BJJ Weight Cutting, According to Reddit

The short version the sub keeps repeating

The dominant view on r/bjj is that big weight cuts make little sense for most IBJJF competitors, because weigh-ins are same-day — often minutes before your first match. There's no time to rehydrate, so a hard cut leaves you flat, dehydrated and gassing early. Most threads land in the same place: compete close to your walking weight and roll fresh. You can find the division your gi-on weight already fits in seconds.

“Just go up a weight class”

This is the single most common piece of advice on the sub. Unless you're chasing a medal at a high level, cutting hard to be the bigger body in a lighter bracket usually isn't worth the performance hit or the health risk. Enter the division your body already sits near, and spend the energy on your jiu-jitsu instead of the scale.

If you do cut, cut slowly

For people who genuinely need to make a division, the community consensus mirrors the sports science: lose it gradually over weeks — on the order of 0.5–1% of bodyweight per week — rather than overnight. A small water reduction in the final days is the ceiling most experienced competitors describe, and only when they understand the same-day weigh-in. Our weight cut planner turns your target and timeline into a daily rate and a plain risk read.

What Reddit warns against

Sauna suits, laxatives, and big overnight water cuts come up constantly as things not to do — especially for same-day weigh-ins where you cannot recover before you compete. The downside (gassing out, injury, or missing weight and getting disqualified with no refund) outweighs the upside for almost everyone below the elite level.

Know your event's rules first

The weigh-in format changes the entire calculation. IBJJF weighs you in your full gi, on the day; ADCC weighs in the day before, which is exactly why ADCC athletes cut harder and rehydrate. Before you plan anything, read how IBJJF weigh-ins work so you're solving the right problem.