A new study suggests that athletes trying to shed pounds to meet weight class goals don’t need to resort to extreme, and sometimes unhealthy, weight loss routines.

A researcher at Kansas State University (KSU) says that athletes in sports like mixed martial arts, wrestling and boxing should consider eating a high-protein diet rather than unhealthy extremes like starvation diets and sauna suits in order to get their weight down for competition.

KSU human nutrition doctoral student Jen Case studied active Fort Riley soldiers and Air Force cadets who were training in combatives, a sport that combines submission wrestling with elements of kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

Case prescribed them a high-protein diet suited to their desired weight class and told them to eat often.

In addition to weight management, Case says the athletes who ate diets high in protein showed improved performance on tests of running and explosive leg power. She also found that the diet didn’t negatively affect performance as did other weight loss measures like starvation diets. Moreover, eating more protein helped the athletes increase lean mass rather than losing it.

She also says that her research may be helpful for people who are already active and healthy but want to lose weight.