Category: Weight management

Water loading

The concept of water loading is been around for quite some time now. The idea is to first drink a huge amount of water, some athletes drink even more than 10 liters a day, followed by a water restriction. Bro-science shows that athletes continue to urinate even though they don’t drink those large amounts of water anymore with the result that they actually lose a lot of water weight. Up to a year ago, there was no actual research that proofed this anecdotic effect. Last year high-quality research by the Australian Institute of Sport shed some light on the matter. […]

5 tips to prevent overeating

Tip #1: Go for quality, not quantity When you crave food and allowed yourself a little treat, go for the best of the best. When you decide to eat some chips choose the one you love the most and not the one that has the least calories. A classic example of this is the Oven Baked Chips. While it’s true that it contains less fat, it is not much healthier. If you crave real chips than go for it. Don’t try to replace it with something that sounds healthier, instead enjoy what you love in moderation.   Tip #2: Give […]

Welcome to the Olympic Race

The race for Olympic qualification has started. Whoever finds himself as one of the top 18 of the World Ranking List at the end of the qualification period will be forever remembered as an Olympian and – even more important – will get the opportunity to compete for Olympic gold. There are many competitions along the way, but only the best 5 results in each year will be calculated for the ranking. Athletes like Teddy Riner will probably pick their competitions carefully to collect the points they need, others will have to battle their way up the list throughout a […]

What not to do when a child is 200g too heavy?

The question of weight cutting in kids is a sensitive issue. My point of view about it is pretty clear: weight cutting is something that should be avoided as much as possible, especially at young age. Kids should eat healthily and consume enough energy for their growth and if a child can’t stay in one weight category with a healthy diet – it’s time to move up the weight. Because children and adolescents are growing, changing weight category is inevitable. I share this point of view in the lectures I give in judo clubs and at this point there’s always […]

“I have to watch my weight”

First published in JudoContact “I have to watch my weight.” Every competitive fighter has said this phrase at some point in his career. You put add less food on your plate and skip the delicious dessert. If you couldn’t resist eating chocolate, you’re going to run an extra round to undo the damage because next week there is a competition. All this discipline is necessary because you do not want to fight against those heavier opponents. After the competition the big reward follows, a bag of chips in the cafeteria, a quick bite in a fast food restaurant and when […]

What is the difference between cutting weight and losing weight?

Losing weight and cutting weight are two terms that are often used in combat sports. Non-athletes might think they mean the same, but when it comes to combat sports they serve a different goal and have a very different approach. Confusing the two bring much misunderstanding to discussions about weight management. Let’s put some structure in this mess: Cutting weight Losing weight Span Short term Long term Goal Be at a certain weight at a certain time and gain the weight back as soon as possible afterwards Keep the weight low What is lost? Water, food in the digestion track, […]

5 nutrition tips for female athletes for that time of that month

Every woman knows what I’m talking about: There is a competition coming up at the wrong date, and you know it is going to be more difficult than usual. All of a sudden your weight jumps, your body is swelling up and you can tell that you’re holding a lot of liquid by the marks of your socks on your leg after a busy day. The food cravings don’t make it any easier. Yes, it is again that time of the month. Nothing to do about it, or is there? Here are a few tips that can help you control […]

Can Cyrille Maret lose 16kg in 5 weeks?

The Masters is the last competition of the judo world tour competitions of the IJF.  It is special since only the top 16 judokas in each weight category can participate, unlike other competitions in which the limitation is of number of competitors of each country. Winning one fight in the Masters yields 468 ranking points – more than a bronze medal in the Judo European Championship; participation alone is 200 points, same as winning two European open tournaments. In spite of the relatively easy to get ranking points, it’s interesting to see that not all top players are competing. -57kg […]

Cutting weight at young age

Whether one should cut weight or not, is a question I’m asked frequently and everyone has an opinion about it. Recently there was an interesting discussing about weight cutting by children in one of the Facebook groups I’m following and I decided to dedicate this blog post to give my opinion as a dietitian and ex-top athlete. The discussion started with the following hypothesis:   A question to you coaches and/or parents. The national coach of the team where your pupil or child trains demands that he or she cut weight to a lower category in a manner that is detrimental to […]

Metabolic adaptation how to prevent it

A few weeks ago I received a message asking to write a blog post about metabolic damage (AKA starvation mode). The term “metabolic damage” is a bit misleading and it would be more correct to use the term “metabolic adaptation”. Nature gave us the ability to adapt to difficult situations. In this case, the body can alter its energy metabolism to function more efficiently during a period where nutrition is scare. Altering energy metabolism is a life-saving skill where food is not all the time available, but in most first-world counties the problem is the opposite: there is too much […]