Written by Mike “Spider-Ninja” Bidwell is a BJJ Black Belt under Phil Migliarese and Ken Kronenberg (Team Tai-Kai / Balance). Mike is a full time Jiu-Jitsuka, blogger (check out his great blog BJJafter40 and ‘Like’ his Facebook page), freelance writer, content provider, teacher and Ninja-for-hire!
Incredibly, Mike was a BJJ brown belt from 2001 to 2014!
His path from brown to black belt was an incredible journey. Mike had gained a lot of weight and made some life changing decisions and changed for the better with the help of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
In S&M (sheena and mike) Do Jiu-Jitsu: Episode two, Mike talks about my own weight loss (47 pounds) and how he succeeded in losing it and keping it off.
Mike’s tips for Success in losing weight through Jiu-Jitsu !
1. Water Only
Your body is made primarily of our H2O friend. You need to consume water all day every day and especially on the days you train. Remove liquids with sugar and color. For example: power aid / sodas, etc.
2. Eat the Rainbow Eat whole, ‘clean’ unprocessed foods.
I eat mostly a ‘plant based’ diet of organic colorful vegetables (ie. kale, carrots, squash, legumes, spinach, etc).
3. 80/20 Rule
You only eat until are 80% full. Do not eat until you are stuffed and someone needs to roll you out of the room in a wheel barrel! You should finish your meal and still feel comfortable and not feel bloated or stuffed.
4. Portion Control
Keep your portions to the size of your closed fist. When you eat out order one plate and share it with your partner. If you’re are alone ask for a ‘to go’ box with your meal and save the rest for later.
5. Clean out the cupboards
Remove the processed foods and junk from your home. If it’s not there you won’t eat it!
6. Stay on the mats!
You need to be on the mats as much as possible. That means training every chance you get. If you can only attend a few group classes per week then make sure you are hitting your solo drills every day at home. Take each drill and try to do it repeatedly for 1-2 minutes rounds. You can increase the intensity as you progress. To maintain maximum flexibility try to make stretching a big part of your daily routine too. As you increase the intensity of your training you will want to make sure you are staying injury free. I use Reaction Nutritions ‘Reflex’ joint formula everyday to keep my joints feeling great!
