How Do Boxers Lose Weight Quickly?

Boxers are generally known for leanness. In most divisions, boxers must make weight to be eligible to fight. Between fights, training is focused on building muscle mass to perform better, but the methods used by many boxers to get into "fighting" condition may not be wise. There are immediate and long-term consequences with rapid weight loss.

Training Time

Boxers put in countless hours training to improve upon skills and learn new ones. In the weeks before a fight, boxers may spend more time in the gym in an effort to lose weight. Some boxers will train up to eight hours a day to get into condition and make weight for an event.

Food

Boxers follow set diet plans between fights to enhance their performance. When getting ready for an event, many will make big reductions in calories. A reduction of 1,000 calories per day is a drastic measure, according to Irvin Herman of “Physics of the Human Body." Initial weight loss is from water and glycogen. A 1,000-calorie reduction will produce a 110-gram fat loss when fat is tapped into. There are 454 grams in a pound, and that 110-gram loss equals 990 calories. That means almost 4,000 calories have to be burned to produce 1 pound of fat loss.

Starvation

During the last few days before an event, many boxers skip meals to lose the remaining pounds. Their bodies initially use stored carbs for energy. Then the body taps into heart and skeletal muscle to provide energy for exercise and normal body functions. Once the body has adapted to starvation, fat usage increases, Herman says. After the weigh-in, the boxer will resume normal eating habits.

Dehydration

Many boxers will exercise in sauna suits or heavy clothing to perspire more to lose fluids before a weigh-in. Others use dry saunas. In addition to sweating fluids off, the boxer will stop drinking them. The use of diuretics is also common to help shed 1 to 2 pounds before weigh-in.

Risks

Risk associated with extreme weight loss programs includes electrolyte imbalances, which can cause heartbeat irregularities, especially if diuretics are used along with water restriction. Thyroid function can be altered with repeated attempts at rapid weight loss, which can make your body unresponsive to future attempts.