For many athletes — novices and pros alike — cutting weight sometimes becomes a necessity for their fitness journey, whether it’s for competing in a certain weight class or simply to achieve better health. Most of us turn to the internet for help but misinformation is abundant, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Particularly in the case of cutting weight, people oftentimes fall back on unhealthy habits long believed to be the answer — like crash diets, which are really just a way of depriving your body to drop some quick weight in a dangerous, uncontrolled manner, which you will inevitably gain back (and then some).

The first step to safely cutting weight is understanding how to properly build the foundation. TWL spoke with Nick Shaw, CEO of Renaissance Periodization, who said, “If you’re newer to dieting, it’s important to start by focusing on the basics and figuring out your calorie/macro goals and then work on the minor details.”

nutrition priorities

“It’s just like how you wouldn’t walk into a gym on day one and master snatch technique. Rather, you’d work on the fundamentals first and move on to the more advanced training techniques later.”

While focusing on the basics, you’ll want to avoid a few mistakes that commonly hamper people’s efforts. Here are just a few.

Going to Extreme Measures

There’s a reason crash diets don’t work, and it’s because they’re not realistic to maintain. If you try to quickly lose weight by, for example, dehydrating yourself, skipping meals, taking mysterious pills or surviving on under-nourishing diet foods or drinks alone, the number on the scale might go down; but after that, it’s not uncommon for it to shoot back up — way up. Can you live off diet shakes forever? No. You need a realistic plan to shedding pounds and keeping them off in a healthy way.

Keep in mind that specifically, you might consider drastically cutting back on carbs; but remember carbs are the cornerstone of training and you need them to perform. Sure, you might lose some weight if you reduce carbs; you’ll also feel terrible and perform like you’ve never seen the inside of a gym.

Having Unrealistic Goals

It can be exciting to start a weight loss plan — so exciting that we hope to see results the very next day. This is simply not the case. While you may start to notice differences in the way you look and feel very early on, expecting a miracle overnight is guaranteed to leave you disappointed.

Speaking of expectations, there’s another one people don’t have and should: weight fluctuations. Waking up two pounds lighter doesn’t mean you won’t ever wake up a couple pounds heavier. Body weight goes up and down; there are enough variables that calories and calorie expenditure alone can’t predict the number you’ll see. What about sodium consumption? What about bloating? What about where a woman is in her cycle? These all play a role.

Lastly, remember you won’t live in a constant state of cutting. Cutting isn’t a lifestyle — maintenance is. This means at some point in your weight loss journey, you will stop losing and start maintaining. While cutting weight can be an uncomfortable process (which is normal), maintenance should not be.

Not Having a Plan

Are you cutting for a specific event? If so, when do you plan on starting? When do you plan on taking a break and going into maintenance mode? (Note: you can’t cut forever or even for more than several weeks at a time.) Do you have safe cheat meals in the back of your mind, since you’ll inevitably want them at some point? Do you know what kind of calories you’re going to cut (carbs, fat or protein) and by how much?

These are all questions you should know before you start a cut.

Furthermore, note a cut doesn’t really start when you’re ready to lose weight. Truly, your diet always matters. You should always be mindful of your nutrition, weight cut or not. That means even when you’re not trying to lose weight, you should be taking your diet seriously, have it mapped out and stay in control. A lot can go wrong when you decide to “relax for a few months” and eat whatever you want — making for a significant weight gain (read: body fat gain) you weren’t planning on.

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