Lesson 4: How to Eat

Because in wrestling, every wrestler is wrestling at a weight class, you want to be physically strongest in the weight category. For example, both wrestler A and wrestler B may weigh 141lb and they have similar wrestling technique and skills. However, wrestler A may have 30% body fat (quite high) whereas wrestler B has 7% body fat. Even if two wrestlers weigh the same, wrestler B has much more muscle mass than wrestler A; making him physically superior than wrestler A. Excess body fat simply is extra weight burden for wrestlers. It is every wrestler's goal to be at an optimal weight class. It is difficult to determine the best weight for every wrestler, but the minimal body fat percentage (minimum to "live") is between 2% - 5% for teenage males and 10%-13% for teenage females. Of course, the minimum is not what wrestlers should strive for. For good athletic performance, anywhere from 6%-13% (males) and 14%-20% (females)  are considered to be in "athletic" shape.  The primary goal of weight management is to get into good athletic shape and it should not simply be to "cut" weight. Once the wrestler is in good athletic shape, some more weight management may be necessary to adjust to the weight class he/she is targeting. Weigh management is healthy and safe. Going below minimum body fat percentage or losing excessive amounts of weight in a short term are often referred to as "cutting weight" and such practices are unhealthy and dangerous (thus should never happen). 

First, wrestlers must never "starve" themselves or cut water to lose weight. Wrestlers must carefully calculate and plan his/her caloric intake per day in conjunction with the training schedule to safely lose body fat percentage down to the optimal level. Starving, dehydrating, or cutting weight too fast (not properly planned) only leads to health risks and losing muscle mass. 

Losing Weight Basics

Wrestler should lose fat to lose weight; not muscle or water for optimal performance. When we eat food, we obtain calories. Just by our normal body regulation and minimal movement, we burn calories. When we exercise, we burn more calories. Simply speaking, if the calories we intake equals the calories we burn, we maintain our weight. If calorie-in is more than calorie-out, we gain. If calorie-out is more than calorie-in, we lose weight. 

The average adolescent male burns about 15-19 calories per pound (body weight) a day without doing any exercise and for females about 11-14 calories per pound (body weight). For example, a 150lb wrestler will burn about 2250 calories a day (for males) without exercise (150lb x 17 calories) and about 1,800 calories a day for females (150lb x 12 calories). If the wrestler burns another 750 calories for wrestling practice, the wrestler burns 3000 calories during that day. If he eats 3000 calories, he will maintain weight. If he lowers his calorie intake, he will begin to lose weight. For females, generally burn 15%-30% less calories than males given the same exercise. If a male wrestler loses 750 calories during practice, even if the female wrestler goes through the same exercise, she may only lose about 520-630 calories. Due to hormonal differences and body composition difference and other factors, weight management for females can be more complicated. 

Approximately 3500 calories need to be burned to lose 1 pound of fat. Therefore, if the wrestler above maintains a 2500 calorie diet and burns 3000 calories a day for 7 days, he/she should lose 1 pound of fat. This example is a safe and healthy way to lose weight. 

Here are recommended procedures when trying to achieve a weight loss for competition:

Start Early

Losing significant amount of weight in a short time span (such as a week or two) is dangerous. Wrestler should only be losing about 1.5% of body weight at most per week. Anymore than that leads to dehydration or "loss of muscle" (basically, the body will think it's starving and start using energy from muscles to sustain itself; this leads to reduction in size and strength of the muscles). Wrestlers must begin and plan well in advance. Wrestlers should begin being on a healthy diet at least one or two months prior to competition. 

Set Your Target

Under the "Resources" page, download the "calorie calculator" and instructions on how to use it. It is an spreadsheet program which aids wrestlers in calculating the approximate calories to intake per day to achieve his/her target weight. Use the calorie calculator to enter your current weight, height, target weight, and the number of days until weigh-in. The program will calculate the amount of calories to be eaten per day. Be aware that the calculations are merely an estimated guide using average values and it will not be 100% accurate. Wrestlers should adjust the calculations weekly for a more accurate estimation of the calories. For example, the amount of calories burned will not be accurate as it depends on how hard the wrestler trained. There are simply too many variables to make an accurate estimation, however the calculator will give you a rough guide. 

Risky Practices

If your calculation turns out that you can only intake less than 1500 calories a day, consult the coach; as adjustments may be necessary. Setting a realistic target well in advance is key to losing weight in a healthy manner. No wrestler should be losing weight with less than a 1000 calorie diet for over 2 weeks. 

The rate of weight loss should not be more than 2% of the body weight in a week. 2% is the "maximum", so it is still not recommended. Losing 0.5%-1.5% body weight per week is ideal. 

Figure Out What To Eat

For example, upon calculation, your diet turns out to be  2000 calorie per day. This means approximately, 1000 calories (50%) needs to come from carbohydrates, 600 calories (30%) protein, and 400 calories (20%) from fat. 

Each gram of carbohydrates, fat, and protein gives off different amounts of calories:

• 1 gram of carbohydrate gives off 4 calories 

• 1 gram of protein gives off 4 calories

• 1 gram of fat gives off 9 calories 

This means, approximately 250 grams of carbohydrates (250 grams x 4 calories =1000 calories ), 150 grams of protein (150 grams x 4 calories =600 calories), and about 44 grams of fat (44 grams x 9 calories = roughly 400 calories)  should be the composition of food for the day. Then split the meal into small chunks to consume throughout the day. 

Approximate serving sizes and calorie estimates are provided on the separate tab in the calorie calculator for reference. 

Reducing Calorie Intake

As a wrestlers loses weight, it becomes more difficult to lose more. Therefore, wrestlers may have to reduce the calorie intake. When reducing calorie intake, it should happen gradually (that is why it is important to start early).  When reducing the calorie intake, it is still important to keep the 50% (carbohydrate), 30% (protein), 20% (fat) ratio. Remember that a gram of fat gives off more more than twice as much calories than carbohydrates and protein, so the level of fat consumption must be monitored carefully. Consuming complex carbohydrates and a good source of protein should be the main focus; adding any fat that is lacking. Starting with a good balanced diet and simply decreasing the portions of each component of the meal is a good tactic. As the wrestlers begins to lose more, it becomes harder. Reducing carbohydrate intake (below the 50% proportion) for the last week is recommended (instead of losing the protein and fat).  

Despite lower calorie intake, water must be taken sufficiently. It is a detrimental mistake to assume you must lose through not drinking water. Simply put, if a wrestlers drinks 1 liter of water, he will gain that much weight at that instance. However, this is just water weight; not the weight of his muscles. Water will leave the system naturally by sweating, urinating, and other functions. The objective should be to reduce body fat and maintain muscle mass. The only time wrestlers should not drink water is the day before weigh ins and the day of weigh ins (if it is absolutely necessary to make weight). 

How About Supplements?

As a general rule, supplements should not be taken. First, as the name suggests, it's purpose is to "supplement" and not "substitute". Many athletes do not eat proper food and instead take supplements. This is not a healthy behavior. Supplements may help take in some nutrition that could not be taken in from a regular diet. However, in most cases, proper choice of diet and good eating habits should fulfill the necessary nutrition requirement. Second, there are many kinds of supplements; some are good and some are bad. It is hard to distinguish the two. Many supplements have never been tested on teenagers, thus it poses a risk. Finally, whether supplements are good or not, it is better than the wrestlers be educated in eating proper food; rather than relying on supplements. 

Here's an article on supplements for youths. 

Watch Nurse McCoy's advice on how to eat right for training and competition: