Water loss question

[theimmortal1]

I am not a bodybuilder, I compete in grappling, pro boxing, and pro mma. I walk around at 190-195 and compete at 170. I was wondering if anyone had any helpful tips (or links) for losing water weight while maintaining muscle strength. I already know about drinking 2 gallons a day and cutting sodium and eating natural diuretics (asparagus, cucumbers), but I still end up hitting the sauna everytime and end up cutting lots of calories a few days before which ends up making me groggy and tired even after 24 hours of recovery after the weigh-in. I know bb's lose crazy amounts of water to dry out before comp. and I have heard stories about them being drained as hell and passing out backstage and whatnot. I don't know how true these stories are, I have just heard rumors. By the way, by the week of comp I am normally at less than 8% bf, I walk around at only 10-12% bf, so I don't think losing anymore bf is going to help much. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[chris_h1]

how do I get rid of that excess fluid
I'm going to outline the steps I follow when I have a little extra fluid to lose, so that you also can get rid of that stubborn water weight, and achieve the thin skin, and truly striated look of competitive bodybuilders and Before you start to drop water weight though, it is wise to know if you are lean enough to even begin considering it.

If you are above 7 or 8% body fat and you're looking to get extremely lean from water loss, it probably won't happen. But if you can already pretty much see your abdominal muscles, but have thick skin overlying them, and want to thin it out a bit, then these steps should be what you need to achieve the look you desire. Stick with it for a prolonged period of time, and give it a dedicated try. Nothing works overnight.

1) Drink More Water.

That's right. You've probably heard this one before, and it is definitely true. This is the most important advice I can give, and I cannot stress its importance. Besides flushing our your kidneys and entire digestive system, hydrating your body, and brain, thereby allowing your metabolism to function more effectively, and just making for a nicer skin tone and appearance, drinking more water causes you to release more water through excretion, thereby dropping "water retention".

Aim for 1-2 gallons of water a day, but be sure to take a complete multi-vitamin, as drinking a lot of water causes you to excrete many ions which may result in a deficiency of certain vitamins.

2) Sweat, Sweat, Sweat...

Sweating is a way of "evaporative cooling", a mechanism by which the body regulates its temperature. If you are sweating, it means your metabolism is probably in high gear, since a higher metabolism equals a higher resting body temperature for the most part. Also, water retention is not simply "water", but sodium ions trapped underneath the skin. This is why your sweat tastes salty. A trick I use is to sit in the sauna, and keep drinking water. In the beginning, your sweat will taste salty, telling you that you are retaining sodium.

After a while, your sweat will begin to taste like water. This tells you that you have sweat most of the sodium out that was being retained underneath your skin, which means you have lost a good portion of muscle-masking fluid. Once again, whenever sitting in a sauna, be sure to have water handy, and be sure to supplement with a vitamin, as you sweat out many of your essential vitamins.

3) Pose, Pose, Pose...

A lot of people don't like to sit in front of the mirror and squeeze their muscles, but I have found this to be one of the most important factors in truly achieving great detail deep within the muscle bellies. Besides causing you to sweat out subcutaneous fluid, posing allows you to gain greater control of your muscles. Try to flex just your posterior deltoid muscle, or just one muscle of your quadriceps.

It is a good method of practice for establishing a mind-muscle connection which will both enhance definition while posing, and allow you to better control your muscles during resistance training. The more you pose, and keep your sodium and water level low, the more cuts you will begin to see in your muscles over time, providing that your diet is on point as well.

4) Don't Gorge On The Salt!

That's correct, eating foods such as french fries, potato chips, and various other foods loaded with unnecessary amounts of sodium, will cause you to retain water. The body only needs between 2000-2500mg of sodium a day to complete its metabolic functions.

If you go way over that mark, you are indulging in a mineral which the American population has been using in excess for quite some time now, creating many health problems and concerns. Keep your sodium moderate, and replace excess salt with spices such as garlic, ginger, fresh vegetables, black pepper, chives, cilantro, Ms. Dash, hot sauce, or anything else your taste buds desire.

5) Fiber, Fiber, Fiber...

Most Americans, and even more surprisingly, most "bodybuilders", do not consume adequate amounts of fiber in their diet. Similar to water, which cleanses the urinary tract and kidneys, fiber cleanses the colon/intestinal tract, keeping things moving smoothly, and mores, aiding in the removal of excess fluid. In the morning, if I find that I need to drop some fluid, I will take 2 tablespoons of Psyllium Husk Orange Natural Colon Cleanser, mixed with water.

During my meals, I include fresh vegetables, and I steam the ones I cook very lightly or eat them raw with Balsamic Vinegar and/or garlic powder to make sure I don't boil out all of their nutrients. I also include fresh fruits such as blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, all of which have plenty of fiber and many antioxidants which help prevent against cancer and other ailments. When in doubt, berries are a great way to go.

6) Give Dandelion Root & Black Coffee Or Tea A Try!

I have found the natural herb dandelion root to be a good naturally occurring diuretic, when taken in conjunction with the previous methods I have outlined. Always make sure to drink PLENTY of water and watch your sodium levels, otherwise you will be wasting your time. Coffee and tea are naturally occurring diuretics as well, although some people might not like the jittery feeling caused by stimulants.

7) Tan, Tan, Tan...

Tanning helps to tighten up the skin, and drop excess fluid through sweating as well. Always use some sort of SPF level, and make sure to consume antioxidants (berries), on a frequent basis to fight off free radicals which can be carcinogenic

[fatlosspro]

I have found 2 different products you might want to try. I have not tried them myself but Animal Cut's by universal and/or L6? L3? by Censor? Let me know what you think or have heard. Also, try cucumber salad,

2 cucumbers sliced, 1 small onion sliced, 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar (i found braggs organic the best), 1 cup hot water, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and dill weed.

cut veggies. mix.
mix remaining ingredients and pour over cucumbers and onions in bowl with lid. Cover quickly and set in fridge overnight. Makes 4-6 servings and is a great way to lose water weight.


let me know what you think

[theimmortal1]

Never heard of L6 or L3 or Censor......Used to take Animal Cuts, I have found other fat burners I prefer though. Xyience Xcelerator is my favorite, but I also like the one MHP makes (forget the name), it is too expensive though and you have to take 4 pills for the same result I can get out of one pill of X. Plus the X doesn't make ke jittery as does Animal, MHP, AMP, and others I have tried. I will try the salad, doesn't look like it could hurt, hate onions, but who eats for taste anymore?..........Thanks.......I thought I would get more responses than this.