From starvation diets to sauna suits, athletes in sports like mixed martial arts, wrestling and boxing often to go unhealthy extremes to meet their weight class goals.
A Kansas State University graduate student is showing them that they don't have to.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said numerous times that these methods are not healthy, but people still do it," said Jen Case, a K-State doctoral student in human nutrition. "There's a lot of research that shows that with this group, performing in the lowest weight class possible is the mentality. You can't change it, so let's try to make it safer."
Earlier this year, Case studied active Fort Riley soldiers and Air Force cadets who came to K-State to train in combatives, a sport that combines submission wrestling with elements of kickboxing and mixed martial arts. A typical workout session is two to four hours of intense strength-building exercises and technique drills.
"I wanted to show the guys a way to rapidly lose weight without these hazardous measures, and that's where a high-protein diet comes in," Case said.
She prescribed the soldiers and cadets high-protein diets suited for their desired weight class and encouraged them to eat often.
"So many of them were only eating one meal a day, which for athletes is not good at all, especially if you're trying to lose weight," she said.