When most people think of Stoughton High School athletics, the first thing that comes to mind is wrestling. Our school is recognized for our high-achieving, high-scoring athletes. However, no matter what school you go to, the most difficult and discipline-heavy portion of being a high school wrestler is its heavy reliance on “making weight.”
After some initial conversations and interviews with wrestlers at Stoughton High School, it’s evident that most long-term wrestlers hold themselves to a very high standard when it comes to being able to restrict what they eat. Wrestlers pride themselves on dropping lots of weight quickly, limiting their calories and water intake.
The criticism of whether this is healthy circulates through the school every time wrestling season arrives. I hear classmates loudly discussing skipping full days of eating, barely taking sips of water throughout the day, and counting the days until they can eat properly again. Whenever teachers, coaches, and peers praise this behavior, it seems like a slap in the face to all the anti-eating disorder information we’re given in health class and counseling.
I couldn’t help but think that if non-athletes were doing this to themselves for “discipline,” it would be regarded as incredibly unhealthy, with the only difference being that they wouldn’t have a match to go to at the end of the day. How can we call home on teenagers for counting their calories a bit too closely, yet cheer on their peers for having enough “discipline” to lose 30 pounds in a month?
I wasn’t buying it. There was no way this was healthy behavior. And I figured the only way to prove it was to spend a week trying it for myself.

DAY ONE – MARCH 8
Starting weight: 144.4 lb
Calorie intake: 723

The first day I cut down on my food, I felt incredibly slow and low-energy. I felt extremely sick, got a headache, and even threw up a bit near the end of the day. Needless to say, my body was not adjusting well to having its resources cut in less than half. Not having my routine of having an after-school snack to pick me up was pretty detrimental to my focus. I saved enough calories to have a real “meal” (two fried eggs) at the end of the day so that I didn’t go to sleep hungry, but it was clear by the end of the day that this would not be easy.

DAY TWO – MARCH 9
Didn’t weigh in
Calorie intake: 1035

I had to work an eight-hour shift that day and felt miserable the entire time. I had a Clif bar before I left and a salad on my break, but the feeling of being ridiculously hungry after lunch and unable to eat more was awful. Walking around for several hours straight while being considerably malnourished was making me lightheaded, and I wondered why people actually do this. By the end of the day, I started to understand just how much restraint would be needed to do this.

DAY THREE – MARCH 10
Weight: 140.7 lb
Calorie intake: 916

This was the day that I gave in to my cravings a tiny bit and let myself have two chocolate chip cookies (crazy, I know). I still managed to keep my calories low by allowing myself another Clif bar and a small bowl of soup, but it was pretty miserable. I noticed that after I’d eaten the cookies, I got full super fast, like my body had started to resist the ability to eat food. I assume that if someone did this for much longer than I did, the same thing would probably happen to them, but on a more dramatic level.

DAY FOUR – MARCH 11
Didn’t weigh in
Calorie intake: 1,100 cal

Because this was the day before the ACT, I only ate 300 calories during breakfast and lunch, so that I could have a real, protein-filled meal for dinner (poke bowls for the win!) But because I hadn’t gone to bed hungry the night before (thanks bedtime soup), I woke up feeling really nauseous and unable to eat very much. Again, my body had started to resist normal amounts of food. By this point, I could also start to see my weight loss–my stomach was flatter, and my bones a tiny bit more visible. I also felt like I had lost a bit of the muscle I’d had before I started this diet.

DAY FIVE – MARCH 12
Weight: 139.9 lb
Calorie intake: 1,800 cal

ACT day! I allowed myself an actual breakfast before taking the test and an actual meal with friends afterward to reward myself, which is why my calories that day were higher than the rest. The weight loss had slowed down a bit because I had properly fueled myself leading up to the ACT. But my weight was still going down. I noticed that I felt less miserable when I let myself eat properly, but I still had to keep my calories low enough to lose weight.

DAY SIX – MARCH 13
Weight: 138.4
Calorie intake: 1,130

On the last day, I tried initially to limit the amount of water I was drinking severely couldn’t commit entirely because I had an audition where I had to sing, and doing that while dehydrated was not a good idea. At this point, the mental effects had really started to set in. I was way less focused in general and kept spacing out. Physically, I was fine, just slightly thinner and weaker. But I was completely ready to stop the diet and start eating enough to fuel myself again.

DAY SEVEN – MARCH 14
Final weight: 137.7
lbs lost: 6.7

After the week was up, it was much harder to get back into my normal routine than I thought. I still skipped breakfast on my first day of freedom and had difficulty finishing my lunch (which would’ve been a relatively small amount of food for me pre-diet). Mentally, it was also a bit difficult not to get attached to the idea of continuing to lose weight. I knew I could’ve gone further, but I also didn’t want to risk my health too much.
However, not having to count calories anymore felt great. I could have snacks when I wanted to and eat what I felt was good, instead of only making myself smaller. Realistically, there felt no difference between trying a “wrestling” diet and restricting food intake to get skinnier for appearance purposes. After another week of eating regularly, I regained all the weight anyway. After trying it for myself– and I wasn’t even doing it as intensely as many wrestlers do– I can’t see how people continue to defend this practice.

I know that currently, it’s sometimes not possible for wrestlers to choose their weight class. Unfortunately, making weight is a huge part of wrestling regulations. If the sport is something you’re really dedicated to or trying to pursue professionally, you’re probably used to toughing it out whenever wrestling season comes around. However, I think this calls for a change in the culture as a whole because the long-term effects of doing this throughout high school are undoubtedly negative. I was discussing this with a friend who mentioned that they knew someone who graduated a while ago and still won’t eat chocolate because “wrestling gave him an eating disorder.”
In total, unhealthy weight loss in wrestling isn’t going to change just because one person advocates against it. However, I think over time, with a fairer application of the weight class policies, we can phase out the necessity of starving ourselves to follow a passion.