Your Best Last Minute Cutting / Prep Tips

[Zylo]

Hey Everyone,

I just found out I'll be doing a photo/video shoot in a few days for Cosmo magazine and possibly on TV? I didn't catch all the details, just where to be and when.. I'll be doing some type of bootcamp workout at a big gym...

Anyhow, since I just found out last minute, I'd like to be as cut as I can.

I'm looking for some of your best tips to look as cut/ripped as possible.

I have 3 Days to prep for this. Should I be dehydrating myself or taking any diuretics or supps? Increasing protein, decreasing carbs etc....

I've never prepped for a contest or anything so I haven't exactly learned that much about prepping and I'm aware 3 days isn't much time but that's all the notice I got..... regardless, I'd just like to look as chiseled as I can for this... I'll make the best of it and have some fun!

Any advice anyone would like to provide would be greatly appreciated.

What would you be doing to look ripped and contest prepped if you only had 3days?

Thanks in advance!

:)

[red rocket]

What r your carbs like normally. Do you stay low carb all the time. If so, then you can do a light carb-up. Eat 3-4oz of white potatoes every 3 hours while awake. This will help pull out the sub-q water while filling up the cells.

I'd taper my water, 5,3,1. 3 days isnt alot to work with.

[steve_d]

i'd say drop sodium to nothing, calories low...carbs next to nothing, water high. water is all you can lose at this point. its quite unlikely that upping carbs will do anything good, even if he's low carb since he is likely not contest ready. with a day to go stop drinking for 24 hours...you'll likely feel like crap, but you can lose a lot of water in a short time and look alot more ripped than you actually are.

[Sean Summers]

Be ready 3 weeks early.
SS

[red rocket]

i'd say drop sodium to nothing, calories low...carbs next to nothing, water high. water is all you can lose at this point. its quite unlikely that upping carbs will do anything good, even if he's low carb since he is likely not contest ready. with a day to go stop drinking for 24 hours...you'll likely feel like crap, but you can lose a lot of water in a short time and look alot more ripped than you actually are.

Good call, I was just hoping he was low carb all the time, lol. Another bro of mine has been living on 40g carbs a day for 8 months, so a normal quick carb up worked great for him for photo shoots.

[steve_d]

^true, but I bet people who eat 40g of carbs a day for 8 months are pretty damn ripped to begin with! (And likely wouldn't need help with how to get ripped for a shoot 3 days away :)

[Andre Gregoire]

i'd say drop sodium to nothing, calories low...carbs next to nothing, water high. water is all you can lose at this point. its quite unlikely that upping carbs will do anything good, even if he's low carb since he is likely not contest ready. with a day to go stop drinking for 24 hours...you'll likely feel like crap, but you can lose a lot of water in a short time and look alot more ripped than you actually are.

I agree with this!

I would probably add 2 hours/day of low intensity cardio too. In 3 days it could equate to almost a pound of fat loss which isn't huge but it can't hurt.

[Zylo]

Thanks for the quick replies and advice. Greatly appreciated!

Definately not on a low carb diet, I eat clean all the time and I'm pretty lean/muscular year round. I don't diet up or down to bulk up or cut very often.

Just seeing if there was any little tips/tricks to help look that little bit extra...

I'll take the advice you've all given me here and hopefully we'll have a fun time with it!

Couple quick inquiries:

- Been taking 5g creatine daily for a couple weeks, not sure if I should keep it up or just drop it for now...

- Any thoughts on taking a diuretic? I've never used them before so I'm not sure if they work well or what their affect on me would be.

- Zero Sodium, what in hell am I supposed to eat. lol, just went through my cupboards and fridge and I could find some things with very low sodium but not much with zero!? ha ha. Even my fresh spinach has 47mg / serving and the egg whites have some!?

One other thing to keep in mind, I do have to do a pretty intense bootcamp workout so I can't completely be out of energy and feel like crap!
:)

[steve_d]

Thanks for the quick replies and advice. Greatly appreciated!

Definately not on a low carb diet, I eat clean all the time and I'm pretty lean/muscular year round. I don't diet up or down to bulk up or cut very often.

Just seeing if there was any little tips/tricks to help look that little bit extra...

I'll take the advice you've all given me here and hopefully we'll have a fun time with it!

Couple quick inquiries:

- Been taking 5g creatine daily for a couple weeks, not sure if I should keep it up or just drop it for now...

- Any thoughts on taking a diuretic? I've never used them before so I'm not sure if they work well or what their affect on me would be.

- Zero Sodium, what in hell am I supposed to eat. lol, just went through my cupboards and fridge and I could find some things with very low sodium but not much with zero!? ha ha. Even my fresh spinach has 47mg / serving and the egg whites have some!?

One other thing to keep in mind, I do have to do a pretty intense bootcamp workout so I can't completely be out of energy and feel like crap!
:)

don't drop creatine. Even if it were true that you hold water taking it, its not going to go away overnight.
by zero sodium, basically just eliminate all dressings, salts, spices, etc. you don't need to take it to 0...going from 3-4 grams per day down to 200mg is a big drop, and if you're lean already, you'll feel it working right away. That assumes you were already used to salting everything.

I'll keep it simple: Just eat boiled chicken for the next 2 days, 1200 calories a day and drink 8 litres of water each day. 24 hours away, no water. I am not saying thats the best way, but if that doesn't drop 5-6 pounds then nothing will (aside from a few diuretics - but you shouldn't need that for what your doing).

[Zylo]

Thanks again, I'll let you all know how it goes! Should be a fun event

:greet

[Praetorian]

There is no need to drop sodium...you will flatten out severely, your blood pressure will drop, and you will not look good. Keep sodium in just cut in in half the last day. Do NOT taper water either another big mistake...tapering water cause an increase in aldosterone and you will start to retain water. Keep water high and you will start to flush water ie diuresis...you can take a herbal diuretic the day before with each meal which will increase diuresis even more. Stop water intake the day before around 8pm.
P

[Zylo]

Just to let everyone know who's interested...

Had a great time at the event, the advice here was exactly what I needed and it worked very well.

I just upped the low-moderate cardio for a couple days, drank as much water as possible and cut back the carbs/sodium just slightly.

I've never peed so much in my life but my abs were more defined

:)

It's only been 3 weeks since I've been back into working out hard again at the gym and really focusing on my diet so I'm sure some of my quick results were from that aswell.

Keep up the hard work everyone, I'll probably post some pics in the new year once I've got this train really rolling again.

Thanks again, much appreciated!
:yeah