How to Reduce Your Body Weight for a Sporting Event

A low-calorie diet, combined with regular exercise, is a common prescription for weight loss. If you need to lose 10 to 15 pounds quickly for a sporting event, then your regular eating plan might not suffice. Athletes, such as boxers, might need to lose weight quickly to compete in a lower weight class or obtain a physical advantage. The process is also called weight cutting and is not an easy feat to accomplish; however, results are possible by making changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Instructions

• 1

  Evaluate how many days you have until the sporting event and then figure out how many pounds you need to lose. Losing 50 pounds in a month is probably unrealistic, but 15 pounds in two weeks might be an achievable goal. Write down your starting weigh and date to start tracking your weight loss.

• 2

  Reduce your sodium intake during the days leading up to your sporting event. Salty foods lead to water retention. To reverse this effect, decrease the amount of sodium you eat to lose rapid water weight. Do not eat canned, processed or frozen foods. Also drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. Your body will excrete a lot of water in order to achieve an equal balance between sodium and water, which will result in a lower body weight.

• 3

  Decrease the number of calories and carbohydrates that you consume the days before your sporting event. Try to avoid processed sugars and products containing white flour, such as doughnuts, fruit juices and white rice. Eat raw vegetables and low-sugar fruit such as cranberries and raspberries. If your workout will not suffer, try limiting your carbohydrates to 20 grams a day.

• 4

  Add an additional moderate level of cardio to your current exercise routine. You do not want to overdue it with the exercise, because inflamed muscles can lead to water retention. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity for your extra sessions. For example, if you normally work out five days a week, add a sixth day of exercise to help you reduce your weight for the upcoming event. If you do not have time for an extra session, try to increase the intensity of half your existing sessions.