Diuretics or the Natural Way?

[hardtoget]

Being as this is my first physique competition I want to find out from other competitors is taking natural diuretics the best option and/or going from Hyperhydrating to slowly cutting down water intake close to the show? I have to be careful as I already don't have the strongest adrenal glands so absolutely no stims. Just want your thoughts and if you do take a particular all natural water cutter please let me know your supplement of choice. Going into the show, I am taking DermaTr3n, DermaFury, and THE1 by Olympus labs, stopping a few days before due to possible testing. Was also going to run Arimidex close to the show as well.

 

[islandiron]

Are you BB or Physique? Big big difference. Just cutting your sodium and fat intake in half 8 weeks before comp makes huge diff. Green tea extract worked real well for me. Go with a diuretic if BB but natty if mens physique.

 

[hardtoget]

Yeah mens physique ill be cutting sodium close to show dont know about 8 weeks out seems a bit of a stretch and I want low levels of aldosterone to dehydrate.

 

[RecompMan]

Yeah mens physique ill be cutting sodium close to show dont know about 8 weeks out seems a bit of a stretch and I want low levels of aldosterone to dehydrate.

cutting sodium that far will increase aldosterone

I personally have a sodium load for 5 days prior then cut it back to normal levels 2 days before show none day before and then add slight in if any before stage


Lots of factors go into this though


There are ways to dry out while drinking water and messing with my water intake didn't do well for me

I've been playing with different carb sources with different molecular weights tonhelp with pulling water into the muscle cells (dextran with a super high weight pulls water into the cell for hours) so if you do it right water manipulation may not even be necessary

 

[islandiron]

Yeah mens physique ill be cutting sodium close to show dont know about 8 weeks out seems a bit of a stretch and I want low levels of aldosterone to dehydrate.

I meant 8 weeks for BB, Im 5 weeks out from my 3rd physique comp. Im 5"11 192 and probably coming in at 180. Im real tight already, but Im not going near salt. My daily diet right now is 7 eggs (2yolks) with homemade garden salsa ( no salt added) just a teaspoon. 2 hours later whey in 10oz of spring water. 2 hours later , cup of long grain brown rice with peas n black pepper. train. another whey n water (30grms pro per scoop) 2 hours later can of chunk white low sodium in water Tuna. This is the only time Im gettin salt and a small amount at that. I eat it plain with glass of water between mouthfulls. Hour later, baked potatoe with shake of pepper. Then 2 hours later another whey n water. My supps are just high potency vitamin and BCAAs and green tea extract. I also have 2 cups of chinese green tea during the day. This is old school BB pre - comp diet. I tweak it as the weeks count down. Until 5 days before comp I have only about 60grms pro/ 10-20grms of potatoe or brown rice/ and only 3 cups H20. No water or food from noon, day before show till morning weigh ins. Then some rice with teaspoon of honey and water and couple bananas after prejudging to fuel up for night show! This formula works for me, not for everyone.

 

[islandiron]

cutting sodium that far will increase aldosterone

I personally have a sodium load for 5 days prior then cut it back to normal levels 2 days before show none day before and then add slight in if any before stage

Lots of factors go into this though

There are ways to dry out while drinking water and messing with my water intake didn't do well for me

I've been playing with different carb sources with different molecular weights tonhelp with pulling water into the muscle cells (dextran with a super high weight pulls water into the cell for hours) so if you do it right water manipulation may not even be necessary

You sodium load 5 days before comp? Wow thats risky, but hey, if it worked for you... dextran can make you puffy, so I wont touch it. I still find staying thirsty and hungry till after weigh ins the best, for me that is.

 

[RecompMan]

You sodium load 5 days before comp? Wow thats risky, but hey, if it worked for you... dextran can make you puffy, so I wont touch it. I still find staying thirsty and hungry till after weigh ins the best, for me that is.

dextran in no way should make you puffy

The load starts Sunday ends Thursday afternoon , for a saturday show

 

[breezy11]

I wouldn't use diuretics.

I personally have a sodium load for 5 days prior then cut it back to normal levels 2 days before show none day before and then add slight in if any before stage

Lots of factors go into this though

I've had success with a similar approach. That said, I wouldn't recommend doing any major sodium/water/carb manipulation right before the show if you haven't had a trial run to see how you'll respond. Your best bet is to make sure that you're truely lean enough and "stage ready" ahead of time, so you aren't banking on any "tricks" at the last minute.

 

[islandiron]

dextran in no way should make you puffy

The load starts Sunday ends Thursday afternoon , for a saturday show

Dude anything that absorbs fluid into muscle like D can make you puff if you dose it wrong. There were two guys at my last show who had it happen, blurry abs and intercostals.

 

[RecompMan]

Dude anything that absorbs fluid into muscle like D can make you puff if you dose it wrong. There were two guys at my last show who had it happen, blurry abs and intercostals.

What were they using there are a lot of products

Spill over can be a lot of factors

Dextran (usually on form of detran50,) is very dangerous and hard to get right

There are other products (similar with molecular weights high, but not that high) that I have personally played with

None of which is ever an exact science

 

[tyga tyga]

You sodium load 5 days before comp? Wow thats risky, but hey, if it worked for you... dextran can make you puffy, so I wont touch it. I still find staying thirsty and hungry till after weigh ins the best, for me that is.

I did something similar.

Sat-4g sodium 1 gallon water
Sun-5g sodium 2 gallon water
Mon-3g sodium 2 gallon water
Tues-1.5g sodium 2 gallon water
Wed- 1.5g sodium 1.5 gallon water
Thurs, fri, no sodium thurs- 1 gallon friday- .5 gallon

Sat show day