Pro runner Nick Symmonds is on a mission this year to pack on both muscle and speed with the ultimate goal of running a 5-minute mile immediately after deadlifting 500 pounds. While the bulking portion of his year-long challenge has been going well, the former Olympian recently decided to experiment with getting leaner over a 24-hour period and documented his day-long transformation on YouTube.
It’s important to note that such drastic weight cuts are not healthy and could be downright dangerous. Given that most of the weight lost tends to be water weight, it’s also not a sustainable plan for keeping off the pounds, and is only practical for athletes such as wrestlers and boxers who need to meet strict, deadline-driven weigh-in goals. Studies have even shown that weight-cutting can lead to hormonal imbalances, bone loss, and suppressed immune function over time.
Symmonds puts all of these caveats more bluntly: “This is absolutely stupid what I’m doing,” he says, noting that he’s aware the bulk of anything he loses will be water weight, and that normally he wouldn’t anticipate losing 10 pounds in a week, let alone in a single day. In a caption to the video, he elaborates further: “I’ve always been curious to learn more about how wrestlers and fighters cut weight right before a weigh-in. So I experimented on myself.”
With those guidelines in place, Symmonds observes that he’s currently tipping the scale at 193 pounds—the heaviest he’s ever been—and sets an ambitious goal of losing 10 pounds in 24 hours. Then he gets to work, starting with a one-mile run on the treadmill at a leisurely—for him, at least—8-minute pace. That helps him burn about a quarter of a pound. A quick trip to the bathroom shaves off about another half a pound. By the next morning—after fasting and taking in a limited amount of hydration—he’s down to about 185 pounds, closing in on his goal weight.
With time running out, Symmonds still has a few weight loss methods to experiment with—including riding his mountain bike, taking magnesium citrate (a natural laxative), and finally, doing a rowing workout while wearing sweats and a garbage bag to increase perspiration. Watch the video above to see where he ultimately nets out.
And while we absolutely do not recommend the tactics Symmonds tries in the video to get back in shape, there are plenty of simpler, nutritionist-approved tips we do suggest if you’re trying to lose weight in a healthier, more sustainable way.
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