What are the effects of rapid weight loss? As from fasting, etc. Its a Wrestling thing.?
I'm a wrestler and I was wondering what the effects of cutting weight and rapid weight loss are (long term and short term). Also, do "retired" wrestlers that have cut weight regret cutting weight? Many wrestlers would consider cutting weight to be expected, and part of the sport of wrestling, but is it worth it?

Rapid weight loss is not a safe way to lose weight, you lose calcium, protein and most likely muscle tissue. You have to be careful with these procedures, the safest way is exercising harder and cutting your daily servings but while taking vitamins.

Don't do it! Eat properly, and have healthy snacks like granola bars, yogurt, fruit, veggies, etc. Any type of crash diet or fasting is unhealthy for your body. You shouldn't be doing THAT much just to maintain. I wrestle, too, and never have I ever had to go on a diet of any kind. I would see others at 103-105 SPITTING into the trash can every couple of minutes in order to get rid of weight! Do you want to be like those people!?!

There can be health effects of dropping TOO much weight. But you are right in saying that some people do see it as part of the sport, but that doesn't mean you should feel pressured to do so. I was a varsity wrestler and State Qualifier multiple years and I only really cut weight my junior year. I did well that year, but my favorite year looking back was my senior year when I wrestled at my normal weight. it basically led to less stress, and most importantly I ENJOYED it more - which definitely made me a better wrestler in itself.

As a wrestler in high school I "cut weight" Did everything from live on nothing but vitamins and ice cubes made of OJ. Laid under the mats in a rubber suit with the room turned up to 90 degrees (Now illegal in PA anyway) and spit for an entire bus ride.
Two thoughts. One your body is at it's most resilient in these years. Unless your sucking WAY too much weight I doubt there is any long term consequence.
Short term however is you may be crippling your ability as a wrestler. While most weight sucking techniques like those mentioned above, are designed to lose water weight (this can be bad enough with increased cramping and other associated problems), starving yourself penalizes MUSCLE before fat. When your body goes into starvation mode it tries to save fat for last and it actually eats muscle first. If you have to do a severely restricted diet I would make sure you get protein (which I didn't with my OJ ice cubes!). Dry tuna and other fish, beef jerky, etc... low calorie counts but at least you're getting protein to fight the muscle loss.
The story I'll leave you with is this. There was a stud wrestler on my team in High School, he weighed about 182 183 naturally and each season he would suck down to 178. While that seems like very little (compared to what I lost it was NOTHING lol) he was so in-shape to begin with that he really didn't have those 4 or 5 pounds to lose. Every year he'd be massively fatigued by the time the tourneys rolled around and he'd miss states by a couple places. Finally his senior year he said "to hell with cutting weight" ate what he wanted and wrestled at 189. He was so much healthier and stronger that even though he was giving up 6 pounds or more to his opponents he manhandled them. He wound up not only making states, but medaling, which in PA is a very big deal as almost all state medalists in PA get D1 scholarships.
Good Luck!!!

whenever you are cutting weight. you are playing with your metabolism. it looks like it doesn't have much effect but it does...
I highly recommend you to look into Dr John Berardi's articles on fitness and bodybuilding(he works with atheletes from olympic teams). He wrote lots of stuff about cutting weight for wrestlers. You should check it out..

It's not worth it. I did the starving, the spitting, and sleeping in trashbags. I started the season weighing 169 and dropped to 143. I consistantly wrestled the 152 weight class. All it took was getting sick one time. I went into the hospital and had 2-1000cc IVs. It lowered my immune system so that I couldn't get better till over a year later. This resulted in missing half my senior football season and not playing in the last game. If I had it to do over again I would have told my coach to stick it and not cut weight.
Don't let them pressure you. Cutting weight might help you get the starting position but you won't wrestle any better.