But first, a note from Jourdan <3
Many of you know my story, but here’s a quick recap for those who don’t:
In 2018, I competed at my first Senior World Championships in the new 55kg class. Though I naturally sat around 53kg, the transition felt seamless, and I hit a PR total. Despite a personal best, I placed 15th and vividly recall a conversation with my coach questioning whether senior teams were realistic goals. That conversation led me to drop to the 49kg class, starting a journey that took me to two Olympic Games.
In my first quad, I cut more weight than I care to admit. We felt pressured to attend every qualifying meet and made plenty of mistakes. By the second quad, with more experience and professional guidance, we better planned which competitions required weight cuts. I learned hard lessons about protecting myself during cuts and the fine line between pushing for success and risking long-term health.
Athletes often ask me about weight cuts. While I want to share helpful insights, I also hesitate to normalize behaviors I’m not proud of. This is my journey—others have succeeded without such extreme measures. My goal is to provide guidance responsibly while being honest about my experience.
This blog is my first attempt at striking that balance. I’ll share topics that are important to me and often overlooked. If you need personalized advice, I strongly recommend working with a registered dietitian. Feel free to reach out—I’d be happy to connect you with a trained professional.
Alright, let’s dive in.
Q&A
Is it really just calories in vs. calories out?
Energy balance: [Energy in - energy out = energy stored/lost]
Yes and no. Cutting down a weight class does require creating a calorie deficit—consuming fewer calories than you expend. However, it’s not always this mathematical. Changes in body weight aren’t predicted by energy balance alone as total body mass is reflective of changes in tissue (ex. gain or loss of muscle mass) and other changes like water retention and gut content (1). Additionally, your body doesn’t like being in this vulnerable state. In response, your body adapts to conserve energy as a survival mechanism, which is why prolonged deficits often lead to a plateau where no further weight loss is achieved (2) & (3). In the context of weightlifting, there is also a plateau in muscle mass gains due to the reduction in calories needed to build muscles.
There are other approaches to achieving a temporary deficit, especially when working with a registered dietitian. They may focus on behavioral changes that naturally result in a deficit without explicitly cutting out specific foods. For example, switching to home-cooked meals instead of fast food often reduces excess calories from fats and sugars which are used for both palatable and production reasons. Another strategy might include increasing water and fiber intake, promoting fullness, and reducing overall calorie consumption.
What is the ideal timeframe to safely drop weight?
This question is highly individualized because it depends on 1) how much weight a person wants to lose, 2) how much time they have to do so, and 3) how their body responds to dietary changes. For me personally, I typically had to cut 4 kg—about 7-8% of my body weight. Since I’m already lean, there isn’t much to lose, which makes these cuts particularly challenging.
Another critical factor is performance. It’s not as if I’m just sitting at home focusing solely on losing weight (even though that’s how it feels during the final week of training). I still need to perform maximal-intensity lifts with a considerable amount of volume programmed into those initial weeks. Losing weight while maintaining performance and avoiding injury feels like an impossible task, but with a lot of guidance, we managed to preserve most of my performance potential. That said, I did experience a slight strength loss because my body, having limited options, resorted to cutting muscle mass.
In general, slow-and-steady is better than fast-and-drastic. Typically, this can look like 2-4 months with a gradual decrease in calories. How much and how often is dependent on individual plans.
What is the ideal macro balance?
This approach varies based on individual needs, but there are some general principles. Athletes typically aim to maintain normal protein intake to preserve muscle mass, as protein helps prevent muscle breakdown and keeps us feeling more satiated, reducing hunger.
Carbohydrates are crucial for fueling performance and should be strategically timed around training sessions to ensure energy levels are optimized. However, carbohydrates are often reduced—especially in the week leading up to weigh-ins—because their fiber content and tendency to retain water can affect weight (4).
Fats are also commonly decreased since they provide the most calories per gram compared to other macronutrients. That said, it’s important to emphasize the critical role of fats, particularly for female athletes, as they are essential for hormone regulation. Fat intake should not drop below 15-20% of total dietary intake for extended periods to avoid negative health effects.
Acute dehydration methods: should we use them?
Acute dehydration methods are strategies used to reduce total body mass as part of a day-of weigh-in approach. These methods can include reducing water intake, increasing water excretion (through urine or active sweating), lowering sodium intake, and decreasing fiber intake (4). These can be extreme measures because their impact on thermoregulation, and excessive changes can be life-threatening.
For my cuts, I typically followed a five-day water load-reduction protocol, culminating in 2-3 hours of active sweating before stepping on the scale. These methods were physically and mentally exhausting, and I consider them highly dangerous without proper guidance. I won’t go into further detail, but it’s important to stress that these strategies are not “normal” and should never be casually recommended to athletes without professional oversight.
Cutting Weight Mindset
Elite athletes often engage in practices that contribute to their success but can also pose significant health risks. It’s essential to recognize that cutting weight is a risky behavior that, when overdone, may increase one’s risk of health issues such as infertility, stress fractures, thyroid problems, and eating disorders. Weight cutting teaches restriction, cultivates fear of food, and can contribute to body dysmorphia—things I was vigilant about monitoring in myself. Here are some mindset check-ins to use during a weight cut:
Redirect restrictive thoughts by focusing on what you can add to your diet rather than what you’re removing.
Remind yourself that changes in your body do not define you. If people make comments on how you look, remind yourself that you are engaging in a risky behavior and that those remarks should not be a validation of it.
Stand up for yourself when needed. Let people know that comments about your body or your food choices are not helpful during this time.
Lean on your personal mantras to stay grounded. I developed mine with the help of my sports psychologist.
Remember that this is temporary, and you prioritize long-term health over short-term results.
I don’t regret the choices I’ve made. My athletic journey has given me invaluable real-life experience that has made me a better advocate for sports. I’ve taken risks and been in vulnerable places that I may never fully share. I’ve been through it all, and with the lessons I’ve learned, I can better support athletes navigating the same path I once walked.
To be honest, the athletes before me didn’t do a great job of this, largely due to a lack of support. I want to help change the landscape of weight cutting. The reality is that cutting weight, in some form, will still be a part of weight-class sports. But how can we better support and protect our athletes through this process? That’s what I’m striving to figure out, and I hope this resource is a step in that direction.
Resources:
(1) The “calories in, calories out” confusion: A comprehensive guide to understanding energy balance. (n.d.). Sigmanutrition.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://sigmanutrition.com/cico/
(2) Rosenbaum, M., & Leibel, R. L. (2010). Adaptive thermogenesis in humans. International journal of obesity, 34(S1), S47-S55.
(3) Sumithran, P., Prendergast, L. A., Delbridge, E., Purcell, K., Shulkes, A., Kriketos, A., & Proietto, J. (2011). Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss. New England Journal of Medicine, 365(17), 1597-1604.
(4) Acute Weight Management in Combat Sports: Pre Weigh-In Weight Loss, Post Weigh-In Recovery and competition nutrition strategies. (n.d.). Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/acute-weight-management-in-combat-sports-pre-weigh-in-weight-loss-post-weigh-in-recovery-and-competition-nutrition-strategies/1000
About the Author
Jourdan Delacruz is a 2X Olympian and represented Team USA in the sport of Weightlifting for both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. Jourdan holds a bachelor's in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado. She is pursuing her master's degree in sports nutrition with hopes of becoming a sport-registered dietitian. Jourdan is the founder of Herathlete, a brand committed to supporting female athletes through education and community.
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