Teen Mom OG’s Maci Bookout Speaks Out After Putting Son Bentley on a ‘Very Strict’ Wrestling Diet

Clearing the air! Maci Bookout McKinney wants fans to know she had son Bentley’s best interest at heart after putting him on a “very strict” diet so he could go down a weight class in wrestling. After fans worried the 11-year-old was trying to “cut weight” during the Tuesday, May 26, episode of Teen Mom OG, the MTV mama took to Twitter to set the record straight.

“In reference to tonight’s episode — I have never and will never convince Bentley to ‘cut’ weight,” Maci, 28, told her followers. “After wrestling his first [two] tournaments in the 75 pound class weighing in at 72, he came to me [and] said he wanted to wrestle at 70. I told him, ‘That’s fine, but you WILL NOT ‘cut’ weight. … I will lay out a healthy scheduled diet for [you], [you] can eat salads, grilled chicken, veggies, good carbs — instead of pizza, Doritos [and] candy bars. Through the season, he decided he didn’t like it — I told him that’s okay! [You] can go back to usual and wrestle at 75, which is what he did.”

I will lay out a healthy scheduled diet for u, u can eat salads, grilled chicken, veggies, good carbs-instead of pizza, doritos & candybars. Through the season, he decided he didn't like it-I told him that's okay! U can go back to usual and wrestle at 75 which is what he did.

— Maci Bookout McKinney (@MaciBookout) May 27, 2020

In the episode, viewers saw the mom of three remind her preteen son what he’s allowed to eat and drink when he grabbed a snack between wrestling practices. They also saw her ask if he would eat a salad, a suggestion he quickly shot down. Despite the way the scene played out on screen, Maci assured everyone the situation is fully under control. In a separate tweet, the mom of three clarified that her brother was a collegiate wrestler, and she learned a lot from him about how to maintain or lose weight in a healthy way when it comes to wrestling. It also helped her become familiar with the sport and gave her the knowledge she’s using to guide Bentley into becoming the best athlete he can be.

But fans weren’t the only ones to worry. Bentley’s dad, Ryan Edwards, and step-mom, Mackenzie Edwards, also expressed their concerns in the show. “How can you be stronger and not weak when you’re cutting that much weight?” Mack asked after her step-son told her about another boy who dropped 11 pounds to wrestle in a different weight class. “I thought wrestling was about technique. I know you gotta have at least a little bit of strength,” Ryan weighed in. “So why aren’t you trying to gain weight? You need to be gaining weight.”

No matter how he goes about it or what weight class he’s in, we’re glad to see Bentley finding an activity he’s excited about.