The importance of the Psychologist in Boxer Weight Management

By psych. Diana Sosa. Sports Psychologist, member of the WBC Medical Committee

Nutrition and boxing have strengthened their relationships in recent years, with boxers becoming aware that to have a healthy physique and no problems with the weigh-in category, they must have a chief nutritionist.

However, in Mexico this phrase is used “if you want to lose weight, you also have to go to a psychologist” and there is nothing more real.

Why is it necessary to also contemplate the figure of the psychologist in the boxer’s team and what does it have to do with his relationship with weight? It is very simple and we will explain it below.

The nutritionist provides an eating plan according to the boxer’s needs, but if the boxer has previously been presenting weight problems derived from inadequate nutrition and risky practices to modify it, the eating plan provided by the nutritionist will be limited to be a worthless document.

The weight should not mean any kind of conflict for anyone, including boxers. The reason is very powerful. Food is an essential factor in life and even more so in sports. Boxers must be aware of the importance of eating adequate food and the psychologist provides psychoeducation and guidance in this regard, creating healthy habits. But when the fighter stops eating, eats only certain types of food for fear of gaining weight at odd hours, in excess or responding to emotional issues, the intervention of a mental health professional is needed.

The psychologist has the professional tools that will allow to help in the preparation of the boxer to the right extent. They will provide information and techniques that allow him to know the origins of the inadequate relationship he has with food, manage anxiety in the face of everything that has to do with weighing and will psychoeducate him so that he learns that the weight will depend on many factors such as age, climate, gender, or the stage of life you are in.

Likewise, boxers are human beings before being athletes and as such go through complicated situations in life that can overwhelm them, duels, family problems, addictions, violence, bad economy, among others. No one but the psychologist is the one to work on these situations and reduce his anxiety so that athletes, in this case boxers do not use food or drinks in excess to face any state of mind.

Moods can dramatically influence weight. The foregoing makes all individuals, including boxers, also vulnerable to overeating, falling into some type of excess in food or drink or even drug abuse.

Boxing is a combat sport and by its nature the boxer is going to receive a lot of physical punishment. It is necessary for the psychologist to promote arguments so that the food item is not problematic, guide the boxer to create habits that allow him to be healthy and that his body does not receive more “punishment” with an inadequate diet. Here his presence is essential to handle any situation that generates a state of mind that influences his diet and therefore his weight.