I’m at the end of a very long, arduous, weight loss program. I went through v-diet, WW, and, my last plan has been Medifast. But, I’ve reached my personal goal, and I’m ready to transition onto plain fitness. (I’ve chipped away the general shape from the granite . . now it’s time to sculpt)
Anyway, about 10 weeks ago, I joined a 12 week long “Biggest Loser” competition. So, I decided to time my diet’s “end” with the contest end. I just noticed that as of week 8, I’m in 4th place, so, I could actually win this thing. And, I decided to do it by doing a little cutting. Fair or not-fair, I figured I’ve paid my dues . . I’m down about 75lbs since last may. Plus, this will be good practice if I ever do want to get serious about building . . .
Anyway, after a lot of googling, I came up with the following plan, and I’d like to get your collective input on it.
Here’s what I’ve been doing the last 4 months to lose weight:
Medifast: Very low calorie (800-1000kcal) diet (6/7 meals a day (7 on workout days)) (Roughly 80-85g carbs/day). 3x/week strength training.
The last two weeks, I’ve added in 2 days a week of 45 mins or so of running. (5 days /week exercise)
I have 10 days till my weigh in. I’m currently at 182lbs, 20-25% body fat, depending on which of my scales I use, and how well I caliper myself 
My cut plan:
* Every day: Very low carb. All carbs come from fiber and almonds. I'm INCREASING my caloric intake to roughly 1400-1500 calories (200g protein, 60g fat, 25g carbs). Add 30-60 mins of WALKING (very light cardio) in the morning, before eating ANYTHING. Maintain my 3x/week strength workouts. They are very short, and should not be impacted by the loss of carbs. (Especially with the boost of protein / fat)
* From now till 3 days out: 2 gallons of water a day. Try to use salt. (I normally use very little). I'm also starting a diuretic: MHP Xpel -- I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
* Three days out: Cut sodium completely.
* Two days out: Drop water to 1 gallon
* 24 hours before weigh in: Start food / water fast. (i.e. do not eat or drink until weigh in). Not sure if I should do the light cardio this day.
* Sweat a lot before final weigh in. Mix of light cardio & off and on in the sauna should do the trick. Don't worry, I'll stop if I start feeling bad.
So – my questions are – How does this look? Should I nix the diuretic? It feels very strange to be cutting with MORE calories than I’m used to. But, it is a significant drop in carbohydrates, which should be all that matters for cutting water, right? The extra light cardio will help me to drop a bit more fat too.
Thanks in advance!