fat when heated (even olive oil).
• Totally eliminating fat from the diet is unhealthy and counter-productive. A minimum of 10% of diet calories should come from fat.
• Cut back on fried foods- baking & broiling eliminates fat.
• Cut back on fats such as butter, margarine, salad dressing, cheese, bacon and omega 6’s (soybean and vegetable oil).
• Good fats include olive oil (unheated), avocados, peanuts, pistachios, Omega 3’s (fish) and a moderate consumption of eggs.
• Eat more fish and chicken in place of red meat (hamburger, steak, etc.)
• Start Now-Be At Your Lean, Mean Fighting Machine Weight For Our First Match.
• Eating slowly will help speed sense of fullness.
• Your goal is to be lean and well hydrated.
• Before you eat plan your meal.
• Don’t be a victim to your food desires.
• You need to eat (keep metabolism going) to lose weight. Replenish your fuel. Eat every 4 hours.
• Dieting & intense workouts lower the immune system. Supplement your diet with a good one a day multivitamin.
• You want to lose weight?…simply take in fewer calories then you expend.
• You want to lose 2lbs. of fat /week, you need to have about 100 calories less/day, burn 1,000 calories more/day or a combination of both.
• Generally, stay away from packaged products.