diuretics

Cunning: If you’re already up with about a gallon or more a day, I’d say go for the potasium supplementation now - start off with 400 mg and add 200 mg a day til your up to 800 mg. What I’m worried about is that it takes 2-3 days for you body to start shedding the water after such an increase in water intake, so you’ll actually be bloated for the first 2-3 days, and will actually gain weight initially! Keep the dandelion root until the last day. You can also try to get your hands on some dieters tea (try a local health store, although a decent health/diet food isle at a local supermarket should have this) = a cup with each capsule of dandelion root (so 3x on that last day before) will help you squirt out a bit and shouldn’t effect your performance too much. But I can’t stress enough to base this on how your feeling now, and how you reacted to the duiretics you already took. Also remember that your 5 lbs or so lower from your “training” weight - that’s a fair amount when it comes to pull ups, so they’ll be that much easier! Best of luck!

Well, its 3 days until the test now and I have not started the potasium yet. This morning when I got up I was 193 after the morning piss and I’m still at high water intake. Should I start to cut back the water and start the potasium today or should I wait until tomorrow? The good news is when I went to bed last night I was only 197 - usually I’m around 200 so it looks like my body is starting to shred the water now. Based on this do I even need the dandelion root the last day? I’ll keep you updated and thanks again for all the help Steve-O, you could very well be helping to keep me employed!!

Okay, its 3 days out (well today is almost over so basically 2 days out) and I’ve started with the potassium this afternoon at 200mg - i’ll take another 200mg this evening and I’ll up it to 600mg tomorrow. I’ll also take my water consumption down a notch tomorrow to around 6 liters or 1.5 gallons. Things look good and I’m feeling good as well. One question - is brown rice, apples, and oats good for the carb up or should I use Yams?

Okay - one last thing - will the potassium make my body retain water for a few days? - cause if it will then should i not bother with it because i’m only 2.5 days out now and if i take it now i may end up bloated right at test time? thanks for the help.

Cunning: I’d keep the water up to 1.5 up until the day before - then drink about 1.25 until about 2 in the afternoon. Then nothing/sips until test time (hope it’s in the morning). The potasium should help you shed a bit more water, not retain it. My understanding is that it attracts the sodium molecules and helps you drop the water that they are holding. As for the dandelion root, that’s up to you - based on what your telling me, I’d almost not bother, but if you feel like you need the bit extra margin, then add some in on that day before, but only sparingly. With that, the potasium and the dieters tea (weightless tea it’s sometimes called) you should drop another few lbs the day before (perhaps 2).

As for the carbs, things like yams are the best, I’d place brown rice in there second though. The idea is something very low glycemic that will help you restore your glycogen stores without sucking up too much water or get stored as fat.

I'm glad to hear that your feeling OK though. The first time I did this, I felt like shit about 1 week out, but I was in pretty good ketosis. Water reduction cycles like this generally doesn't hit me that hard. How close are you to making the number of lifts you need? I would think that a few lbs lighter should have helped.

Best of luck. Steve.

Thanks again Steve-O. Well as far as the number of lifts that I need to do - I don’t need to do any. The chin up saga was as a result of me missing the testing in person and having to get a trainer to certify the fact that I could do 15 chins. Well it turns out that I’m gonna be there for the testing so all I gotta do is make weight and do the “other” physical requirements. I did train for chins though up until a month ago and I was up to 7 chins - starting from 1. I would have made 15 but I altered my training when I found out that I did not need to do the chins.

As for the weight loss, this morning after the morning piss I was at 192. As of this minute I’m 198 after many glasses of water. Tomorrow is the day before so I will keep the water to 1.5 at 2pm and then just sip (the test is at 11am the next day). I will try to get some yams tonight but if not I will just use the brown rice and eat it with protein (is that a bad idea to eat it with the protein?). I started with the potassium and I’m at 600mg today. I do not have any dieters tea but I do have the dandelion root - I will take two caps of that tomorrow during the carb up to try and stop any water retention that the carb up will cause.

I’ll let you know where I’m at tomorrow just before I go to bed - its not like I’m gonna gain weight while I’m sleeping. Do you think its okay to have some carbs test day morning - or should the carb up the night before be enough? Thanks again Steve-O.

Okay - Steve-O - you say to take some caffeine the morning of the test. Would it hinder me to take that caffeine with some ephedrine? I figure it would help me but I don’t want to burn out. I have not used any for over a week so I should not be “immune” to its effects I would not think (and I only used it for one week straight the last time). Thanks again - I own you big time.

No worries Cunning. Sounds like your on track. So what’s the rest of the physical requirements?

I’m not sure about the protien with the carbs the day before - I personally haven’t tried it, but I’ll be getting ready for a “live model” for a nutritionist seminar soon (and perhaps some photos too at the same time), so perhaps I’ll try it. I previously just done the fatty protien (salmon) as a meal the night before, like around 8 pm. I find it kicks my energy back in and satisfies the protien requirements. Don’t be too discouraged about a weight the night before - I suspect that with the dandelion root you’ll be pissing into the night (which I guess is better then the wind :-), and you’ll be quite a bit lighter the next morning - your changing right now about 6 lbs throughout the day, I’d expect at least that much of a drop from your high at around 2-3.

As for the carbs the next morning, I think if your going to do that, keep it really small amounts, like less then 1/4 cup (measured uncooked) of oatmeal or something. This is just to give you something to run off of. If you absolutely have to, you can have another one right before. Don’t forget the coffee in the morning, as it will give you a bit of a kick and act as a diuretic at that point. My guess is that you’ll be somewhere around 190 by your weigh in. Good luck again.

Hey Steve-O, okay well last night I went to bed at 197 and this morning I’m at 193 so I can count on dropping 4 lbs over night. I just have to be under 200lbs so I’d like to be 5lbs under. I’ll be okay for the weight in as far as I can see - thanks for all your help. I’ll skip the protein with the carbs as you are my “dry run” and keeping them apart has worked for you so…

so now all I have to worry about is the “other” physical requirements - here they are: SHUTTLE RUN: the runner completes a minimum of 90, 20-metre runs back and forth, or 1800 metres (1.1 miles) at pre-determined beeps starting at 8.2 seconds per 20 metres and progressing faster throughout the 1800 metres.

UPRIGHT ROW: in a standing position, back against the wall, knees slightly bent, and hands placed shoulder width apart on the bar, lift a 23-kg (51 lb.) barbell to shoulder height. The metronome will be set at 40 beats per minute or 20 lifts per minute. The standard is 18 repetitions per minute.

PUMP/HOSE/CARRY/DRAG: which must be completed in under four minutes and ten seconds. The timer starts when the pump is placed on the ground.

For safety purposes, this test must be performed wearing a hard hat, coveralls, and work boots.
Start by carrying 30-kg (65-lb) Mark III pump 100 metres without stopping - 50 metres out and back.
Next pick up four 30-metre (100 ft) lengths of 1.5-inch hose, (31 kg/68 lbs.), putting it over the shoulders and carrying it a distance of 300 metres - 75 metres out and back twice.
Upon completion of the above, pick up a charged length of 1.5-inch hose and drag it 50 metres out and back twice for a total of 200 metres. Hose lengths must be pulled over the shoulder with one hand and grasped behind the back with the opposite hand to pass this test.

This is why I was a bit worried about being able to have carbs the morning of - I’m gonna be throwing out a lot of energy with all these tests so I’d like to have some readily available to my body. Thanks again for all the help - I’ll keep you posted through the day to let you know how my weight is.

Okay - its 1:45 pm the day before and I’m 196. I’m on my last bottle of water before the carb up - after which I will have consumed 1.5 gallons today. It will bring my weight up to 198 but I have to piss really bad so I’m guessing 197 at the start of the carb up. I’ll keep you posted on the carb up progress. With any luck I will be around 193 at bedtime tonight.

okay - its 3pm and i’ve had 2 servings of yams and I’m at 194 at this point. This is looking good and based on this weight at this point I will not be using the dandelion root - but this could change based on my weight later on in the day.

It is now 7:20pm, I’m 196 and I’m finished with the carb up for now. I will have some protein and an apple before I go to bed along with some cottage cheese. Looks like I’ll be under weight with no problem. I figure I’ll lose 1 or 2 pounds over night so I should be good. Hopefully the carb up will give me plety of energy for tomorrow.

10:30pm, 196 lbs, going to bed with lots of energy it seems. I’m ready to go!! Thanks again for the help. _cunning linguist

Hey Steve-O. Thank you from me - cunning linguist. I weighed in at 187 and kicked ass on all the testing. I would never have made weight without your help - thanks a million!

Cunning: No problem dude, glad I could help (9 lbs overnight? Not bad!:-). Best of luck in your new job.