OTC diuretics

[donz]

Hey guys - just a quickie! Anyone got personal pref on an OTC diuretic? And also personal opinions and experience on the best time to take them? Leading up to deplete? During? During load? Etc - any useful info would be awesome, thanks in advance!

[jimmybro1]

From my limited experience with them, I would say they are a waste of time and money. Water loading is probably your best option.

[weener lad]

Hey guys - just a quickie! Anyone got personal pref on an OTC diuretic? And also personal opinions and experience on the best time to take them? Leading up to deplete? During? During load? Etc - any useful info would be awesome, thanks in advance!

I use to use the NutraLife Herbal Diuretics they are fairly run of the mill stuff and seemed to do the job.

Without getting the old comp diary out to give you exact times numbers ect. I would start adjusting my water 3 days out from the show. 6-8 litres Day 1 (which was my normal daily intake), 3-4 Day 2, Day 3 500ml-1 litre (night before show) and then putting it back in as required on show day. The diuretics were going in 3 times a day up till the morning of the show where I would have some in the morning then drop them out. I found this technique worked well for me as the diuretics helped that small amount to keep the toilet visits occurring once the water was out.

Disclaimer: This worked for me, it allowed me to get very dry while still keeping enough water in for my carb loading to ensure I went on stage full (as full as us athletic guys get :pfft: ). The figures are a rough guide as looking in the mirror and judging how your body feels during the process are very important to ensuring your not under/over doing it.

I'm not sure of your experience levels but I would suggest going with a generic technique if it is your first show. Once you work out how your body reacts you can adjust or try new things. Just be cautious I've seen guys blow this part and come in full but very soft, or in my case dry but flat as a pancake.

[Pseudonym]

Good advice, Weener Lad. You've done a lot more comps than me, but I think I'm right in saying that the key here is trial and error. What works for one person may not work for another. Ideally, you'd get yourself lean early enough that you could do a dummy run the week before. And keep detailed notes on what you eat/drink, and when.