Need to lose a bit quicker than normal...

coxswainbrie

Hey guys. Before I start this off, disclaimer: I would NEVER do this if it wasn't for this extreme occasion. I'm all about moderation.

Right. So, I'm a coxswain (for those of you who don't know, I'm that little person who yells and steers a rowing boat), which means that I need to be as light as possible on race day since I am - essentially - "dead weight" in the boat. This summer, I put on a bit more than I had hoped and didn't do so well at losing it throughout the rest of the year, so I'm faced with the dilemma of losing 6kg in about 6.5 weeks. Struggles, I know. Anyway, I'm looking for tips to make sure that I get all of the necessary nutrition into my diet , seeing as I'll have to majorly calorie cut to achieve this goal - and by major, I mean (unfortunately), under the 1200 'recommended' level.

Currently, my stats:
165cm / 5'5
57.5kg / 126.7lbs
BMR: ~1350-1400
BMI: 21
BF (kind of a guess): ~19.5-20%

Ideal:
51-52kg / 112-115lbs
BMI: 18.6-19

Again, not ideal, but at least safe in BMI world. I want to make the best boat and race with my team - so, not really a choice! Suggestions?

EDIT: I know it's not the best idea, so no need to post it - but I do welcome any posts that I have some tips for keeping at least moderately nutrient-focused. As of March 24th, back to normal, every day eating well!

neandermagnon

seriously at 19-20% body fat, if you crash diet off the weight, you will lose muscle mass. You have very little fat to lose, and if you want to lose fat, well you don't need to but you can go down to about 15% but it will be very slow and careful if you don't want to lose lean body mass.

loss of muscle mass = loss of strength and performance ability. it takes strength to steer a boat, right?

tell your team to get a life if they seriously expect you to lose 6kg when your body fat percentage is just 19-20%. Seriously, I've been there, when I was 17 a judo coach told me to lose 10kg to get into the weight category he decided, using only a BMI chart, that he wanted me to compete in. I have a large frame plus I'm naturally muscular, and at that time probably only was carrying about 18% body fat or less and the top part of my abs were visible/defined. I was already losing competitions due to following really crap advice about dehydrating myself before weigh ins and even fasting the day before competitions to make a weight category that I was too heavy for. Don't take any bull from sports that tell you to starve off lean tissue to make a weight. Loss of lean tissue, glycogen depletion, dehydration, etc = loss of performance, sometimes big time. It's a lose lose situation, because you do what they say to make the weight, then perform badly and it's your fault. Then if you refuse to put your body through that crap it's your fault for being "too heavy" when you're not.

I quit judo and played ice hockey instead, rid myself of the pressure to be a certain weight and could focus on actually being good at a sport, and put on a load of muscle and played in defence where being strong and larger than average build is an advantage. Found out that I played ice hockey best at around 140lb/63kg, which is more than 11kg more than what the judo coach wanted me to be. I'm currently 130lb/59kg at 22% body fat, 20 years later, which is still more than 7kg heavier than that coach thought I should be.

Seriously don't do that to yourself. If your team/coach can't see that it's totally unhealthy for you to lose that amount of weight, then find a different sport. You're not dead weight on the boat at all, otherwise they wouldn't have a coxswain.

coxswainbrie

It's not a "get a life" thing, sadly.. it's legitimately the thing that necessitates me making the boat or not competing. If I don't make weight, I don't make the boat.

michelefrench

well that sucks (drop the weight or lose your spot i mean...) sure i'll get slammed too, but the best suggestion I have is make sure what calories you are eating are the most nutritious - lots of lean protein and low starch veggies....try to stay low on sugars/fats....be careful and do what feels right for you!! as long as its only a short term thing you'll be fine...and ignore the million 'you can't go under 1200 cal' responses you're sure to receive.....(taking a multivitamin might not be a bad idea either...)

Viva_Karina

neandermagnon

It's not a "get a life" thing, sadly.. it's legitimately the thing that necessitates me making the boat or not competing. If I don't make weight, I don't make the boat.

get your body fat measured by someone who knows what they are doing (e.g. at a gym with someone who has a lot of experience). If your frame size and muscularity does not suit the weight they want you to be, then my advice remains to find another sport. Seriously.

if you can lose pure fat and still make the weight, you need to do it slowly and carefully, you can get as low as 13% and still be healthy - see what female bodybuilders do - but they don't crash the weight off overnight, as they need to preserve the lean body mass. They don't stay at such low body fat levels, they put fat on to around 16-18% for the off-season, then cut their body fat levels to around 13% for the contests. You could look into this for yourself, as it may enable you to make the weight without compromising your health. However it's not something you can do quickly.

wildchild06241

Being the mother of 3 boys that wrestled, I strenuously object to sports that make people lose weight and be at an unhealthy weight. I lost a sister to anorexia when she was 38, then watched my boys (one in particular) starve, spit and sweat to dehydrate, and even use laxatives to make weight. It was make weight or not wrestle. If it weren't for the sport one of my boys would have never finished high school or later college. This put me between a rock and a hard place. I am so glad they grew into healthy young men and other than my youngest who is head wrestling coach at a local private school, wrestling is over!

Raya1980

I can't stop ****ing laughing!!!!

HartJames

I would say, run, eat completely clean, no carbs after 3pm.

coxswainbrie

Thanks all! Trust me, I know it's not healthy, and it's not something I would ordinarily do. I've coxed for 5 years and never had to cut weight like this before - but damn it, am I determined to make a boat. Thanks for the advice, and fear not, 7 weeks and it's back to normal

geekyjock76

The only thing I would recommend is eating a minor deficit and dropping your carbs so that you mostly lose water weight. How many grams of carbs are you consuming presently?

chimp517

If it was me I would do a reasonable diet until shortly before you need to actually weigh in and then manipulate my water weight for the actual weigh in. I'm not saying its safe, but I think its a better choice over a crash diet where you would lose muscle

coxswainbrie

The only thing I would recommend is eating a minor deficit and dropping your carbs so that you mostly lose water weight. How many grams of carbs are you consuming presently?

Altogether (including grains/veg/etc), I try to stay under 70g/day.

coxswainbrie

If it was me I would do a reasonable diet until shortly before you need to actually weigh in and then manipulate my water weight for the actual weigh in. I'm not saying its safe, but I think its a better choice over a crash diet where you would lose muscle

I definitely plan on doing this pre-weigh-in (cutting water weight), but sadly females tend not to lose much by doing this compared with men. I'd like to get to about 53kg, and cut, and then go back to normal

dietstokes

I think you could still make weight while eating 1200 calories. This is how: Lower carb (around 100 grams, so not terribly low), higher protein (lean) reduce dairy or cut out (digestive reasons....most adults are not designed to properly digest milk and milk products after young childhood), lots of veggies, lots of water, only low carb fruit such as berries, nuts. And still continuing to exercise to maintain the muscle mass you have. But I really do think you should reconsider going below 1200. See if you can drop quicker now with the above suggestions, of after a week you aren't seeing as quick of a loss, then lower by 100. But lets say you already start out under 1200, and then don't lose or stall, where are you going to go from there?