STRATEGICALLY DECREASE WATER CONSUMPTION

Dropping weight fast is all about manipulating your water and sodium levels.

For a fighter who wants to cut weight quickly and safely, heres how much water he would consume in the
5 days leading up to his weigh-in:

Sunday 2 gallons
Monday 1 gallon
Tuesday 1 gallon
Wednesday .5 gallons
Thursday .25 gallons
Friday No water till after weigh-in at 5PM.

As you can see, the amount of water starts high with two gallons and decreases with each day till hes
drinking hardly any water on Thursday and Friday.

This is to ensure their body gets into flushing mode.

By drinking lots of water early on, the fighters body will down-regulate aldosterone, a hormone that acts
to conserve sodium and secrete potassium.

And when he suddenly reduces the amount of water he drinks in the middle and end of the week, his
body will still be in flushing mode, meaning hell hit the bathroom to pee a lot even though hes hardly
drinking any water.

What happens when you excrete more fluid than you take in? Bingo! Rapid weight loss.

DONT EAT MORE THAN 50 GRAMS OF CARBS PER DAY

Since one gram of carbohydrate pulls 2.7 grams of water into the body, its important for fighters to keep
their carb intake low.

By doing this, they also deplete muscle glycogen (a source of energy) and keep their body in flush
mode.

DONT EAT FRUIT, SUGAR, OR STARCHES

These are carbs that should be avoided entirely while cutting.

EAT MEALS THAT CONTAIN A LOT OF PROTEIN AND FAT

Fighters have to eat something. Since theyre avoiding carbs, Dr. Berardi advises them to load up on
high-quality protein like meats, eggs or a vegetarian sources of protein. Its also the perfect opportunity to
eat lots of leafy vegetables (like spinach) and cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower).
Georges St Pierre normally has his meals prepared by a private chef so he doesnt even have to think
about this stuff or make decisions. Recommended reading: heres an entire article detailing GSPs
training diet.

DONT EAT SALT

Since the body likes to hold on to sodium (which will hold on to water), dropping salt helps the fighters
body flush water out.

CONSIDER A NATURAL DIURETIC

This step isnt always necessary, but it can help when youre getting down to the wire and still need to lose
water. Opt for a natural diuretic like dandelion root, but wait until the last 2 days to use it.

TAKE HOT BATHS

We sweat a lot in hot environments. However, we sweat the most in hot, humid environments. Since hot
water offers both heat and 100% humidity, fighters lose water quickly by taking hot baths and fully
submerging everything but their nose for 10 minutes at a time.

SIT IN THE SAUNA

This is the finishing touch to flush the last few pounds of water and is only used on the last few days
leading up to the weigh-in

The Weight Cut Schedule

So if we take all of that and break it into a weekly plan, it looks like this:

SUNDAY
Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.
Protein and Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals
Water: 2 gallons
Salt: None

MONDAY
Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.
Protein and Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals
Water: 1 gallon
Salt: None

TUESDAY
Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.
Protein and Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals
Water: 1 gallon
Salt: None

WEDNESDAY
Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.
Protein and Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals
Water: 0.5 gallon
Salt: None
Sauna in afternoon

THURSDAY
Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.
Protein and Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals
Water: 0.25 gallon
Salt: None
Sauna in afternoon for 30 minutes, hot water bath at night

FRIDAY (WEIGH IN AT 6PM)

Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.
Protein and Fat: Eat 2 very small meals until weigh in
Water: None till weigh-in
Salt: None
Sauna until weight is met

(Note from Tim: You can download the entire weight-manipulation plan that Nate used here: Weight
Loss and Rehydration Protocol.)

What It Feels Like To Cut Weight

Dry as a bone and none to happy about it.

So that all looks fine on paper. But what does it actually feel like to go through it?

One word: Hell.

I started my cut on Sunday at 190 pounds. Heres a quick rundown of what it looked like.

SUNDAY 190 POUNDS

I carry a gallon water jug with me wherever I go, which makes me feel ridiculous. But I have to make sure
I get my two gallons of water in. Overall, though, I feel fine. It actually doesnt seem that difficult. Im not
sure what the big deal is.

MONDAY 187 POUNDS

Im starting to miss the taste of salt. All of my food is bland. Now Im drinking one gallon of water instead
of two. Still not that bad.

TUESDAY 182 POUNDS

I go to the bathroom 13 times in one day. A new record, I believe. And Im still drinking a gallon of water.

WEDNESDAY 179 POUNDS

Now Im down to half gallon of water per day, which means I have to ration it out, which feels weird. I have
a little with breakfast, a little with lunch, and a little with dinner. Its definitely not enough water.
My mouth is dry. I feel dehydrated. Im drinking straight espresso instead of drip coffee because it
contains too much water.

In the evening, I try my first hot water bath. I generally enjoy baths, but this ones different. My apartments
water doesnt get as hot as Dr. Berardi wants it to be hot enough to cause moderate pain but not burn
your hand so I fill two pots and a kettle with water, put them on the stovetop until they boil, and pour
them into the bath tub.

I get into the bath and immediately regret the decision.

10 minutes later, Im lying naked in the middle of my living room trying to catch my breath. My eyes are
rolled back into my head. My entire body feels like a giant heartbeat. I want to drink some water, but cant.

This is starting to be less fun.

THURSDAY 175 POUNDS

I am a zombie. A zombie who sits. Mostly in the sauna or on the couch.

In the sauna I watch beads of sweat collect on my skin. I see my precious water run down my arms and
chest and legs and know that I wont be able to replenish any of it when I get out.

I only have .25 gallons of water to last me the entire day. Im ready for this to be over.

FRIDAY 169.7 POUNDS AT 5PM

I look sick, very sick.

I spend the last 30 minutes before the weigh-in in the sauna and drink four sips of water throughout the
entire day

What Cutting Weight Does To Performance

OK, Ill save you the rest of the journal entries and share some performance data.

While the fighters are tested in competition, no one has ever really documented how much strength or
power they lose by dehydrating. (Or how much strength and power they regain after they get all their
weight back.)

So we decided to check.

And it turns out, losing 20 pounds in 5 days is not conducive to being strong, powerful, or agile. (Surprise!)
I couldnt jump as high, lift as much weight, or run as fast or as long as I had just a week before during our
baseline testing.

POWER TEST: VERTICAL JUMP

Baseline: 31.7 inches
After Dehydration: 27.6 inches

STRENGTH ENDURANCE TEST: 225-POUND BENCH PRESS

Baseline: 15 reps
After Dehydration: 5 reps
ENDURANCE TEST: MAX TIME ON TREADMILL
Baseline: 3 minutes and 14 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 6% incline
After Dehydration: 1 minute and 28 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 3% incline

Its no wonder these guys try to gain all their weight back immediately after weighing in. Theyd be
screwed if they didnt.

Speaking of which

The Smart Way To Gain Weight Fast

Once UFC athletes cut weight and weigh-in, theyd never be able to perform at a top level. (Which is
obvious from my less-than-stellar performance in the gym).

So what do they do next? They gain as much weight as humanly possible in 24 hours.
Heres how they do it. (And how I did it, too.)

DRAMATICALLY INCREASE WATER INTAKE.

According to Dr. Berardi, the body can absorb only about 1 liter (2.2 pounds) of fluid at maximum in an
hour. So he advises the fighters he works with to not to drink any more than that. Instead, he tells them to
sip 1 liter (2.2 pounds) of water per hour.

However, the fighters wont retain all that fluid. In fact, probably about 25% of it will be lost as urine.

So, heres the math for someone like Georges St Pierre:

9 liters (20 pounds) of water to get back.

11 liters (25 pounds) of fluid between Friday weigh-in and Saturday weigh-in to get it
all back.
24 hours in which to do it. 8 of which hell be sleeping and 3 of which will be leading
up to Saturday weigh-in.
This leaves 13 total hours for rehydration.

So as soon as Georges steps off the scale, he literally slams a liter of water and carries the bottle around
with him, refilling it and draining it every hour until 3 hours before his fight. (There isnt a bathroom in the
cage.)

EAT AS MUCH CARBOHYDRATE (AND PROTEIN AND FAT) AS YOU WANT

Nows also the time for fighters to load up on carbs and pull all the water theyre drinking back into their
muscles. It also helps them feel more human and look less sickly. (Something I definitely experienced
during my super-hydration phase.)

Dr. Berardi has his fighters eat a big meal directly after they weigh in. He doesnt restrict calories his
athletes can eat as much as they want in that meal as long as its healthy food like lean meats, sweet
potatoes, rice, and vegetables. (Gorging on junk food is a bad idea.)

Then on Saturday (fight day), Dr. Berardi has his fighters eat a satisfying amount ofhealthy food in a
few small meals leading up to the fight.
ADD SALT TO EVERYTHING
Since sodium helps the body retain water, fighters are encouraged to add extra salt to their meals.
Heres what my super rehydration schedule looked like:

The Weight-Gain Schedule

FRIDAY AFTER WEIGH-IN

Carbs: Eat as much as you want in one meal after weigh-in and testing
Protein and Fat: Eat as much as you want in one meal after weigh-in and testing
Rehydration Beverage: Drink 1 liter of water mixed with 1/2 scoop of carbohydrate/protein drink for every
hour youre awake. (We used Surge Workout Fuel.)
Salt: Salt food
SATURDAY
Carbs: Eat satisfying amount in four meals before weigh-in
Protein: Eat satisfying amount in four meals before weigh-in
Rehydration Beverage: Drink 1 liter of water mixed with 1/2 scoop of carbohydrate/protein drink for every
hour youre awake but stop 3 hours before testing.

What Gaining Weight Does To Performance

Back to normal-ish.

First things first: Personally, I ended up gaining 16.9 pounds back in 24 hours. Not bad.

But the real question: How much strength and power do you really gain when you super-hydrate?

Answer: A lot.

While I didnt perform as well as my baseline (when I did all the performance tests before I started the
experiment), I got really close. Which means that even though I put my body through a week of torture, it
was almost 100%.
And I totally annihilated my performance numbers from just 24 hours before when I was sickly and
dehydrated.

I ran faster and longer, jumped higher, and lifted more weight for more reps.

POWER TEST: VERTICAL JUMP

Baseline: 31.7 inches
After Dehydration: 27.6 inches
Re-hydrated: 29 inches

STRENGTH ENDURANCE TEST: 225-POUND BENCH PRESS

 Baseline: 15 reps
After Dehydration: 5 reps
Rehydrated: 12 reps

ENDURANCE TEXT: MAX TIME ON TREADMILL

Baseline: 3 minutes and 14 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 6% incline
After Dehydration: 1 minute and 28 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 3% incline
Rehydrated: 3 minutes and 25 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 6% incline

Lose Weight. Gain Weight. Fight.

For an MMA fighter, this is about the time when hed be getting ready to step in the cage and fight, which
means its about the same time youd turn on the TV and see him in his corner, jumping up and down,
getting psyched and ready for battle.

How much does he weigh?

Its safe to say at least 10-30 pounds more than the weight class hes fighting in.

And now you know the secret to extreme weight manipulation, something 99.9% of guys who watch
MMA will never know.

Pretty cool, right?

If you have questions, please put them in the comments and Dr. Berardi and I will do our best to answer
them.

15 Easy Ways to Burn More

Fat
Improve your flab-burning metabolic rate and start losing weight
fast
BY STEPHEN PERRINE, LEAH FLICKINGER, AND THE EDITORS OF WH January 19, 2011

 Subscribe

1/15

ISTOCKPHOTO/THINKSTOCK

DON'T DIET

The Women's Health Diet isn't about eating less; it's about eating moremore nutrient-
dense food, to crowd out the empty calories and keep you full all day. That's important,
because restricting food will kill your metabolism. It sends a signal to your body that
says, "I'm starving here!" And your body responds by slowing your metabolic rate to
hold on to existing energy stores.

What's worse, if the food shortage (meaning, your crash diet) continues, you'll begin
burning muscle tissue, which just gives your enemy, visceral fat, a greater advantage.
Your metabolism slows further, and fat goes on to claim even more territory.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Go to Bed Earlier
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ISTOCKPHOTO/THINKSTOCK

GO TO BED EARLIER

A study in Finland looked at sets of identical twins and discovered that in each set of
siblings, the twin who slept less and was under more stress had more visceral fat.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six Weeks!

Eat More Protein

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EAT MORE PROTEIN

Your body needs protein to maintain lean muscle. In a 2006 article in theAmerican
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers argued that the current recommended daily
intake for protein, 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, is woefully inadequate for
anyone doing resistance training and recommend that women get between 0.54 and 1
gram per pound of body weight. (If you want to lose weight, use your goal body weight
as your guide.)

Add a serving, like 3 ounces of lean meat, 2 tablespoons of nuts, or 8 ounces of low-fat
yogurt, to every meal and snack. Plus, research shows that protein can up postmeal
calorie burn by as much as 35 percent.
 Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six
Weeks!

Go Organic When You Can

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GO ORGANIC WHEN YOU CAN

Canadian researchers report that dieters with the most organochlorines (pollutants from
pesticides, which are stored in fat cells) experience a greater-than-normal dip in
metabolism as they lose weight, perhaps because the toxins interfere with the energy-
burning process. In other words, pesticides make it harder to lose pounds.

Of course, it's not always easy to findor affordorganic produce. But in general,
conventionally grown items that you peelavocado, grapefruit, bananasare fine. But
choose organic when buying celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries,
nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale and collard greens, cherries, potatoes, and
imported grapes; they tend to have the highest levels of pesticides.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!
 Get Up, Stand Up

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GET UP, STAND UP

Whether you sit or stand at work may play as big a role in your waistline as your fitness
routine. Missouri University researchers discovered that inactivity (4 hours or more)
causes a near shut- down of an enzyme that controls fat and cholesterol metabolism. To
keep this enzyme active and increase your fat-burning, break up long periods of
downtime by standing upfor example, while talking on the phone.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Drink Cold Water

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DRINK COLD WATER

German researchers found that drinking 6 cups of cold water a day (that's 48 ounces)
can raise resting metabolism by about 50 calories dailyenough to shed 5 pounds in a
year, with essentially zero additional effort. The increase may come from the work it
takes to heat the water to body temperature.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Eat the Heat

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EAT THE HEAT

It turns out that capsaicin, the compound that gives chile peppers their heat, can also
fire up your metabolism. Eating about 1 tablespoon of chopped peppers (red or green)
boosts your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for your fight-or-flight response),
according to a study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology.
The result: a temporary metabolism spike of about 23 percent. Stock up on chile peppers
to add to salsas, and keep a jar of red-pepper flakes on hand for topping pizzas, pastas,
and stir-fries.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Rev Up in the Morning

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REV UP IN THE MORNING

Eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism so it's no accident that those who skip
this meal are 412 times as likely to be obese. The heartier your first meal is, the better.
In one study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology, volunteers who got 22
to 55 percent of their total calories at breakfast gained only 1.7 pounds on average over 4
years. While those who got zero to 11 percent gained nearly 3 pounds.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Drink Coffee or Tea

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DRINK COFFEE OR TEA

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, so your daily java jolts can rev your
metabolism by 5 to 8 percentburning about 98 to 174 calories a day. A cup of brewed
tea can raise your metabolism by 12 percent, according to one Japanese study.
Researchers believe antioxidants called catechins in tea provide the boost.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Fight Fat with Fiber

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FIGHT FAT WITH FIBER

Research shows that some fiber can fire up your fat burn by as much as 30 percent.
Studies find that those who eat the most fiber gain the least weight over time. Aim for
about 25 grams a daythe amount in about three servings each of fruits and vegetables.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Eat Iron-Rich Foods

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EAT IRON-RICH FOODS

Iron is essential for carrying the oxygen your muscles need to burn fat. Unless you
restock your stores, you run the risk of low energy and a sagging metabolism. Shellfish,
lean meats, beans, fortified cereals, and spinach are excellent sources.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Get More Vitamin D

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GET MORE VITAMIN D

Vitamin D is essential for preserving muscle tissue. Get 90 percent of your

recommended daily intake (400 IU) in a 3.5-ounce serving of salmon. Other good
sources: tuna, fortified milk and cereal, and eggs.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Drink Milk
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GEORGE DOYLE/STOCKBYTE/THINKSTOCK

DRINK MILK

There's some evidence that calcium deficiency, which is common in many women, may
slow metabolism. Research shows that consuming calcium through dairy foods such as
fat-free milk and low-fat yogurt may also reduce fat absorption from other foods.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Eat Watermelon
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EAT WATERMELON

The amino acid arginine, abundant in watermelon, might promote weight loss,
according to the Journal of Nutrition. In a laboratory study, adding this amino acid to
the diet of obese mice enhanced the oxidation of fat and glucose. Snack on watermelon
and other arginine sources, such as seafood, nuts, and seeds, year-round.

Send your Metabolism Sky-High and Drop 15 Pounds in Six

Weeks!

Stay Hydrated
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STAY HYDRATED

All of your body's chemical reactions, including your metabolism, depend on water. If
you are dehydrated, you may be burning up to 2 percent fewer calories, according to
researchers at the University of Utah. Drink at least eight to twelve 8-ounce glasses a
day.