A boxer’s diet is pretty much the same as any other serious athletes. Runners, weightlifters, boxers, and many other athletes all have similar diets. It’s nothing new but here goes.
READ THE NEW COMMON SENSE BOXING DIET!!!
Meat – Stick to white meat. It is easier for your body to digest, processes faster through your body, and doesn’t sit around in your stomach making you sluggish. Examples of white meat are chicken, turkey, and fish. Funny how white meat happens to be lean animals that can fly or move quickly? Red meat is the stuff you try to avoid if you can – which is beef or pork. Maybe it’s because our cows and pigs are fed crap that it makes their meat less healthy for the body.
Proteins – Besides meat, eggs, tuna, peanut butter, and milk are an excellent source of pure protein. Remember, this is boxing and not weightlifting, so don’t try to be like a bodybuilder and eat one jar of peanut butter a day. It does nothing for you.
Fruits and Vegetables – Everybody needs vitamins, this is a requirement to be a healthy person in general. Eat a wide variety of them. Remember the more colorful the better.
Liquids – Water, water, water! One gallon a day is minimum for everybody in general. Two to three gallons is a must if you workout hard and/or live in a hot state. Again, this is a minimum, if you can drink more, do it. Stay the hell away from alcohol, it will slow you down, fatten you up, and put you in more situations where you are likely to be straying away from the healthy boxer’s lifestyle!
Fats – Stick to healthy fats. In regards to your body fat, this has more to do with your genetic makeup than anything. If you have a body that builds up fat easily, stay away from unhealthy fats for at least five days out of the week. It’s ok to enjoy your food once a week since boxing training is very tough and will burn off the fat quickly anyways. Unless you’re an elite level boxer training for a world championship, your trainer won’t know about the ice cream you ate for breakfast.
Supplements – pills, and lab-created substances aren’t natural. They will never be able provide you the same level of nutrients that you get from eating real food. The simple reason is because they are created in labs and just because you ate a 100mg pill of vitamin A doesn’t mean your body will actually absorb it all. Your body can only absorb a certain amount of nutrients at a time and the rest goes to waste. Just be normal and stick to food. Forget about all those weightlifter’s supplments and all that. They are for looks and not for real performance. Remember, if pills really did help, we’d all be eating pills instead of food.
8/22/11 UPDATE: the new diet guide has been released at last! After 3 years of laziness, I have finally finished: The Common Sense Boxing Diet
What about carbs?
i think eating healthy diet meals is better
eating carbs for boxing nutrition
YES! Eat carbs. Elite level boxers consume about 5000 calories during conditioning time. At the very least, you should have 3000 calories per day on weeks that you train hard.
multivitamin supplement
are you saying the an intake of multivitamins are bad for you??
You can get your vitamins from food you don’t need tablets if you have a good diet first concentrate on diet then add supplements after to fill in what’s missing
multi-vitamins for boxing
I’m not saying that multi-vitamins are bad. They’re definitely helpful if you use them to supplement your diet instead of replacing your diet. There are many helpful proteins and acids that much easier taken via supplements than via eating.
Carb-Protein Balance
Go carb heavy in the morning. Oatmeal, whole grains, fruit…stuff like that. It will kick start your metabolism and give you energy for the whole day. Balance out for 2-3 small meals throughout the day and for dinner take more of your meat and leafy greens. Your body does most of its repair and maintenance at night and will need the proteins and vitamins when you sleep.
Protein shakes
Understand that natural is optimal, however would you really reccomend say a few glasses of milk after a workout for a protein boost rather than a store bought protein shake? (i.e. muscle milk or the EAS ones) I usually have both but I guess I am wondering if it could not hurt to have the big protein shot from a shake (even the powder mix ones that i usually buy)
Milk for protein
I love milk and eggs for natural protein. I actually have nothing against protein shakes from the store as long as it’s just protein or whey protein and not stacked with a billion other “extras”.
weight loss
hi, im trying to lose as much weight as possible. I started boxing tuesday with the royal air force and i weigh 90Kgs, I’m wanting to get to the lightest “healthy” weight possible! I could do with a diet plan to go with my training regime, i train twice a day.
Morning session is fat burning for 1.5hour
evening session is actual boxing with the club, just basic foot work and skipping etc for the time being
Female Boxer
Hello,
Due to my work schedule I don’t always get 6-8 hrs of rest. What do you suggest I can do to help me keep up my stamina, especially on days I work the bag? I eat fairly healthy with few ‘cheat’ days. I train an avg of 4-5 days a week for an 1hr to 1hr 1/2. Thanks for the great advice above.
@Nicole
Eat complex carbs. You can google “glycemic index” for a list of carbs. Basically complex carbs take longer to break down and so they will release energy for you slowly allowing you to last longer (as opposed to something like sugar which gives you a high, followed by a crash). Fruits and vegetables are good. I just tried running gel and they are pretty amazing. You feel the effects within 10-30 minutes. Not getting enough sleep is a tough one to get around, though.
Peanut butter is not a potent source of protein in fact it’s downright worse than red meat. Why? it’s simple too many calories not enough protein, it is loaded with proteinless calories, one might say “empty calories”.
Although the stuff does have other good vitamins, but if you try to use it as a primary source of protein your ass is gonna get fat unless you have low protein requirements, stick to white meat or whey protein and reserve the peanut butter for an occasional treat. Kudos anyway for mentioning to stay away from red meat, most numbskulls talking out their ass just say all meat is loaded with protein, the internet is now one step closer to learning about good nutrition.
P.S. To the guy wondering about egg yolks they are a double edged sword, almost all of the protein in an egg comes from the whites, the yolks raise cholestorol and should be thrown out if you eat eggs on a daily basis, if not then the yolks contain most of the vitamins and calories in an egg, personally I eat veggies on a daily basis so I just look at eggs as a protein source and throw out the yolks, not sure where people get these crazy ideas that elite athletes are supposed to eat like 6000 calories a day, it’s quite the opposite if you wanna stay fit and conditioned you have to be very carefull about what you eat, portion size, and avoid emtpy calories, you get more vitamins and less calories eating veggies so that’s why I chunk the yolks.
Hya,
Regarding egg yolks.A recent study came out that shows benefits to eating the whole egg as opposed to just the white.The cholestrol in the yolk is the kind which can lower bad cholestrol in the body.I always eat the yolk as there is more protein in the whole egg.incidently,I have very low bodyfat following a basic boxer diet.I do have around 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day though.Lots of carbs following training and lower carbs after around 6 hours following training.
This works for me.If I want to increase muscle then I simply add more carbs at each meal(complex carbs and around 30 grams over 6 meals.
ACtually, this is not true. There is cholesterol in egg yolks, but this can not raise your cholesterol level. THE YOLK IS GOOD FOR YOU. Speaking of healthy fats, it’s some of the best stuff for your brain (the part that controls your body.) The whites do hold a lot of protein, but much of the nutritional value comes with the yolk. Eat them, eat the whole egg. Even if you eat three times the regular amount of veggies. Egg whites only is a profit foods fad. Also, an egg only has about 120 calories. Poach it if you’re worried about anything extra.
As for the no supplement thing, well you’re right in saying real foods are better(so long as they are healthy). However you also said that the body can only absorb so many nutrients at once when bashing vitamin pills, you contradicted yourself there, it is because the body can only absorb so many nutrient at once that bodybuilders eat 6 meals daily, spreading their bodyweight in protein in take throughout the day rather than trying to eat it all in 3 servings.
Now as you can imagine preparing 6 healthy meals a day would be very difficult, that’s what whey protein is for, there’s nothing wrong with the stuff so long as it’s just whey protein no chemical crap.
@Arcene – thank you for stepping in! I agree with your logic on the eggs as well.
I actually remember eating 7,000 calories a day in the Army but the difference is that we actually used it up. 8-hour road marches carrying 50lbs weight, running, sweating in the sun, etc. I should stress that nobody should eat that much unless they’re actually going to use it.
Protien before bed is a must!
Your body feeds off of protiens while you sleep. If you eat a small amount of protien like a boiled egg your body will feed off of that rather than the protien in your muscles thus helping you maintain what you already worked for. I prefer a fresh farm egg raw because it really doesnt have a taste. And from what I have found is that all protien studies have ben done from eggs. Try it out and see how you feel. I bet you wont be as sore the next morning. And somebody who has been to school for this stuff can elaborate on this it would be great.
ALL supplements are unnecessary?
Hi, enjoyed reading your article, but was surprised at your reaction regarding supplements. What about L-Glutamine? I know it is found in most meats and fruits/vegetables, but the concentration you receive from a supplement is way more than you can ever gain from eating meats and fruits alone.. And also what about Ginkgo Biloba? It seems to help my hand-eye coordination a bunch, or am I experiencing a placebo effect?
Thanks!
@mickydooda – Oh man….nutrition guys.
@V.T. – call me old fashioned but I don’t believe in supplements. I know the pro’s do and many high level competitors have all sorts of pills, vitamins, and supplements that they take. Everybody else in the gym just relies on good’ole fashioned conditioning and lots of happy thoughts before competition. I wish I could tell you more about whether or not the supplements actually help but I can’t. I never used it and never felt like I was missing out on any performance enhancement.
Does it seem to work for you?
Stick to basic supplements. I have studied and worked with nutritionist for a while .
Get fish oil. Omega 3.
This is must have supplments. 100 and 100s of benifits from just taking this. Unless you eat cols fish everyday.
Also buy some vitamins.
You dont need fat buners whatever they sell on reltailers. Dont beleive it
But creatine does help if you are an serious athlete. It does work and its been around for 20 years Ans theres are reasons for it.
help
im recently starting boxing again after a big break, im a heavyweight but i am so out of shape its unbelivable, i realy need a good diet to help loose weight but maintain my strengh for the ring and the heavyweight fights, ive had diets which have never seemed to work and i just dont want to make a show of myself please help me
Hi Tom, the easiest thing I’ve learned from everyone else is to eat 5-6 smaller meals a day. That’s the biggest tip and made the most difference. I’m working on a diet plan right now so hopefully I’ll be able to release it soon for you.
fat
hi, im a boxer and i box at 54kg bt i wanta mak 52kg bt i dnt knw if i ave enuf fat lft to burn, ive made 53kg 3months ago, shuld i train wit a swet suit all da tym???????8)
Yes, many pro’s will train in a sweat suit all the time. That will let you know very quickly how much water your body can sweat off.
ya i heard dat sweat suits only make u lose water but dey dont burn fat, is that true?? and what hapens when you drink water again do u gain the weight back again??????????
You’re right, Mark. Sweat suits is only for losing water. Losing fat is going to require good eating and lots of working out. And you will gain the weight when you drink water…so drink the water after the weigh-ins. Cutting water weight is just for losing weight in a short-term period so you can make weight. It’s not a longterm strategy of losing weight.
im a boxer nd i stopd training for 3months and a put on 4kgs and i want to lose 5kgs, hw many calories should i have a day to burn fat , and id also like to say tanks for providing informaton to us all
@eddie – I’m sorry I really don’t know. It depends on the intensity of your workout and your body’s natural metabolism. There was a good chart I found here: http://calculators.hpathy.com/calories-need.asp
Does that help?
very helpful tank u
Middleweight to welterweight
I started boxing 1 month ago, I train 3 hours/day. I wanna keep going and become a pro asap. Could you please tell me what diet i should use to drop 4-6 kg this summer? I live in Greece so weather kind of helps 30-40 degrees celcium.
I eat breakfast eggs and bacon, light meal at noon and eat a lot and use whey protein after training at night. Any tips?
forgot
forgot to say im currently 70,5 kg – 1,70 m height
?????
Hi have you been able to put together a diet yet I’d really apeciate it 😉
@ EVERYONE – the diet is still a work in progress. I’ve been focusing on recording the video lately but I will definitely hammer out the diet for everyone. Sorry for the delay!
rocky haha
hi im 15 n this is really helpful…im in boxing weekly but am also doin mma n muay thai….. im tall but quite skinny and wanna put weight on to even meself out…… and wanna power n strenght on…… do u know when the diet plan will be online…. not rushing just wondering:-) thanks
@sarah sxy and tex – Gotta work that diet and workout regularly. The diet is more important though. I have more diet stuff coming out very soon. The plan is half written but still needs more work. I’m hoping within 2 months.
Good advice on the diet. For an extra boost in cardio/conditioning take up dancing. Seriously. I know everyone in training is probably short on time, but it is an excellent workout and works different muscles than you are use to! Also helps with coordination and foot work. I do salsa, so thats what I would suggest- It is fast, basic to learn and fun 🙂 I am mentioning it because several people mentioned wanting to loose weight. I trained for a year and gained muscle, but lost no weight. After adding dancing class once a week, and dancing on Saturdays I lost a bit over 10 lbs without having to ‘work’ for it.
@Michelle – great tip. I actually supplement my boxing with a bit of tango nowadays. Dance has helped a lot with my balance and footwork. I definitely have to agree that salsa is great for weight loss.
What foods are good to eat before a workout?
@Jhonny – right before a workout, you can do like a pre-workout protein shake. Eat something light that will you give you some energy. Half a turkey sandwich.
Help
I just started a boxing fitness class to shape up an lose weight… I have gaiend 3 lbs since starting the class five weeks ago. I have been working out two days a week for an hour. This week i bumped it up to three days. What am i doing wrong and what should i be eating. I have cut back on my junk food and tried to eat more lean meats.. Please help!
Thanks!
@Thatgirl:
– First of all, just because someone is gaining WEIGHT doesn’t mean they are getting more FAT. Depending on how active you were before starting this boxing fitness class, you gaining weight could mean that you are actually gaining more LEAN MUSCLE MASS; and if your diet is good then losing fat at the same time too. Weight gain doesn’t always mean fat gain. Your bones could be getting more denser too due to the stress of a workout.
– Secondly, you might actually be gaining fat if you have started eating a lot more since starting this workout. So since starting this fitness class, if u have started burning 500 extra calories for example but suppose u eat more now coz u are more hungry and u eat 750 extra calories than before then that is 250 extra net calories u are consuming which is not getting burned which could make u gain fat.
@Thatgirl – it sounds to me like you gained muscle for sure. Don’t freak out about your weight. Eat healthy, 5-6 smaller meals. You are doing fine. I suggest you hide your body under a layer of sweats and reveal your body in a month. As long as you’re doing regular fitness and really watching what you eat, you will be ok. I’m currently working on the diet plan so that’ll be out hopefully not too much longer from now.
Thanks
@ Johnny… thanks for the advice and im will be waiting on the diet. Im new to this so i was getting scared and i have been working out really really hard in that class.
@Thatgirl – hard work does get results, keep it up, enjoy it, live it…you’re gonna be in sexy shape as long as you enjoy it.
Lose weight in 8 weeks of time?
Hi,
I’m going to box in 8 weeks, but im still weighing 89kg whereas 81kg is the limit for Light Heavyweight in Holland, my length is 1.91 meters and my fat percentage is 14.4%, I’m already using a fat burner, called “Hyperdrive 3.0+ Global Approved”. Could you help me with a diet so that i can make the weight before the 17th of september (day of the match). I’m living at home and i have a real sweet mommy who cooks every evening, so that is the only thing that i can’t change in my diet, but we always eat healthy, cooked vegetables, cooked potatoes and a piece of meat, baked in a little oil or something like that.
Thanks in advance,
Guido
@Guido – yes I can help…. hang out a bit longer. Diet plan coming out! Sorry for the wait.
Food
haha so basically don’t eat any Mc Donald’s
need help
hey i need help i need to go from 200lbs to 178 lbs before october 23 2011 but i cant seem to get my weight down so i need some help with a diet. my coach says just lots and lots of running but i want to weight down faster so i dont have to worry about my weight close to my fights. i need to know what kind of normal foods that i can eat on a daily basis will help me loose weight.
@Keenan – hahaha, right. No McDonald’s
@Patrick D – help is on the way…I still have to finish writing the guide.
Hi, basically I’m trying to be as fit as I can. I work from 8am to 4pm and go to the gym five days a week from 5pm to around 8pm. I run 8km two times a week atleast. I consider my diet to be pretty healthy. Nothing junky, but for whatever reason when I sit down I have belly fat… When I stand up it’s fine, but whenever I go down it’s right there. My exercise is fine, but maybe it’s what I eat.
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, a cup of vanilla low fat yogurt and a glass a milk. All the time. Every day as much as I can.
Lunch: It’s nothing big. It varies, but always healthy.
Dinner: I come back from the gym and have a light dinner.
I’m thinking I should get rid of lunch and dinner and substitute maybe 4 smalls meals. Any ideas? A good diet would be nice.
@JesseBear
Coach J just put it up bro.
5-6 small meals spaced 3 hrs apart. this will make u lose fat in a health way, not a crazy yo-yo dieting way (but this is gonna get boring so don’t read if u dont like boring):
1. proteins:
a) egg whites boiled or with low-fat cooking spray, tuna in water, chicken breast grilled, any sort of fish grilled
b) dairies, all low-fat little salt as possible no-added-anything: cheese grilled, yoghurt for dipping and sauces, skim milk
2. carbs: whole wheat/grain (brown) oatmeal, pasta, rice, bread, cereal-no added salt or sugar or MSG
3. fats: all protein food have a little fat anyway
4. flavor: go low on salt, but high on garlic, ginger, spices like basil and oregano, cinnamon, rosemary etc. u need sauces on your veggies, salads or it’s easy to throw this kind of diet away. NATURAL honey’s low fat and high in taste, a little sugar but very complex sugar so u can think of it more like whole wheat sugar 😀 mustard works with some salads and chicken, hot sauce is good too with eggs and some salads and meat
morning & midmorning:
boiled egss! and whole wheat toast (add some pepper, tabasco sauce, its not that bad)
egg whites cooked on cooking spray or in a little olive oil, a bit of salt, and whole wheat bread
low-fat milk and oatmeal (just the plain one) add splenda instead of sugar to lose weight ands sweeten
low-fat milk and bran cereal (check the box ingredients its gotta say 90%+ whole wheat no maize syrup or malt or anything of that sort)
low-fat cheese (0.5%) honey and brown bread (this is actually semi-cheat food, and im talking natural honey, not the normal type. its expensive but the only option-normal cheap honey is made with sugar added into the bees’ food sources)
water-based tuna and whole wheat bread with pepper, celery, 2-3 olives (this is pretty much a go-to thing)
midmorning and mid-evening is the same stuff, but i liked to pack 2 things to uni:
low-fat yoghurt and real fruit (no sugar, goes well with strawberries and bananas)
water-based tuna and salad (throw in the fibre, it fills you up, and olive oil/vinaigrette based dressing (careful with the salt, it retains water))
grilled cheese and chicken breast with whole wheat bread
veggies and a dip u can make it or just pick up low-salt no MSG pasta sauce or salsa
lunch and dinner stuff u cant carry that easy:
whole wheat pasta w/ low-salt sauce mixes and tuna (yeah i know-but it works)
whole wheat pasta w/ low-fat cheese and chicken
chicken breast grilled with brown rice (george foreman grill actually works good)
grilled fish and brown rice-awesome with some lemon
it aint gourmet, but its easy to keep the portions small, make sure low-fat is really low fat (how much fat in the dried product has to be checked) make sure whole-wheat is whole wheat no maize syrup or malt extract or any of that crap
its not that hard. whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat cereal, add in eggs, water-based tuna, chicken breast w/o the skin grilled even boiled if u can tolerate it, fish like salmon or regional stuff (we had hammour its a mid-east fish), low-fat milk, low-fat yoghurt, low-fat cheese.
u gotta have veggies for salads, for munching (it fills up the stomach) and fruit for in-between meals. dip them in something healthy or eat em straight up, better than reaching for cookies or chocolate. use sucralose (Splenda) rather than aspartame based sweeteners, the latter is mildly linked to cancer.
and gotta use lots of low-fat low-sugar sauces with stuff like olive oil (in moderation), garlic, ginger, lemon juice, vinegar, white and black pepper, cardamoms, cinnamon, basil, oregano, rosemary. flavor without paying a price. man u got me hungry im suppsoed to be fasting!
to lose water weight, cut down on the salt severely, saunas to sweat it out, drink dandelion tea (this is at ur own risk btw, it makes u really dehydrate-boxer’s tech for making weight). keep drinking water and eating veggies-so the water stays where it should rather than bloating u up.
and if u wanna further lose weight, out with all dairy except egg whites cuz they have a sugar called galactose in them. and no eating after 8.
if ur training for power u need some red meat, stick to the leanest cuts possible, and more fish less dairy.
best times to exercise: early morning, or when your stomach’s empty for 4-5 hours so u’re burning fat not using glucose or consuming ur own muscle
crap! all this stuff has already been written?
sometimes im such a dumbass, i didnt see the comments filled out pretty much everything! 🙂 this is a fantastic site cuz it complements the forums on esb boxingnews24 and saddoboxing and so many guys are sharing good knowledge. right on brothers 😀
Supplements…
Creatine works, but it needs to be handled carefully. loading doses, maintenance phase, then an off phase. It helps. But it swells up muscles and holds lots of water (diuretics dont work if ure on creatine and weight draining is actually pretty risky if ur on creatine) so if I was to choose between making weight for a fight or a little extra energy, id prefer to make weight right. But if anybody is naturally easily making weight, wants more power, guys who used it (the creatine cycle run right will help on a fight night) have a little more starch in the jab maybe 5-10%.
Protein works, builds mass, but you can eat just as much thru egg whites, chicken breasts, fish. bodybuilder’s protein needs are higher. powders and MRPs require less energy for the body to break down, so u lose less weight eating them as compared to real food.
Multivitamins and minerals are good but u guys are better off getting it from real food because all the normal pharmaceutical pills are made from cheap sources of the stuff. Vegans do benefit a lot from these tablets cuz stuff like vit e k b12 and folic are not found big time in vegetables. And if ure a vegan, man face it youre going to have to be an amazingly slick boxer, cuz muscles need power coming from meat in one way or another ur not gonna be starching anyone.
Gingko, coq10 has mostly a placebo effect, gingko does only one real thing which is blood vessel dilation but some report their memory, some their hand-eye coord improves. If it works for u theres nothing wrong with them but none are proven to help clinically in athletes they have helped ppl with alzheimers in memory tests (so if ure forgetting ur counter combos.. :-).
L glutamine is helpful repairs muscles if ure weight training. BUT-unless ure muscle bulking or on roids u dont need the massive amt in supplement form. boxing training doesnt break muscle protein like bodybuilding. it doesnt hurt but not needed.
Lecithin helps recovery, id rather suggest eating wheat germ if u want that cuz thats where they get the lecithin from (a bath in eno salts soothes muscles real nice too).
l-Carnitine chromium picolinate zinc cobalt etc help people lose weight, if you lack this stuff in ur diet, which shoudlnt happen if u eat right.
i would recommend VITAMIN C, anti oxidants, b complex vitamins-vit C heals skin cuts and wounds faster. the anti oxidants are good for u. 1g+ vitamin C on the other hand is impossible to get from normal food, it definitely helped healing skin and bleeding gums healing. Chondroitin sulfate is a good safety to joint wear and tear. Its clinically proven to help any kind of repetitive movement does cause wear and tear. b1 b6 b12 (the b-complex) is rarely NEEDED but never BAD. it improves nerve speeds in ppl with strokes and stuff but normal people dont need them (but if u feel ur cross is suddenly more accurate or you can see counter opportunities all of a sudden-worst it does is create expensive pee).
The ephedrine-guarana-yohimbine stack works, its just thermogenic, increases ur body temp makes u more active, helps lose weight. However ephedrine may be illegal in your part of the world. It just increases your activity but ppl with heart problems hypertension etc careful.
Other stuff, id be real careful to check if it was within legalities. a combo of stuff supposedly increases HGH no harm in it (cant remember but it was 6 compounds) i dont know if it worked but it certainly had a good mental effect. But 7-andro and stuff of that sort, they may be named androgenic precursors, but u never know exactly what they are. Unless u take them to a chem lab and spend 100’s of bucks checking them out. If you’re in competitive boxing I would highly advise against anything related to testosterone or other androgens or anything that requires a needle.
Goes without saying, dont take amphetamines, oral bronchodilators or HGH analogues, no matter what coaches tell u (i had my coaches try to push that **** and other **** on me now and then), those kinds of drugs are dangerous or banned. For weight or draining, furosemide can be used but pls note its a medical drug not tic-tacs. Use dandelion tea, safer and ill be very surprised if its banned by any boxing commission. Stuff like wormwort for sleeping and fibre pills dont hurt but dont help in boxing ofcourse.
I think i covered most supplements. For various chinese herbs and stuff, including `fertility’ cocktails used instead of roids, if ur having to look that far for an advantage id say work on your diet and your skills.
I’m pretty skinny (6’1″, 155 lbs) and my coach told me to eat more pork and beef. Would this be a good way of putting on GOOD mass? I’m not in any real rush to gain mass if it’s not gonna be lean and if I have to endure a long period time to gain quality mass I will. I am fairly young too (18), so could I just also wait for my body to naturally fill its frame some more? Btw, I’m really not that weak, hence the reason for my patience in gaining weight.
@PrisonMike – pork and beef can be “lean meat’ depending on what part you’re eating. When you buy the meat, there should be a label that says “lean meat” or “lean cut”. The way that you prepare it also determines how much fat is in there.
I need some helpful criticism
Well I get up at five am every day and I do my road work. My question is,what advise can you give me to lose my weight rapidly? I weight 284lbs and I want to fight in Nov. I want to lose as much as I can, can you help me with my diet and anything that you think will help? Thank you..
hello everyone – read the new boxing diet guide here:
https://expertboxing.com/boxing-nutrition/diet/182-common-sense-boxing-diet
It will answer more of your questions there. Good luck, everybody!
Looking to lose about 10 pounds in fat and gain some lean muscle.
I’m looking to lose about 10 pounds in fat, in my thighs and stomach. And I want to gain some serious muscle. I’ve done a little bit of boxing before, but I am starting back up this week. I eat like crap, and really want to start eating healthy like I used to. Do you have any good suggestions on how much water I should drink a day, and what foods to eat for like breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
@Kathryn – please read the new diet guide, it will answer your questions.
…
I have only just started Boxing, I am 15 years old and also a female, I havent really got a balanced diet but i have been told that i have an high metabalism (if thats how you spell it:P) I was just wondering, does anyone have any tips for for my dietry plan?? I like to alot of fetty foods.. Bad or good?? :L;-);-)
Eggs
I try to use three egg whites and one whole egg in an omellette no oil non stick pan, add some cut peppers and onions….NO CHEESE,! Nice healthy way to get eggs in your diet and tasty too!
silly question
i know this will sound daft, but will eating a normal persons diet effect my performance in the ring, ive always boxed on and off but have never followed a proper boxers diet, will i definatley benifet from going on one as i have a bout in just two weeks ?
@boxerwells – a boxer’s diet helps you stay strong, energetic, and lean. it’s different from a normal person’s diet in that it probably has more nutrients and schedules your meals around your boxing workout. it’s up to you to decide whether this difference is of any benefit to your performance. I would think yes.
Can yous send me a diet plan fir the final push. I was 90kg i have got down to 82kg i just seem to have it a brick wall. I look a lot better just know there is a little more i could tone up. Also if there are any training regimes that worked better for you, i would be grateful.
Read my guide “Common Sense Boxing Diet“
Ok, im 30 years old and i want to compete on golden gloves( masters) and actually i wanted some more info on the golden gloves , is it by experience ,age, and what would be a honest opinion of what i should do best, as in training and diet.
The golden gloves does have a masters division. They separate fighters by age & weight classes. There are also novice divisions for boxers with 10 fights or less. Go the website and check it out.
As for training and diet, have you read all my other guides regarding the subject? Check out my “Common Sense Boxing Diet”.
Hey there im a female who is training for boxing but im in the heavy weight zone.. im 250 and want to lose it soon atlease 3-4months what can i do, what can i eat. etc, to help me out?
Hey Jasmine, please check out the “Common Sense Boxing Diet”. It will answer many of your questions.
@ jasmine to burn fat faster diet is extremely important but instead of running @ a steady pace on the treadmill mix it up for example 2 min hard core sprint 1 min walk….. try that for a month 4x a week youll be surprised at the fat-loss. To be specific as far as treadmill goes for you try sprinting @ 4.5 or 5.0 for two min and walk 3.0 or 2.5 for 1 min. hope it helps
hey I’m a male in boxing and i need a meal plan to keep my weight down. I fight at 178 and I’m weighing 185, i have a fight in a week. I was wondering if you could give me a hand!
Ben, have you check out the common sense boxing diet?
Hey Johnny!
I’m a female karateka on the lookout for a good meal plan. I’ve been fighting at tournaments ever since I was little, and always consumed everything without really caring how that would affect my weight cause I would usually burn it off anyway. Now that I turned 20, I want to make sure I maintain a good weight. Right now I weigh 128 and I work out 5 times a week for 1 1/2 hours; 3 days at the dojo doing a mix of cardio, strength, sparring, and twice a week at a local gym doing cardio, strength and weight. I would really appreciate your advice on what to eat!
Monica, have you read the “Common Sense Boxing Diet”?
Yes, quite the help. Would a lean diet like that bring my weight down? I’m assuming so since I eat anything and everything now. I’m just concerned about dropping more weight than needed. I wish to stay around 125-128.
The diet guide specifically addresses all your questions. There’s a part in there that discusses how to lose weight. You don’t know how it affects you until you try it. You can always go back if you don’t like it.
hey there johnny, i got a fight coming up in the next 3 months. my weight in is in 2 weeks and i have to drop 3 kgs. its amatuer boxing fight i got to drop down to 73kg. im 6″1 big reach but put on fat really easy and struggle to find a diet that gives me results. any tips?
Read the common sense diet, Dev.
Hi Johnny.
I just read the post from John (Feb 8, 2011) and am in the same situation.
I have my first fight in 2 weeks (despite only boxing for about a month now) and need to lose some weight … especially as Im a little too muscly from normally been a gym (weights) gunkie.
Currently Im 5’8 and about 176 pound.
What must I do in the 2 weeks (diet and training).
cheers
chris – [email protected]
Hi john
I am interested in your nutrition plans for fighters making a weight, yet keeping energy levels high at the same time. I am experienced with this already as I have alot of boxing experience, just would like to see another overview of a nutrition plan
Cheers
Steed
i know this is silly but is it alright to eat raw eggs?
Assuming you don’t get sick I don’t see why not.
ay johnny, right now im weighing at 125 but have to go down to 118 for a boxing tournement. i know everybody tells me eat fruits and healthy fats but i dont know exactly how to do it. any tips or advice ??
To simplify the whole diet thing I have this :
Dont eat crap, eat well prepared natural foods.
Eat a good balance of most things.
Stay away from takeaway and fried foods.
Try to avoid heavily processed foods – white bread, white rice etc… They wont hurt you, but they do contain more calories, additives and have been through other processes like bleaching sometimes.
Plenty of fruit and veges and moderate your meat intake – I know vegetarian boxers and athelete and they don’t seem to suffer for it (they do usually have awesome food knowledge that helps them maximise things like protein and carb intake…)
Work out and burn it off.
If you feel hungry try having a glass of water – still hungry then have some fruit.
If you are thirsty drink water.
Milk adds protein, but dont live off it.
Juice adds vitamins but also calories.
Alcohol doesnt help much at all.
Treats – candies and junks food, alcohol etc… Have them in moderation – no as a meal or drink replacement. We all love treats, but remember that they add calories and fat – usually a lot. This slows your metabolism and makes you sluggish.
It’s all a balance equation – if you eat more calories than you can use you will get bigger – not in a good way. Eat well and stay active.
If you are doing nothing other than eating well prepared fresh food, staying away from junk and working hard – you will make gains.
When you plateau out then sharpen up you diet and training.
Get plenty of sleep – recovery is as important as training.
It’s not rocket surgery, and Johnny N’s tips are basically common sense (which isn’t all that common sometimes… lol)
Dear Stan,
you´ve summed it up very pricisely. That´s exactly what nutritition is all about. Very good comment!
Just to add a little: I´d highly recommend to drink absolutely NO alcohol at all. I don´t drink any since 30 years now. When I had drunken some glasses of beer or so at times when I´ve been an active fighter, I used to feel my conditioning slightly decrease. That was in the 70s.
And I can say, if I had drunken alcohol I´d be much more out of shape than I´m actually to this day.
hey johnny what should i eat before a fight?
RIGHT before? Or the day before? Read the common sense diet, it will tell you.
Um. I’ve read that red meat doesn’t take longer to digest. Also, I don’t know if the body takes more energy to process it.
Also, I’ve been reading on fat and it seems the carbs are what causes people to be fat and not fat in general (good sat fats) not man made.
Oh and I don’t think you need a gallon of water a day too. If you work out 1 gallon is enough. At least for me.
hi johnny i am 17 years old and after workouts my joints are sore do you think it is a good idea to take joint supplemets in such a young age ?
Yes, great idea to take joint supplements. I wish I did that when I was younger and wrecking my joints with skateboarding.
Hi
I’m doing a promotional fight as a fundraising event. I was told to lose 10 kg inorder to match up with my “opponent” which I have done. I was 86.9kg – now down 76.4kg. This might still seem heavy but I have a decent amount of muscle.
I have porridge or banana on wheatmeal toast for breakfast, chicken breast or thigh with a small pita bread morning and afternoon meals and sometimes a piece of fruit. Lunch is usually chicken as well with salad, sometimes sushi and dinner is chicken, steak or seafood with salad. Other foods include natural almonds, tinned peaches (rinsed), a variety of fruit, baked beans, eggs on toast, and a splurge once a week where I eat what I like. I’m not a huge vegetable eater. I also have protein shakes after my workouts with a joint supplement.
I do a 1 hr workout at the gym 3x a week, 1-1 1/2hr boxing workout 3x evenings, 2x 45 mins running in the morning with 1 race run on a Saturday and a long slow run on Sunday.
The trouble is now I have been sick twice in a month as in strep throat followed by a chest infection a week later. Is this because my diet is more restricted than what it was before? Or am I over training and not eating enough? I need to maintain the weight for another 2 months yet, maybe lose a couple more kg’s as the other lady is down to 70 and I need to be within 4-5kg of her. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. (Direct advice to my email would be great but I’ve bookmarked this so will come back and check for replies) Thanks heaps.
Im 15 and a begginner boxer, and my food is made for me along with the rest of the family. What can i do to get a healthier diet? i really want to build up my fitness and my speed, but dont really know how to control my diet when i dont even control what i eat for dinner!
You will have to discuss diet with your parents to see if they will arrange a more suitable diet for you. Please read the “common sense boxing diet” for more answers to your questions.
If you want a healthy diet take the food pyramid and basically turn it upside down. Grains, cereals, pasta, breads, should make up a small portion of your diet instead of the bulk of it. Two slices of whole wheat bread produce the same glucose as a Snickers candy bar and we all know that sugar not used will be stored as fat. Avoid store bought fruit juices which have just as much sugar as sodas, and you should drink a minimum of a gallon of water a day even when you’re not training heavily and you probably should drink even more if you’re training hard particularly in hot weather. Let proteins make up the bulk of your diet such as fish, fowl, shellfish, or red lean meats, eggs, cheese, etc. You also need good fats like in butter instead of margarine, peanut butter, all kinds of nuts, etc. these fats are good for your joints. Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens. Speaking of shellfish eat oysters they are natures own little bundle of natural testosterone and they’re yummy and delish whether raw, fried, or in soup ese.
People who tell you to only eat egg-whites instead of the whole egg don’t know what the sheet they’re talking about. First off, they’re right in saying that the egg-white contains all of the protein but the cholesterol found in egg yolks is the good cholesterol known as HDL and your liver will thank you for consuming it. So the fats and cholesterol found in the egg yolk are good fats and cholesterol which is something your body and organs like the liver need. The only people who should be eating just the egg-whites are fighters who are cutting weight who want the protein that the white provides but don’t need the extra calories of eating a whole egg. That’s why bodybuilders only eat egg-whites when they are shedding weight for competition, because they can get the quality protein from an egg without the consuming the extra calories by eating the egg whole.
i’m 14 years old and my weight is 69 kg i want to lose my weight in a month.i want to be a Great boxer.the reason of my weight is that i drink too much pepsi and coke etc.can u tell me how can i lose my weight can lift too much weight but i’m too heavy
I have a diet guide coming out soon, and you can also read my other diet guide.
Glad to hear that Johnny. I’m struggling to get down to ‘fighting weight’ of 60-62 kilos. Other than increase training (which isn’t really possible) I’m at a loss. Diet’s good, healthy, balanced. Training hard three times a week. I’m alot leaner (probably about 10-12% body fat) but I don’t see how I can lose another 3-4kilos from 65kilos. I don’t eat more than about 1500 calories a day. Anyway, I’d be interested to learn more about how boxers get down to ‘fighting weight’.
P.S, I’m doing this as challenge/goal rather than to actually fight…for the moment.
How does your body look? And how long have you been living healthy?
Living healthy for about ten years (I’m 36). I would say I look muscular, not exactly ‘cut’, with liitle fat anywhere except my belly. It’s not very much (just about see the top of my abs) but does kind of look out of place to the rest of me. My reasoning is that this bit of fat can’t weigh 4 kilos, can it?
I feel well, and strong, but could I compromise this by losing more weight?
Fat is everywhere, not just in the places that you can pick at it. And it certainly can add up to 4 kilos. I would say you’re at a very healthy weight even if your body naturally carries some fat. If you want to remove it, you will have to turn your body into a different machine…maybe a fighting machine? Or other type of activity that produces a more lean body type.
Thanks for your reply and your time.
@timbo — good advice.
eat healthy fats, poly and mono saturated, saturated fat (solid at room temp) are to be avoided at all costs
is it true that boxers replace their nose bone by an artificial one..
Maybe the ones with broken noses?
i want to ask if i’m starting boxing then i have to take out my nose bone?.and if i took out my nose bone will my nose look smaller
Not if you use the correct set of pliers. 🙂
hahahahahhahahahahaha.but please if u know something tell me.
You can make changes to your nose or any other part of your body if it bothers you.
HEy.. is taht good i eat oatmeal with peach ?
Hey,
Im a female and I’m starting boxing at my school on my club team. We practice monday through thursday for and hour and a half. Im really joining it because I want to lose weight. Im also in college so eating healthy is very hard. But if I had a diet on what to eat I would stick to it. I just don’t know what I need to eat and what I need to eliminate. Can you please help! Thank you so much!!
hey, what to eat after training, beacuse i was eating an apple and eating meal withing 1 hour.
i ehar that eating carbs(fruits after training) is not good.
Eat a small meal. Having a fruit is not bad but you still need a meal.
Why is duck meat red then?
Quick Question: Is a 20g lean Whey protein shake, 120 calories post workout, okay?
Hey I’m currently 172 and I’m trying to get back down to 160 before I would only eat about 2 meals and I was exactly 160 but I wasn’t weak or sluggish I was faster and stronger and I felt more alive and focused and now I eat about 5 small meals a day and I gained those 12 pounds. Would you have any advice for me, or just any info that would help?
Hi my son is 12 years old and wants to be a boxer but hes 4-11and weighs 80pounds i was him to gain weight and muscle eat healthy and i was wondering what i should feed him so ge wont get hurt
Hey, I just read your article, and I have a question.
I’m overweight yet i build muscle, so
This plan will improve my weight loss and increase my stamina with boxing exercise right? Do i continue to do weight lifting or not? I lift little weights, not too much. 8 KG, I think that’s 16 pounds, I’m not exactly sure. My metric conversion sucks. Please help me out.