How to Achieve an Ideal Weight and BMI
Daniel Dohman investigates how sportspeople can achieve an ideal weight and body mass index (BMI).
If you are actively looking to lower your body weight and BMI, either for health reasons or for sports, your method is going to be the same. It is going to be a combination of cardio work, a strict diet, and a lot of willpower. Getting down and making weight can be either done stretched out over months or rapidly over weeks. Fighters often cut down upwards of 15kg in just a short amount of time, only to rehydrate and get most of it back.
If you fall into this category or want to look your best, here is a quick guide to achieving your ideal weight and BMI.
Cardio
First, let us talk about cardio. When you look up cardio, your primary choices are usually running, swimming, biking, etc., which can be done either outside or indoors. Each activity is excellent for dropping weight. The only potential issue is noise, especially on treadmills. But nowadays you can get the best quiet treadmills online with no problems. So when you are trying to lose a significant amount of fat, you are going to have to ditch the “HIIT vs Steady State” debate and do both. You have both anaerobic and oxidative pathways in your body that use up fat for storage. So start with a full blast set of interval sprints, rest, and switch to a medium pace jog for about 30 minutes. That way, you are attacking fat from all possible angles. Add in a bit of resistance training to maintain muscle mass while you are at it.
Diet
Next is the diet. It does not matter which diet you choose to follow, you are going to have to top calories. Most people find initial success in every fad. Plant-based is no better than carnivore, which is no better than paleo. They all give you a "diet honeymoon" which is more a product of you watching what you eat. In doing so, you will eat less. So stick to whatever keeps you happy and nourished. Eat an adequate amount of protein (2g per kilogram body weight or 1g per pound bodyweight) and fill the rest with veggies and healthy carbs.
Hydration
The above options are the cornerstones for everybody trying to lose fat. But what separates the casual health-seekers from the extreme athlete is hydration manipulation. Also, know that these weight cuts are for highly trained and experienced athletes. While you are a few weeks out of competition (up to 6), you are going to be drinking about two gallons of water a day. That is about 7.5 litres of water. Yes, it sounds like a lot. It is. But this is to shut off your water-retention hormones. When you are a week out, start introducing a sauna suit to your cardio routines. Also, taper the water by a litre every single day. Two days before the competition, you are only drinking a half litre the whole day. 24 hrs before the weigh-ins, you are not drinking any. Afterward, you can eat and adequately hydrate all you want.
Achieving your ideal weight is not rocket science, but it is tough. So have a plan, stick to it, and make sure you make adjustments based on your lifestyle. The idea is to improve your relationship with fitness and food, not attack yourself with it. In the end, it will all work out. It just takes a bit more patience.
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- DOHMAN, D. (2019) How to Achieve an Ideal Weight and BMI [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article519.htm [Accessed
About the Author
Daniel Dohman works as a sports coach focusing on introducing different sports to kids, teens, and young adults. Aside from teaching his clients how to play and compete in a specific sport, Daniel also incorporates proper nutrition into his clients’ lifestyles. Daniel believes that regularly playing sports and sticking to a healthy diet are essential to living healthily. During his free time, Daniel contributes content to health and sports websites.