Need help losing 20 pounds in 3.5 weeks for a fight

[DClinch]

So pretty much I have a fight comming up in 3.5 weeks from today, I was just wondering is cutting 20 pounds in this short time a possible goal without feeling completely destroyed on fight day? I weigh 180-185 and need to cut down to 165

My current training regimen consists of the following monday - friday

9:15 - 11:00 am Bikram Yoga (everyday)
12:30 - 1:50pm Muay Thai (everyday)
6:00 - 7:30 Muay Thai (everyday)
7:45 - 9:00 Muay Thai (Only Thursdays)
Saturday/Sunday Off

I have been doing this for about close to 2 months and am in fairly good shape.
and just 2 days ago I decided to cut down on the carbs (keeping them under 60-80g carbs/day) while keeping my protein intake high (1g per lb)

Also, currently the supplements I'm taking are Animal Pak (Multivitamins), 100% Whey Protein, Fish Oil Caps, and Glutamine


So 2 days ago I switched up my diet plan to consist of:



Bikram Yoga *I go on a empty stomach*

Breakfast:5 Egg Whites, 8oz Vege juice, a glass of skim milk, ½ cup oatmeal, I will also take my Animal Pak at this time + Fish oil cap.

Muay Thai (afternoon class) * Immediately after 1 scoop of protein/Glutamine with water*

Lunch: 1 Tuna Can, 2 pieces of Turkey meat, 2 cups raw vege’s, medium plain Black Coffee (no sugar,cream,milk) (every second day I will switch out the 2 pieces of Turkey meat and add 2 sausages)

2 hours later 1 Chicken Thigh, ½ can of Salmon

Muay Thai (evening class) *Immediately after 1 scoop of protein/glutamine with water*

Dinner: 1 Chicken Breast, 2 egg whites, 1 cup raw vege’s

Before I go to sleep: 1 scoop of protein/glutamine with water



I also keep my water intake high (10-12 liters split among the entire day)

Is there anything I should maybe change/add in this diet/plan? I also want to be training really hard, and I understand my energy level will probably not be the same as when I was eating close to 150g/carbs daily. So if there is anything lacking in this, or maybe anything I should change up; all input is greatly appreciated.


Goal: Lose/Cut 20lbs in 3.5 weeks

I have weight cut for other fights before, but the most I've ever done was 4-8lb water weight

And some additional information: the weigh in's are a day before at 4pm, with the actual fights starting the next day at 7:30pm


Thanks!

[HereBeADragon]

Short answer no. Long answer hell no and your begging for long term injuries with that routine. Your gonna have to drop about 0.8 of a pound daily to reach your goal. 10lbs is possible but even that is pushing it. Now if you do manage to drop 20lbs in 3.5 weeks your not going to be feeling anywhere near up for a fight. Your gonna feel like your fighting cancer if anything.

[Kickapoo]

If you can drop 8 pounds of non-water weight (somehow) beforehand you could. I don't think shedding any more then 12 pounds beforehand is safe or recommended.

Although, if you're at 185 and need to cut to 165, chances are you aren't carrying around enough to lose beforehand.

I think what you really need to do is ask yourself why you find yourself forced to cut 20 pounds for a fight. Did your training lapse at some point? Did you cheat on too many meals? Is this a last-minute thing?

I've never had to cut weight for a fight, but I did wrestle so I know some of it. 20 lbs is not a safe cut.

[boxingfan03]

Dude I think you just have a self confidence problem. 20 pounds is way too much. You have two choices;
1. You forget about your fight in 3.5 weeks and wait longer to lose your 20 pounds
2. You fight heavier

I made the same mistake before when I had to cut 15 pounds in about the same amout of time. I felt horrible at the fight, no energy at all. But the worst thing is I finally got injured (grade 3 groin strain) and I'm stopped for months now. So believe me, this kind of thing is just playing with fire.

And for your diet;

-This gives you something like 1500 calories per day while your needs according your training schedule and current weight (and I don't even know your eight) would be AT LEAST betwen 3000 and 4000 calories per day. That's way too little.

-You have too much meat; you need to vary your protein sources as much as possible. And plus with too much protein, your body will try to find some way to convert it into energy so it may not even help for your recovery. You can eat between 1g to 2g of protein per kg of your body weight. (1kg=2,2lbs) So you can eat about 170g of protein per day. More than that is completely useless

-You have to add fat to your diet. Your cells are made of fat and your body needs it. You can't produce testosterone if you don't have fat. But you need to eat the good ones (olive oil, natural peanut butter, salmon, almonds etc.)


- You absolutely need carbs! I look at your new diet and I can't even understand how you can make a day with that. You need at least 100g per day just so your brain can operate. For a normal person, your needs in carbs are about 8g to10g per kg of bodyweight.

I say all that and i don't even know your eight and all.

A normal healthy meal should be like 2 cups of vegetables, 1 cup of cereal, betwen 125g to 200g of lean meat and 1 tablespoon of raw oil. And that is enough for a normal sedentary male to lose weight. But YOU need way more than that or you'll just end up getting injured or knocked out in the ring.
Go see a nutritionist, ask for advice of a professionnal.

[SifuJason]

I don't completely agree that 20 lbs in 3.5 weeks is not doable, especially since he has weigh ins the day before, and thus can cut some water and recover. That being said, 5 weeks would be a much better time frame. Also, 165 lb weight class? What competition is this?

Now, given all that, you want to be ideally within in 5 lbs the day before weigh ins, so you have 5 lbs of water to cut. That means 15 lbs in 3.5 weeks, or say 5 lbs a week for math/margin of error.

First, what people said about your diet is true; you do need some carbs; they get burned while you work out, and you need to maintain glycogen stores in your muscles for your fight. I know plenty of MMA fighters who have lost that kind of weight in this time frame, but it sucks. Start reducing calories and portions; you can drop a pound every day or so if you do it right, with a controlled calorie restriction. Listen to the other people who have posted regarding food balance (and see a nutritionist); I don't have anything to add. What you have to do is have a cut on top of that, straight percentage, across the board. See how you are doing after 1 week; if it ends up being unfeasible (no 5 lb weight loss), you are going to need to re-evaluate the fight.

[Diesel_tke]

I cut 14lbs one time before a BJJ match in 2 weeks. It was doable and I wrestled well but I had a lot less energy. I would not have been able to cut any more than that. It was too mentally and physically taxing. After that cut, I started competing at my walking weight. I would recomend trying to compete at a higher weight class, but some people have to learn the hard way. If you are one of those people, do it and you will know what you are capable of for next time.

One pointer, if you end up using a laxative to flush your system at the last minute, don't use a liquid one, use a suppository. I had a friend who made that mistake. It ended up taking too long to digest and he missed his weight, then **** his brains out for 3 days after!!!

[Rabiddog]

20 pounds cut through water loss has been done on one of the ultimate fighter series but the fighter gassed fast and got tapped because he couldnt recover from it well.

So theoretically, you could cut 20 pounds of water but you will get smashed in the fight. 15 pounds is the upper extreme of whats doable without massive loss in ability.

In other words, your best bet is to lose 5 or 6 pounds in weight and then try to cut the last 14 or 15 with water loss. Good luck though lol, cuz 20 pounds of water loss if you aim to go that way wont be good for ya lol.

[omoplatypus]

lower your carb intake to 35, try to lose 10 pounds before hand and cut 10 pounds water.

also, your workout routine is insane. replace some of those workouts with some regular cardio.

i'm thinking your gonna be to broken down to fight with that workout and weight cut. something's got to change.