Thinking about all the people who ask about making changes in their body composition, it occurs to me that the exercise of making weight for powerlifting competitions has taught me a lot over the years. I don't know if I could explain what it is that I've learned, or if what I've learned would even be helpful to others because the process is somewhat individual.
I generally have to weigh in at about 6 lbs. less than my usual waking weight. It's not a ton of weight to drop, but learning how to get there a couple of times a year means I've figured out a few things, e.g., what really "clean" eating is for me, what I need to do that's "clean" and yet doesn't leave me without energy, and also doesn't leave me feeling starving all the time. I start about two weeks out, and lose about 2 lbs. per week, and get the final 2 lbs. by adding a water-shedding herbal supplement to my diet a few days out, and taking a hot bath right before the weigh-in.
For an upcoming meet, I need to be a little lighter because of differing weight class boundaries. With a little further to go in terms of dropping weight, I started about three weeks before the meet, and I'm down 2-3 pounds in the course of a week and still feel great. I'd actually have to say I feel _better_. The process is still the same - I'll leave a couple of pounds for the end, but the important point is that I'm able to shed 2-3 lbs. per week by changing my diet, and this is a repeatable process for me. I think that's a good exercise for anyone who needs to lose weight to go through. IMHO, it's important not just to say, "I'm going to try to ..." but to give yourself a goal, just like you might work to achieve the Simple goal of Kettlebell Simple and Sinister, and then be sure to monitor what you're doing so that you are making steady progress towards your goal.
-S-
I generally have to weigh in at about 6 lbs. less than my usual waking weight. It's not a ton of weight to drop, but learning how to get there a couple of times a year means I've figured out a few things, e.g., what really "clean" eating is for me, what I need to do that's "clean" and yet doesn't leave me without energy, and also doesn't leave me feeling starving all the time. I start about two weeks out, and lose about 2 lbs. per week, and get the final 2 lbs. by adding a water-shedding herbal supplement to my diet a few days out, and taking a hot bath right before the weigh-in.
For an upcoming meet, I need to be a little lighter because of differing weight class boundaries. With a little further to go in terms of dropping weight, I started about three weeks before the meet, and I'm down 2-3 pounds in the course of a week and still feel great. I'd actually have to say I feel _better_. The process is still the same - I'll leave a couple of pounds for the end, but the important point is that I'm able to shed 2-3 lbs. per week by changing my diet, and this is a repeatable process for me. I think that's a good exercise for anyone who needs to lose weight to go through. IMHO, it's important not just to say, "I'm going to try to ..." but to give yourself a goal, just like you might work to achieve the Simple goal of Kettlebell Simple and Sinister, and then be sure to monitor what you're doing so that you are making steady progress towards your goal.
-S-