MMA diet guru Mike Dolce advises why cutting carbs and water to make weight is setting you up for defeat.

The most common dietary practice in the weight-cutting world is to simply drop carbohydrate and water intake in the days and weeks before weigh-ins to reduce bodyweight. If you are only focused on the scale this method can work, but if you are concerned with maintaining vibrant health and producing a career-defining performance, you may want to think twice. 

CARBS

Carbohydrates are turned into glucose/glycogen in the human body and commonly classified in two categories, complex and simple.

Complex carbohydrates are often found in:

• Grains: oats, quinoa, rice
• Beans: black, pinto, garbanzo
• Vegetables: potatoes, peas, corn

Simple carbohydrates are often found in fruits such as blueberries and strawberries or even raw honey.

Complex carbohydrates are not readily available and must be broken down in the digestive system before they can be utilized as energy. Simple carbohydrates offer a more immediate energy supply.

What do carbohydrates do in the body? For starters they are stored in muscles as glycogen for sustained contractions. Pretty important for athletes, don’t you think? Next, they are used by your organs to facilitate proper function and sustained health. Last, and most important, glycogen is the primary fuel source for the brain. The brain, of course, is central command, headquarters, and the control room. 

If the power goes out in the control room, the brain will start shutting down areas of the body it deems less important than itself – and the brain indeed deems every other part of the body less important. Based upon the limited fuel the brain has available, it may start shutting off areas of the body that are pretty darn necessary, like the heart, kidneys, muscles, lungs, vision or many other debilitating areas.

How many zombies have you seen getting ready for bodybuilding competitions? Or what about the girl at work making a dozen errors per day while she’s trying to shrink down for her vacation?

In MMA, you see these zombies walking into walls during fight week as they hunt down a Starbucks hoping the coffee will kick start their brain.

In my experience, carbohydrate intake should be based upon energy expenditure. We do not indiscriminately limit the carbs; we eat based upon our need. My athletes will often share videos or tweets during fight week showing their meals such as pancakes, oatmeal bowls, pasta dishes and even chocolate sandwiches and then be inundated with questions like: “Don’t you have a fight coming up?”

The answer is yes, and that is exactly why we are eating like this. I know it is a different activity, but the same principle holds true for endurance athletes increasing their carbohydrate content prior to competition. They do so in an attempt to pack their energy stores enough to sustain them during their race. Combat athletes are exactly the same, except we step on a scale 24 hours before.

H2O

Let’s pause carbs for a minute and talk about water. It is pretty simple that if you eliminate consumption and continue expenditure, you will deplete supplies. This practice is also used adversely to prepare for competition. Athletes simply stop drinking water a few days (sometimes weeks) before competition to deplete their body of water and thus achieve a lighter weight.

What they fail to realize is that water is essential for nearly every cellular function. The human body is nothing more than a compilation of billions of cells. By reducing water, you're reducing your body's ability to perform. By reducing carbohydrates and water, the body is less able to perform in a healthy manner, leading to a tortuous weight-cut and incomplete rehydration.

To me, it always made the most sense to keep the athlete fed during the final few days, so he would have the strength and the mental acuity to perform the task at hand. By keeping the athlete extremely hydrated, the body would not react adversely when we temporarily purge it of water.

If we only focus on the scale, performance is severely jeopardized, as is often seen at every level of sport. How many times have we heard about a weight-cut adversely affecting an athlete’s competition?

Weight cutting can and should be an advantage if approached properly. I look at weight cutting as a chance to purify the system, to detoxify it of any impurities and fill it back up with the highest quality of nutrients at the most crucial time. As I stated in my last article, The Dolce Diet is all about keeping the athlete fed.

THE FINAL CUT

We always start with a full breakfast and eat intelligent carbohydrate sources throughout the day to maintain blood-sugar levels while keeping energy and spirits high. It is not uncommon for my athletes to drink two to three gallons of water per day up until the night before weigh-ins. Have you noticed how many trips to the bathroom you make when you are drinking in excess of two gallons per day?

A good rule of thumb is to always be urinating clear, with the exception of your morning trip to the bathroom. Now, how do we pull the water off? There are a few ways that some athletes prefer, I have my own personal favorite, but I allow for the confidence of the athlete.

Some athletes like to train at low intensity in hot rooms with sweatpants on. This certainly works, but is often too taxing.

Other athletes prefer to walk on a treadmill in plastic suits. This is also effective, but if you have more than 5lb to lose, you could be in for a long day.

Some use the old approach of sitting in a sauna, which I least prefer. You might as well rub butter all over yourself and jump into the oven because you are cooking yourself.

There are more missed weights and panic attacks from the sauna than any other routine I know about, and I always try to talk anyone out of going this route.

A more preferred method is using a spa or hot tub. This is a rather gentle way to break and maintain a sweat while breathing comfortable, room temperature air and simply being able to jump into the pool to cool off.

DOLCE STEP METHOD

Here is a great technique I call The Dolce Step Method. 

• Get in a hot tub and submerge yourself to your neck for five minutes.  
• Sit up normally so the water is at chest level for another five minutes. 
• Sit on one of the steps so the water is now at belly button level for five minutes.  
• Sit on the top step where maybe just your glutes and hamstrings are submerged. 
• Sit outside of the spa with just your feet and calves in.

You have just performed a 25-minute session and continued sweating while not overheating or inducing a state of anxiety. For the last five minutes simply lie on a towel next to the spa and relax. For your 30 minutes, that is a 3lb average cut. Repeat twice and you cut 6lb in an hour.

That is about the limit of what I would like to cut on weigh-in day. If you are in real bad shape, this method can easily pull upwards of 10lb off in two hours or so. 

CHOCOLATE SANDWICH

When you're on the Dolce Diet there's room for treats unheard of on other meal plans. Here's a chocolate snack my athletes adore.

Toast one slice of low-sodium bread (I like Ezekiel sprouted grain) and smear it with one tablespoon of a chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella is one brand). This mixes simple and complex carbs while the hot, crunchy toast makes it seem like a pastry, allowing an emotional release and pure pleasure!  

It’s no wonder my athletes always look happy on the scale!