I’m a little over 5 weeks into my weight cut and I must say it’s awarder than I originally thought it’d be but what kind of journalist would I be if I didn’t know what the athletes I cover go through?
My initial article “A First Hand Look At What It’s Like Cutting Weight For a UFC Fight” explains the reasoning behind my weight cut
This experience has raised my level of appreciation for what MMA fighters, wrestlers, and other athletes that put their body through extreme changes for the love of their sport. I began this journey with the goal of dropping to 205 lbs, the UFC Light heavyweight limit, before UFC 177 on August 30th. 3 weeks in I had cut to 210 pound and decided to cut down to 185 lbs which is the next closest weight class in the UFC.
I first weighed in at 223.8 lbs and today, my first day of dehydration for Friday’s weigh in, I weighed in at 199.2 lbs.
That’s over 20 pounds in just 5 weeks but I know that I still have to remain discipline to reach my goal of 185 lbs.
If you followed me throughout this process you know that I’ve made it a point to lose weight the right way during this process. I didn’t want to set a bad example for people who may read my article and try to shed pounds quickly. I made sure that I completely revamped my diet, exercise, and sleep regimes to safely cut weight.
Even during these dehydration phases I’ve made sure that I researched the proper way to lose water weight in a short period of time, which is why I didn’t balloon up after the 1st dehydration phase.
Dehydration 4 Day Process:
Day 1 – 2 Gallons of Water, 2 Protein meals & Green leaf veggies, No Sodium or Carbs
Day 2 – 1 Gallon of Water, 1 Protein meal & Green leaf veggie, No Sodium or Carbs
Day 3 – 1/2 Gallon of Water, 1 Protein meal & Green leaf veggie, No Sodium or Carbs
Day 4 – No Water or food before weigh in (then rehydrate).
This is what I’m currently going through and I must say that it is extremely difficult. It’s hard to push your body to rain, run, and even get in the sauna to shed the water weight. I couldn’t imagine having a fight just a day after going through this process. MMA fighters are amazingly tough for going through this 3-4 times a year without complaining.
Be sure to follow the rest of my weight cut on Instagram, Twitter, and Vine as I’ll be posting up until the final weigh in on August 29th.