need help with diuretics

I think most will agree the diuretics will make you come in very flat if your not careful. I have done them before shows and got real lucky the last time. Of course I'm hard headed as hell and went with lasix. I do think there are other alternatives out there when it comes to conditioning. What really helped me alot was my carb depletion and carb up timing. Buffd and DG really helped me with that one. QOD will have some great advice on this one.

If you had a hard time getting a pump then you weren't carbed up enough. Diuretics will only flatten you out more. They work really well but if you go overboard you will be flat, cramp and even worse you could die. Aldactone is pretty mild so death shouldn't be any issue but cramping can be. You can't go overboard with Potassium when using Aldactone cuz it's potassium sparing so only use a little if you are cramping when using it. Chances are sodium would be a bigger issue if you are cramping. Only use a little when you first experiment with diurectics. Don't stop drinking water when you take them either. Keep drinking. This is very important. If you let me know when you are doing a comp again I can give you some pointers on drying out.

I cut my water and my diuretics 24 hours before a show.

And how do you carb up, Buff?

What do you mean by keep drinking water, Buff? I'm sure you cut your water consumption at some point.

If it's a saturday morning prejudging I stop water at around 8pm friday night. If you keep drinking your body will keep on pushing it out. As far as carbing up I have someone do my diet for me so I can't get into details but last year I started my carbing up on wed for a sat morning prejudging. You need to begin carbing up while you are still drinking so you have water to fill the muscles. You do want water in the muscle to help keep them full looking. This year I'll be carbing up much longer as I tend to really flatten out and have a tough time filling out.

starting on monday, i double my water intake until friday, then i cut it in half and stop completely at around 5pm. i use diazide and start half a tab in the am, half in the pm on wednesday until and up to saturday, to start my body flushing...

great job sweetie:) im very happy for you!!!!!!!

If it's a saturday morning prejudging I stop water at around 8pm friday night. If you keep drinking your body will keep on pushing it out. As far as carbing up I have someone do my diet for me so I can't get into details but last year I started my carbing up on wed for a sat morning prejudging. You need to begin carbing up while you are still drinking so you have water to fill the muscles. You do want water in the muscle to help keep them full looking. This year I'll be carbing up much longer as I tend to really flatten out and have a tough time filling out.

That's exactly why I was asking. Because without water the carb up will be ineffective. Do you add any fats in during the carb up process? Also, what foods do you eat after you cut your water out up until the prejudging?

Good luck with your prep, BuffD. I know the time is getting close. From the looks of it people who have been working with Trop seem to have no problem getting in shape. Not that you did before you started working with him anyway.

starting on monday, i double my water intake until friday, then i cut it in half and stop completely at around 5pm. i use diazide and start half a tab in the am, half in the pm on wednesday until and up to saturday, to start my body flushing...

great job sweetie:) im very happy for you!!!!!!!

Also I like diazide as well. Doubling your water acts as a diuretic in itself. It will help keep you flushing the water out once you cut it on Friday. Do you manipulate your salt intake as well QOD?

How about carb loading? How do you manipulate them and will you do it the same way you have in the past for your upcoming competition?

Has anyone ever used any Osmotic diuretics (diamox)? Dan Duchaine talked about these a bit in his day, in theory these seem far superior to loop diuretics like Lasix and even potassium sparing diuretics like dyazide. Maxzide is another decent choice it is a mixture of Triamterene and Hydrochlorothiazide making it more potent than dyazide but weaker than Lasix.

I would think that the osmotics, would really help giving you the "paper thin" skin look, by pulling water interstitially into the bloodstream and hopefully urinating out.

I fought that battle for a couple years. Couldn't figure out the right time to start carbing, because I would typically look really full a couple days before the show and then flat the day of. I start my carbing up on Sunday nights now for sat prejudging. I also start drinking 2-2.5 gals of water on Sunday- weds. Thurs. I cut it back down 1.5 gals and friday I will stop it about 5pm.
I get some fats in as well. Usually flax oil and a little bit through some high glycemics like peanut butter and yams. little trick I learned from Dexter jackson.

I fought that battle for a couple years. Couldn't figure out the right time to start carbing, because I would typically look really full a couple days before the show and then flat the day of. I start my carbing up on Sunday nights now for sat prejudging. I also start drinking 2-2.5 gals of water on Sunday- weds. Thurs. I cut it back down 1.5 gals and friday I will stop it about 5pm.
I get some fats in as well. Usually flax oil and a little bit through some high glycemics like peanut butter and yams. little trick I learned from Dexter jackson.

Good stuff...you really start the carb up process early. Do you deplete from the wed. before that sun? If you don't mind, what kind of grams do you do from sunday on? Just curious how gradually you up them since you start carbing up so far out.

Just trying to get all the different opinions. That last week is where the science and experimentation really pay off. Good stuff so far...

Also I like diazide as well. Doubling your water acts as a diuretic in itself. It will help keep you flushing the water out once you cut it on Friday. Do you manipulate your salt intake as well QOD?

How about carb loading? How do you manipulate them and will you do it the same way you have in the past for your upcoming competition?

i prefer diazide because it is calcium/magnesium/potassium AND sodium sparing. you need to utilize it starting on the wednesday to get the full benefits of this diuretic and yes, it will help with keeping the body "flushing" but you have GOT to keep that water intake high until friday.

manipulating the aldosterone hormone is done quite effectively by doubling water intake for 4 days and on the 5th, cutting it in half, eventually (5pm or so) cutting it out all together.

it takes about 48 hours for your body to realize that it's water supply has been cut off and only then will it start holding onto any and all water (mostly subcutaneously)

this is a problem alot of people run into with water manipulation, they drop their water way too soon, i have seen people drop their water completely on thursday, this of course leads to them watering over by saturday.

as far a loading (for myself) goes, i don't change my diet in the last week as i diet very low carbs. i may add a bit of complexed carbs on thursday nite depending how i am looking.

around 2 hours after i drop my water, i have a large meal which consists of fats, sodium and carbs (for the most part) such as a nice big steak and baked potato. this is all the sodium loading i need as i am quite sensitive to it.

im also carb sensitive, so after my big meal, a couple of handfuls of jelly beans or gum drops every couple of hours is sufficient for me, just NO water. in the morning, before competing, i have pancakes and syrup, which don't taste so great without a big glass of milk:(

half a bottle of glycerine around an hour before stepping on stage and im good to go;)

Basically I eat the same foods that I've been eating throughout my diet. I'll add in some simple sugars on wed and thurs then on friday I'll start eating red meat instead and towards the end of the day pretty much eat protein and fat. I'm doing things quite different this year. I'm not depleating at all. I'll basically be keeping my carbs pretty high for the final 2 weeks of my prep. I haven't gone below 140g of carbs at any point in my diet and even when I do it's only for 1 day. It actually takes 72 hours for your body to start to realize what's going on with your water and for you to start spilling over. I don't worry about much since my nutritionist does all the thinking for me. I'll actually drink 3 gallons of water up till wed, then 2 on thursday, on friday I would drink a gallon by 1pm and then have about a half gallon until about 6pm on friday night if prejudging is on sat. I dont' wanna go into too much detail since I do use someone for my diet. But that's the basics of it. I personally can't stand low carb diets and I'm really opposed to the whole shit loading tech. I saw a kid 2 weeks ago at a show I judged that used the shit load method and ofcourse he looked great when he got there and then spilled over bad. You have to be so lean and dry to do it. It's not worth it.

Basically I eat the same foods that I've been eating throughout my diet. I'll add in some simple sugars on wed and thurs then on friday I'll start eating red meat instead and towards the end of the day pretty much eat protein and fat. I'm doing things quite different this year. I'm not depleating at all. I'll basically be keeping my carbs pretty high for the final 2 weeks of my prep. I haven't gone below 140g of carbs at any point in my diet and even when I do it's only for 1 day. It actually takes 72 hours for your body to start to realize what's going on with your water and for you to start spilling over. I don't worry about much since my nutritionist does all the thinking for me. I'll actually drink 3 gallons of water up till wed, then 2 on thursday, on friday I would drink a gallon by 1pm and then have about a half gallon until about 6pm on friday night if prejudging is on sat. I dont' wanna go into too much detail since I do use someone for my diet. But that's the basics of it. I personally can't stand low carb diets and I'm really opposed to the whole shit loading tech. I saw a kid 2 weeks ago at a show I judged that used the shit load method and ofcourse he looked great when he got there and then spilled over bad. You have to be so lean and dry to do it. It's not worth it.

what works for some, doesn't work for others. we are all individuals, so each person will react differently to contest prep/dieting/supplementation.

shit load's are not for everyone, and i agree with you 100%, you HAVE to stay dry to do it (and be very shredded to pull it off)

i spill over from "traditional" carbs loads, my body is just too damn carb sensitive.

IMO, this is an excellent thread, especially for new comers to the sport. they can get a good idea on different approaches that seasoned athletes use when preparing for competition.

the best advice i could give is to be in contest shape around 4 weeks out and PLAY with different approaches. no two people are the same....it would be a pretty boring world if we were;)