Diet To Help Me Lose Weight for Boxing

smurf860

Hi,

I am currently training in boxing and other martial arts. My training involves boxing and martial arts one week, weights in the gym the next week and so on every second week (because of shift work).

I try and get into the gym 4-5 times a week, and training with the boxing and other sports roughly 6 times a week. This isn't always the case though but I do train quite a bit.

My problem is I have tried changing my diet to lose both wieght and body fat in order to help me compete in a lower weight class. My diet is quite repetitve in the sense that I eat pretty much the same meals 5 to 6 times a week. For breakfast its either oatmeal or a 2 egg omlete with peppers throw in. For my first snack its usually a tin of tuna in sunflower oil, a banana, and orange. For my lunch its wholegrain pasta, veg, and chicken or lean mince. Next snack is usually toasted ham, cheese and tomato sandwich on brown bread. Next meal is usually mince or chicken (depending on what I had for lunch), and an apple. My last snack is usually some nuts and dried blueberries. I also have a protein supplement after training (at the moment I'm on BSN Syntha-6. I started substituting sugar in my tea with honey and I have started using low fat milk and low fat pasta sauce.

My question is, do you think this diet is ok to lose weight? Should I just consume lower portions at meals? Or completely change what I eat? I hope to lose between 3 to 5kg and would like to do it in a healthy manner. Any advice would be welcome

JJayoo

What time span do you have to lose this weight? and are you currently losing weight on your current diet? or have things stalled?

jerryb

in my opinion your using the wrong diet to suit your training..... your diet is more suited to a bodybuilding training regiment instead of boxing , i train with a pro boxer currently and he has me on a low carb- high protein diet, if you were to cut out all your carbs like bread, rice ,pasta , and forget about all drinks bar water and green tea, stay away from the sugary fruits like apples and oranges too and they jst raise your insulin levels causing you to store fat not lose it, in order to lose fat quickly and effectively, eat 5 small portion meals a day, with plenty of greens, fish, clean chicken, beef, turkey, and fish, if you need anymore help just ask, flaxseed is a good source of fiber too which u will need...

Mellor

Boxing is a high intensity training, carbs will be used for energy, not stored as fat.


OP, just eat less. No need to have that many meals either.
A few things that stand out, in terms of calories...
Tuna in brine/water is better than oil
Fruit can add up to a lot of calories, go easy with the bananas and apples, berries are low cal fruit.
Honey is not much different to sugar for weightloss.
Syntha6 has a lot of sugars. You'd be better with a protein only shake or nothing at all.

smurf860

@JJayoo - I dont really have any time span to lose the weight. I am currently at roughly 63kg and want to get below 60kg to compete in the 55-59.9kg bracket. My ideal weight to get to would be 58kg since this would give me some sense of comfort that I wont stuggle on the day of competing to be below 60kg. Personally, I said to myself that if I can get under 60kg then I have no excuse what so ever to compete in both boxing and thai boxing. But unless I can get below 60kg then I will not try and compete. Many of the fighters drop weight for competition so I want to do likewise rather than compete against bigger people would dropped weight for competition. And yes I seem to have stalled losing weight. In the space of 1-2 weeks after xmas when I started eating right again, I dropped from 64.5kg to 63kg but it seems to have stalled at this.

@jerryb - I have cut my carbs down quite considerably and have increased my protein intake. I do eat 5-6 smaller meals these days alright. What I have been told before to drop weight for competition is similar to what you are saying. Eat lots of protein, veg, and fruit. What I never knew was about the insulin levels you say in apples and oranges. I always thought that like fat, you have good and bad fats. I thought this was the same with sugar but maybe I am wrong. I was always told to eat lots of fruit though to drop weight but maybe I am eating the wrong types. Currently the carbs I eat are, the oatmeal in the morning which has flaxseeds and other seeds in it, a very small portion of pasta for lunch, and 2 slices of brown bread. This would be my usual carb intake during most days. But I dont want to completely cut out carbs because I dont want to cause any other health problems, and as Mellor says, I would need some of these carbs for training.

@Mellor - The tin of tuna I eat contains 100 cals so I dont consider it too high. I dont want to eat it with brine due to the high salt intake. As with the fruit, I usually have 1 apple, 1 banana, and 1 orange a day (not too much I reckon). With regards to the honey, I thought the same thing about honey as I did with the sugars in the fruits that I was talking to jerryb about. The syntha6, I only use straight after training to get the protein into the body for recovery. I might try some other supplement though when I finish the syntha6.

I reckon that the week I am in the gym lifting weights could be hindering my weight loss as I reckon I put on muscle these weeks and hence weight will increase/stay the same. Either way, I will ask a few of the lads in training how they do it.

Thanks for all the replys. Much appreciated

Mellor

smurf860 wrote: »

@JJayoo - I dont really have any time span to lose the weight. I am currently at roughly 63kg and want to get below 60kg to compete in the 55-59.9kg bracket. My ideal weight to get to would be 58kg since this would give me some sense of comfort that I wont stuggle on the day of competing to be below 60kg.

Are the weigh ins on the day of competing, or the day before. How soon before fighting. It makes a difference to your goal weight. and something your should talk to your coach about.

The tin of tuna I eat contains 100 cals so I dont consider it too high. I dont want to eat it with brine due to the high salt intake. As with the fruit, I usually have 1 apple, 1 banana, and 1 orange a day (not too much I reckon). With regards to the honey, I thought the same thing about honey as I did with the sugars in the fruits that I was talking to jerryb about. The syntha6, I only use straight after training to get the protein into the body for recovery. I might try some other supplement though when I finish the syntha6.

They were all just example of where you could shave a few calories. If you aren't losing weight, you are eating too much. It's really that simple.
How many calories do you eat a day. Rough estimate.

I reckon that the week I am in the gym lifting weights could be hindering my weight loss as I reckon I put on muscle these weeks and hence weight will increase/stay the same. Either way, I will ask a few of the lads in training how they do it.

You aren't putting on muscle if you are eating below maintenance.

Killme00

smurf860 wrote: »

I am currently at roughly 63kg and want to get below 60kg to compete in the 55-59.9kg bracket. My ideal weight to get to would be 58kg since this would give me some sense of comfort that I wont stuggle on the day of competing to be below 60kg. Personally, I said to myself that if I can get under 60kg then I have no excuse what so ever to compete in both boxing and thai boxing. But unless I can get below 60kg then I will not try and compete. Many of the fighters drop weight for competition so I want to do likewise rather than compete against bigger people would dropped weight for competition. And yes I seem to have stalled losing weight. In the space of 1-2 weeks after xmas when I started eating right again, I dropped from 64.5kg to 63kg but it seems to have stalled at this.

You dont need to make any wholesale changes, you're doing great and your diet looks really good. I would actually recommend speaking to your boxing coach. He may recommend only trimming down to 62, if at all. He will also have the best advice on how to cut for the competition. Good luck!

marathonic

amethyz wrote: »

Have you tried taking some supplements? I've been doing work outs all along and haven't felt any changes. I'm focusing on how to lose fat from stomach fast. Now with regards to your concern you should consult specialist to assist.

Ignore this!!! A new poster with a first post linking to a new website selling completely useless 'fat burners' - I'm sceptical to say the least. And the 'consult a specialist' advice - for what????

I think you've got the right idea if you dropped 1.5kg in the 2 weeks after Christmas. You can't expect to drop weight EVERY week but, if you're stalled for a couple of consecutive weeks, minor adjustments to your portion sizes or even upping the intensity of your training as you get fitter/stronger should see you on your way again. You only have 3kg to lose and, by doing it slowly, you've a better chance of retaining as much muscle as possible.

smurf860

@ Mellor - I am fairly sure the weigh ins are on the day of competition for amateur fights. Since the weight classes change every 5kg (i.e. 55kg to 59.9kg is one weight class, 60kg to 64.9kg is the next weight class). Ideally, I would like to get down to 58kg so that I should comfortably make the weight without worry that morning about skipping breakfast or not (especially since I would need to be able to eat my meals on the day of fighting to keep my energy levels up). I understand what you are saying about the examples about shedding calories here and there. That is definately what I would need to do if my weight stalls at a certain point for too long.

@ Killme00 - Preferably I would like to get down to 58 kg to compete in a lower weight class. But yes as you say, if I speak to my coach he might just recommend getting to 62kg. I think though that he will probably tell me to get under 60kg but you never know. And yes, he told me a few times when I asked him about it and he said he would give me his dies (he's a pro boxer). But I think it slipped his mind afterwards the few times I asked him, and I dont want to annoy him by pestering him too much about it. I might run it by him again soon though.

@ marathonic - When I tried dropping weight before (I tried going on a diet for 6 weeks but I had cheat days and rather than 1 day a week it was the weekend instead) I got down to 62kg and it seemed to stall there. I think alot of this was just down to good eating habits. I think the reason I dropped 1.5kg after christmas so quickly was due to putting on an extra kg or so over the christmas. I think going back training after xmas, and eating properly again after xmas helped me burn off the 1.5kg quickly. But yes, I see what you say, minor adjustments could help bring me down the extra few kgs when my weights stalls. And yes I dont want to lose weight too quickly as this wouldn't be great for my health and body, and I want to lose the wieght and keep as much muscle and strength as possible.

I have bought myself a diary today so I'm going to start keeping track of what I am eating and try to get a good estimate of the calories I am consuming. I will also keep track of the days I train and what training I am doing. If it works out that I am eating 2500 calories a day, and say for example burn off 200 calories when I train, then this might tell me I need to either train more often or eat less on the days I dont train. I will try and get an example of my food intake up in a day or so. I have started today and already it stands out to me that one of my snacks has alot more calories than I realised.

Once again, thanks for the help.

Saaron

You could try logging your food intake on MyFitnessPal. Loads of people I know use it and it's very helpful.

smurf860

Thanks Saaron. I might have a look into it. At the moment the diary will do the trick but when I look into that site it might work out easier for me.

smurf860

Ok just to give people an idea of what my diet consists of. It is usually some what similar to this most days. Some items of food, such as meat for my meals, omlette instead of oatmeal for breakfast and so on do change now and again but the majority of the diet is kind of similar from day to day (bar the weekends which interrupts my daily routine). I have approximated some of the calories, based on my serving size and the nutritional information given on the packages. Calories for tea and coffee with 1 teaspoon of either sugar or honey I have not worked out yet. Anyway, here was my food intake from yesterday:

Meal 1

• Oatmeal with low fat milk - 243 cals

Snack 1

• Tuna with sunflower oil - 101 cals
• Banana - 105 cals
• Mandarin - 26 cals
• Coffee with 1 teaspoon sugar - ?

Meal 2

• Pasta with bolognase sauce - 125 cals (approx.)
• Mixed veg - 39 cals (approx.)
• Skinless chicken breast - 250 cals (approx.)
• Apple - 71 cals
• Tea with 1 teaspoon of sugar - ?

Meal 3
Toasted sandwich consisting of:

• 2 slices of brown bread - 156 cals
• 2 slices of ham - 70 cals
• Slice of cheese - 60 cals
• Butter - 96 cals (approx.)

Snack 2

• Syntha 6 with low fat milk - 326 cals

Snack 3

• Turkey slice - 44 cals (approx.)
• Goji Berries - 60 cals (approx.)
• Almonds - 160 cals (approx.)
• Cashews - 145 cals (approx.)
• Blueberries - 66 cals (approx.)
• Cup of tea with 1 teaspoon of honey - ?

Total Calories - 2143 cals (approx.)

If my calorie intake is similar to this, even 100 or 200 calories more, I should be able to drop the weight. With training days on top of this, they will help me burn off more calories again. I am not sure though about the guideline daily calorie intakes for me. I know that they say 2500 calories for men, but being a small man, maybe my daily calorie intake should be lower. Either way, I will keep an eye on my food intake and on the weighing scales and see how the results fair out.

Mellor

• Pasta with bolognase sauce - 125 cals (approx.)
  
  • Syntha 6 with low fat milk - 326 cals
  Snack 3
  • Turkey slice - 44 cals (approx.)
  • Goji Berries - 60 cals (approx.)
  • Almonds - 160 cals (approx.)
  • Cashews - 145 cals (approx.)
  • Blueberries - 66 cals (approx.)
  • Cup of tea with 1 teaspoon of honey - ?

Thats a very low estimate for the pasta. Is it a tiny portion. You need to weigh stuff like that as estimates can be way off.

The syntha 6 is a bad choice. Just extra cals you don't need. A better choice of shake could be a lot less cals, plus more protein.

The last snack isn't bad in any way. But its also nearly 500 cals. Quite high, do you need this.
Being small, your maintenance is going to be under 2500 imo

Clive

smurf860, I have to agree with Mellor, I think you may be underestimating the calories you're taking in and overestimating how many you need. If your weight loss has stalled and your exercise is the same, then simply put you're eating too much.

To put it in context when I'm dieting down to 83 kilos for a fight (granted that's with a particular timeframe in mind), my intake would be not much over 2000 calories except the day of, and the day after, an extremely heavy training session.

Can I also ask why particularly you're choosing to cut down a weight division? If you don't feel you're lean at your current weight or it's a personal goal then fair enough, but it seems that you want to go from two kilos under the 65 limit to 2 kilos under the 60 limit. At an amateur level I would generally recommend that people focus on their skills and fitness rather than spending their time worrying about minor weight issues - train like a demon, eat like a horse, be strong and fast for your size.