T Nation

Weigh-Ins and Carbing Up

Supplements and Nutrition
#1

Alright, here’s the cliff notes version of my problem.

  • I’ve got a weigh in 4 weeks away
  • I should hit my target weight in 3
  • I plan to maintain for that last week
  • I’m using a low-carb diet
  • While my carbs are low(nothing over 125g), I cycle them from day-to-day
  • My training SUCKS with carbs this low!!!
  • If I continue losing fat at this rate, I’ll be on schedule, but I’ll be weaker than a baby and my performance will go down
  • I’m a boxer, so a loss is not only an “L” on my record, it’s me getting beat up
  • I want to implement carb-ups to assist in my training without screwing up my weigh-in schedule
  • I have no knowledge of nutrition outside of the articles I read here

Can anyone help me?

#2

How far do you have to go?? Scale weight

what is your diet

whats your training

have you looked at an anabolic type diet carbing up to the point where you just start to soften up then call it

Or UD2.0 hell even V-diet if really needing to cut a ton and add a carb up or two.

All just shooting things at ya more info will help us
Phill

#3

How much do you weigh now? How much do you need to weigh in at? How much time do we have after weigh-in. Answer these questions (PM if you do answer them; or else I’ll forget about this thread) and I’ll tell you what can be done.

#4

I’m 208-210 right now. Need to be under 201 in 4 weeks. I basically eat a low carb diet with more carbs on my weightlifting days, a little less on my boxing days, and even less on the weekends(light workouts).

My training is 3 full body days, with boxing work every day of the week.

I like the “format” of Coach CTs carb-cycling diet, so I used that as a base to start from.

As you know, endurance athletes eat a lot of carbs. I’m used to 350-400 a day in the off season(I was also fatter then).

My problem with carb-ups or reloads is that I know absolutely nothing about them. Therefore I’m constantly worrying I will put one where it doesn’t belong and fuck my schedule. I also don’t know my bodies limits for carbs anymore. I’m a natural endo-ecto, meaning I spent most of my life skinny-fat(probably from bad habits, not so much genetics).

Weigh in is the night before the fight. So of course I plan to reload after that, my main worry is that my attributes and skills will regress in the next 3-4 weeks.

#5

[quote]John Smith wrote:
I’m 208-210 right now. Need to be under 201 in 4 weeks. [/quote]

Bro, you can lose that in water weight alone. There is no need for you to be on a diet right now. In fact, training on hypocaloric calories before a fight isn’t the best idea.

You need to do a “test” run with cutting water weight. One of the best articles on the subject is here:
http://www.graciemag.com/?c=150&a=4147

Don’t wait until the week before your fight to do this. If I were you, I would do a test run starting today. That way you’ll know how much water you can lose in a week.

And, of course, you can always sit in a sauna before weigh-ins. (Will there be a sauna available? Are you doing a weigh-in at the hotel?)

Let me know if you try this and if you have any other questions.

In my opinion, you can make weight easily without losing anything other than some water.

#6

[quote]John Smith wrote:
My problem with carb-ups or reloads is that I know absolutely nothing about them. Therefore I’m constantly worrying I will put one where it doesn’t belong and fuck my schedule. I also don’t know my bodies limits for carbs anymore. I’m a natural endo-ecto, meaning I spent most of my life skinny-fat(probably from bad habits, not so much genetics).[/quote]

When you eat carbs, you should notice an improvement in vascularity and hardness. You should feel hard and tight. The minute you start feeling bloated, stop eating carbs.

This point is different from everyone. After some experimentation, you’ll know for yourself.

#7

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
John Smith wrote:
I’m 208-210 right now. Need to be under 201 in 4 weeks.

Bro, you can lose that in water weight alone. There is no need for you to be on a diet right now. In fact, training on hypocaloric calories before a fight isn’t the best idea.

You need to do a “test” run with cutting water weight. One of the best articles on the subject is here:
http://www.graciemag.com/?c=150&a=4147

Don’t wait until the week before your fight to do this. If I were you, I would do a test run starting today. That way you’ll know how much water you can lose in a week.

And, of course, you can always sit in a sauna before weigh-ins. (Will there be a sauna available? Are you doing a weigh-in at the hotel?)

Let me know if you try this and if you have any other questions.

In my opinion, you can make weight easily without losing anything other than some water.

[/quote]

exactly

#8

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
John Smith wrote:
I’m 208-210 right now. Need to be under 201 in 4 weeks.

Bro, you can lose that in water weight alone. There is no need for you to be on a diet right now. In fact, training on hypocaloric calories before a fight isn’t the best idea.

You need to do a “test” run with cutting water weight. One of the best articles on the subject is here:
http://www.graciemag.com/?c=150&a=4147

Don’t wait until the week before your fight to do this. If I were you, I would do a test run starting today. That way you’ll know how much water you can lose in a week.

And, of course, you can always sit in a sauna before weigh-ins. (Will there be a sauna available? Are you doing a weigh-in at the hotel?)

Let me know if you try this and if you have any other questions.

In my opinion, you can make weight easily without losing anything other than some water.

[/quote]
I’m sorry. I forgot to mention, that weight was taking pre-breakfast, after cardio, and after a long piss.

That IS my weight without carbs or a large majority of liquids.

#9

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
John Smith wrote:
My problem with carb-ups or reloads is that I know absolutely nothing about them. Therefore I’m constantly worrying I will put one where it doesn’t belong and fuck my schedule. I also don’t know my bodies limits for carbs anymore. I’m a natural endo-ecto, meaning I spent most of my life skinny-fat(probably from bad habits, not so much genetics).

When you eat carbs, you should notice an improvement in vascularity and hardness. You should feel hard and tight. The minute you start feeling bloated, stop eating carbs.

This point is different from everyone. After some experimentation, you’ll know for yourself.[/quote]

That’s what I’ve heard. But I’ve bloated from single carb meals alone.

Do I eat 2-3 large carb meals in the AM, then follow my normal diet the rest of the day? Or do I spread out the carbs with 6-7 small high-carb meals when reloading?

Right now I eat 9-10 small meals a day, 5-6 containing small amounts of carbs.

#10

In my opinion, only an opinion, I have a few more pounds of fat to drop for this weigh-in. I know it’s not necessary, but this will be my first cruiser-weight fight, and I’m trying to stay in this weight class permanently. In future off-seasons I don’t want to go above the 205-210 range between fights. Right now I’m coming from a soft 228.

Thanks for all of your help guys, I hate to be so complicated, or feel that way anyways.

#11

I have a similar issue. I am also a boxer and I have been trying to lose fat and cut my extra weight the last month or so therefor I have been on a low carb diet (less than 100g a day). It is really hard to get through my boxing workouts.

My next fight is June 30th and I am trying to figure out when to start loading up on the carbs to make sure I have enough energy to get through the fight but without gaining any weight.

#12

[quote]Careym13 wrote:
I have a similar issue. I am also a boxer and I have been trying to lose fat and cut my extra weight the last month or so therefor I have been on a low carb diet (less than 100g a day). It is really hard to get through my boxing workouts.

My next fight is June 30th and I am trying to figure out when to start loading up on the carbs to make sure I have enough energy to get through the fight but without gaining any weight.[/quote]

My coach suggested I see a nutritionist(at the local gym, chyeah right), but I figured what’s the point when there are much more knowledgeable people here who give out advice free of charge just because they care about their fellow man.

My fight is in May and I’m seriously working on the drawing board 24/7 wracking my brain on how I should handle the rest of my diet.

If I come up with anything clever, I’ll post it.

#13

[quote]John Smith wrote:
CaliforniaLaw wrote:
John Smith wrote:
I’m 208-210 right now. Need to be under 201 in 4 weeks.

Bro, you can lose that in water weight alone. There is no need for you to be on a diet right now. In fact, training on hypocaloric calories before a fight isn’t the best idea.

You need to do a “test” run with cutting water weight. One of the best articles on the subject is here:
http://www.graciemag.com/?c=150&a=4147

Don’t wait until the week before your fight to do this. If I were you, I would do a test run starting today. That way you’ll know how much water you can lose in a week.

And, of course, you can always sit in a sauna before weigh-ins. (Will there be a sauna available? Are you doing a weigh-in at the hotel?)

Let me know if you try this and if you have any other questions.

In my opinion, you can make weight easily without losing anything other than some water.

I’m sorry. I forgot to mention, that weight was taking pre-breakfast, after cardio, and after a long piss.

That IS my weight without carbs or a large majority of liquids.
[/quote]

Maybe you should lose a few more pounds as in 1 1/2 week long dieting. But you can still drop a good bit of water weight using thhe techniques in the link California Law posted over your pre-breakfast, post-cardio, long piss weight. I don’t think you would need to diet the rest of this time.

Check out CT’s carb cycling protocols too. If I remember correctly, they’ll allow you to have more carbs on the high days than you’ve been having. And they are effective for many.

#14

I did print that article about dropping water weight.

I’m also using CT’s CCC. The only thing is I’ve dropped my carbs so low as I’ve progressed, the high-carb day no longer has the effect on my body as it once had. What is considered a “high-carb day” in this diet was my old breakfast.

#15

Listen, dude, fat is bad for a fighter to have. Yes. This is true. But one month before a fight you should not be putting your body through the additional stress of losing fat. It’s really that simple.

A month before a fight you should be worrying about conditioning and staying healthy. Losing fat before a fight means you are not giving your body the energy it needs to train and recover effectively.

[a]After[/b] your fight, make it your goal to lose every ounce of excess bodyfat. For sure. But right now, you really need to determine if you can lose the water weight without dieting. (I’ve never met someone who could not drop 10 lbs. of water weight. Most of the pros drop 15-25 the week before a fight.)

Quite simply, if you diet right now, you will not be at your best when you fight. It’s really that simple. [FWIW (and it should not mean that much, since most people who fight don’t know what the phuck they are doing, and most people who claim to have trained fighters are lying or exaggerating), I’m a former amateur boxer who used to train and train with pros; and I was going to have a pro career before deciding to focus on my education instead.]

#16

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Listen, dude, fat is bad for a fighter to have. Yes. This is true. But one month before a fight you should not be putting your body through the additional stress of losing fat. It’s really that simple.

A month before a fight you should be worrying about conditioning and staying healthy. Losing fat before a fight means you are not giving your body the energy it needs to train and recover effectively.

[a]After[/b] your fight, make it your goal to lose every ounce of excess bodyfat. For sure. But right now, you really need to determine if you can lose the water weight without dieting. (I’ve never met someone who could not drop 10 lbs. of water weight. Most of the pros drop 15-25 the week before a fight.)

Quite simply, if you diet right now, you will not be at your best when you fight. It’s really that simple. [FWIW (and it should not mean that much, since most people who fight don’t know what the phuck they are doing, and most people who claim to have trained fighters are lying or exaggerating), I’m a former amateur boxer who used to train and train with pros; and I was going to have a pro career before deciding to focus on my education instead.][/quote]
Good points.

#17

Eat to train at your best. Cut water.I walk around at 210-215 and have been fighting at 205, recently I started fighting at 185, I will weigh 205-210 the thursday before weigh-ins and be down to 185 with an hour of a suana then 20 min of bike work in a suan suit just before weigh ins friday. and back up to 205 sat. if you want our water load water cut let me know

#18

Some ‘on th day’ hints here

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-making-fight-weight.aspx

#19

Well there’s a lot of great advice here already from the best sources, namely other fighters who’ve all had to do the same thing.

I’m not a fighter, but i’ve had great success clustering the majority of my carbohydrate intake for a day around my training times. A big carb-up right before training and a big one right after.

The rest of the day is mostly veggies and protein.

I’ve been doing this for about a month and my workouts have been strong and intense…and i’ve been losing about 2 pounds a week, give or take.

Might be worth a try.

#20

A lot of good stuff guys, thanks.