Weight management looks different in different sports and contexts. Dietary modification to suit performances has existed in competitive sports for a fairly long time. As the old dictum goes, the thinner and lighter, the quicker. This means that by and large, lighter weight guarantees more agility and quickness in most sports.
In wrestling, the equation is slightly different. Weight can sometimes add to the advantage of an athlete. Imagine a 30 kg person or a 40 kg person wrestling a 60kg person. If the 60kg person puts the 40 kg person down, there is little chance that the 40 kg person can counter that. To avoid any unfair advantage, wrestling associations have demarcated categories such as under-50kg, under-53kg, under-57kg so that similar body structure athletes are competing with each other and chances of any unfair edge are negligible.
Despite this, athletes try to use these categories to their own advantage. Let’s suppose an athlete’s weight is 52kg. She should typically be competing in the under-53kg category. However, what athletes can do is register for the under-50kg category because they know that they will be able to manage their body weight accordingly and use the lean mass to their benefit. A few days before the competition, they begin a weight-control programme which includes excessive workouts so that they burn calories. They stop eating and start restricting their fluids so their bodies do not retain water. In addition, through exercise, they perspire and continue to lose liquids. This is essentially similar to what we categorise as intermittent fasting or complete fasting to lose weight.
The way this works is that first, one can start losing weight by burning calories, which in turn burns fat. Once the fat is burnt, the next resource is fat and carbohydrates together. Once that is depleted, there is only protein, which is an inefficient source of energy. This puts the body into what is known as a catabolic state — the athlete is now beginning to lose lean mass, which is not the aim. But it occurs when the person overshoots the weight-loss target and can land the athlete in health trouble.
Immediately after the competition, they have what we call the “binge eating” phase. On average, say in a period of about 48 hours, one can easily put on one to two kg. This is possible through carbohydrate loading and in some cases, hyperalimentation. Athletes are then able to transit back to their normal weight. Through this, over a period of time, they master the ability to get the right weight just before the competition. Vinesh’s nutritionist felt that 1.5 kg of nutrition over the day was enough to give her energy for the bouts.
However, this process is harmful to the athlete’s body and generally discouraged by associations. It can lead to injury and a vicious cycle of other related issues such as stress, bulimia and depression. Nonetheless, athletes continue to engage in this practice.
According to reports, Vinesh Phogat was about 150 gm over the weight limit of 50 kg. So if she were to shed that extra mass, it would take her about three to four, maybe even five hours with a good and continuous workout. But there is no average number of hours that can be generalised across the board — it depends on the physical exertion already undertaken, energy reserves, individual metabolism and other underlying factors. In Phogat’s case, since her body had been working for at least 1-2 days prior, the body’s ability to burn calories faster would have been lower.
The other possible explanation here is miscalculation, both in terms of time frame and/or any biological reason. The bigger possibility is that the time frame for Phogat to reduce weight shrank for whatever reason. Alternatively, it may just be a fight-or-flight response from her body, in which case, regardless of what she may have been expecting of her body, it was not performing adequately. Essentially, it is the body’s way of fighting back to set its internal systems right.
The writer is consultant, orthopaedics, and sports surgeon, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi
(As told to Adya Goyal)
