Dehydration mode: Give me 5 days, and I’ll show you how to achieve a cover model form.

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Did you know that fitness models dehydrate their bodies before every shoot? Here is the ultimate guide to dehydration mode.

If you’re getting in tip-top shape for a photo shoot and want to get rid of excess water, you need to know the simple secret of dehydration.

Otherwise, you are wasting potential. The process is relatively simple and pretty easy until the last day.

Who is the 5 Day Dehydration suitable for?

You should bring two requirements with you. Otherwise, it’s not worth it:

You are already defined as athletic: As a man, your body fat percentage may be below 12% (ideally: below 10%), as a woman, below 18% (ideally: below 15%).
You need 5 days: Your “Day X,” on which you want to be at your best, is at least 5 days in the future.

You might be wondering now.

Why should you dehydrate your body?

Some people think the topic of “dehydrating the body” is nonsense. I understand that. After all, it’s about cosmetics.

Targeted drainage is therefore just as “sensible” as attractive clothes, exciting cosmetics, or an attractive hairdo.

Maybe it’s also about fascination.

Try something new with your own body. You see how it feels. Hear new body signals. Maybe develop a new taste.

Or it’s about partying.

It’s an excellent trait to celebrate achievements. In fitness mentoring, I work with my clients to develop a target image for their bodies.

A photoshoot can be a fantastic reward.

Imagine you have reached your goal and are holding the photo in your hand.

Next to it is your target image from back then. And you think to yourself.

“Wow! You did it!”

A magical moment that is yours forever.

So do you need to dehydrate your body? Not.

But if the thought intrigues you even a bit, then read on.

What happens during drainage?

Have you ever noticed that some days you look better in your underwear than on other days?

This can have two causes:

Minimal water retention under the skin
Maximum water retention in the muscles

In principle, it is easy to flush out excess water. But if you get it wrong, you can do the exact opposite and lose your complete definition.

The remaining body fat becomes much more prominent when your muscles get flat from lack of water.

You want to keep your muscles hydrated to get your board shorts or bikini top shape.

If you understand how your body stores water under the skin and muscles, you can manipulate your water balance in your favor.

Drainage #1 – Why You Store Water Under Your Skin (And What Releases It)

The main reason for subcutaneous water is excess sodium, e.g., from table salt (sodium chloride).

The liquid is “trapped” under your skin because the water molecules attach to the sodium ions.

The result is also called “subcutaneous fluid retention.”

The fewer sodium ions in the subcutaneous tissue, the less bound water.

Plant extracts can also support the drainage of the subcutaneous tissue:

Asparagus extract has a draining effect without harming the body. Asparagus contains a lot of saponins and asparagusic acid – and they stimulate kidney activity.
Nettle extract supports drainage. Responsible is the contained silicic acid and various flavonoids. Studies show a diuretic effect for some flavonoids (e.g., quercetin).
Dandelion extract has a stimulating effect on the kidneys and bladder, thereby promoting drainage. The main players are so-called sesquiterpene lactone bitter substances.

Drainage #2: What binds water in the muscle?

The muscle fuel glycogen has the biggest effect on how bulging your muscles are with water.

Each gram of glycogen in the muscle binds about three times as much water.

Whether your muscular glycogen stores are empty or full can easily make a difference of 1-2 kilos on the scale.

And visually, it makes a huge difference.

How do you get the drainage of the hypodermis without losing muscle tone?

Dehydration mode: How to get in top shape in under a week

Many people are surprised when they hear the most important measure:

Drink a lot of water. Drink!

About 24 hours before you want to show off your perfect definition. Then you limit the amount you drink.

But if you don’t want to cut back on the water supply too soon because you would lose muscle volume, it wouldn’t be healthy.

On the other hand, you don’t want to increase the amount you drink too soon either.

This drainage can have its pitfalls.

#1 Dehydration mode – 5 days left: Less salt

You start eating less salt five days before your event (Day X).

Your meals may taste a little bland. No sauces, no salsa, no ketchup, etc.

Otherwise, you can continue to eat healthy and balanced as before.

Instead of salt, you can switch to other spices: paprika, chili, pepper, vinegar, oil, etc.

Now is a good time to mentally review the next few days.

The idea is that you have a clear roadmap in mind for the next few days and are ready to stick with it.

Maybe you are already looking forward to how amazed you will be in the morning in 5 days, and the first word that comes to mind is: “Wow…!”

#2 Dehydration mode – 4-3 days to go: Drink lots of water

Day 4 and 3 before day X look identical.

The goal is to drink a lot more water than you need.

This causes your body to start releasing the water from under your skin.

With the excreted water, you also lose minerals. Therefore, you should supplement these with a multivitamin/mineral supplement.

The Ikaria Juice is my favorite supplement and is well suited.

How to proceed:

Drink the daily amount of water recommended for your body weight (see below).
Continue to eat a low-salt diet.
Use a multivitamin/mineral supplement daily until “Day X” (recommendations in the Dietary Supplement Guide)

This is how much water you should drink on day 4 and day 3 before the event:

40-70 kg body weight: 5.5 liters of water
70-90 kg body weight: 7.5 liters of water
90-115 kg body weight: 9.5 liters of water

Dehydration mode: The goal is to drink enough water to pee about every 2 hours.

Ideally, you wake up several times during the night and have to go to the toilet.

Before falling asleep again, drink another large glass of water.

This will condition your body to flush out excess fluid.

Caution: Even more can become a boomerang at this point. It’s good to go by your body weight and not over-drink.

#3 Drain body – 2 days left: Drink normally

Today you do the following:

Drink the amount of water specified below for your body weight.
Now avoid salt as much as possible (only small amounts are still acceptable).
Use Fucoxanthin and Panax ginseng extract for a mild, natural, and safe diuretic. Follow the instructions on the pack. I use Ikaria Juice (cost: $1/day).

This is how much water you should drink on day 2 before the event:

40-70 kg body weight:2.75 liters of water
70-90 kg body weight: 3.75 liters of water
90-115 kg body weight: 4.75 liters of water

#4 Drain body – 1 day left: Drink little

The last day is not necessarily a walk, but you will master it well. After all, there are only 24 hours left until the big moment.

Today you drink very little and avoid liquid-rich meals such as soups.

Now your body hardly retains any water under the skin.

The plant extracts also help with drainage, but now you’ve stopped feeding.

Proceed as follows:

Drink the amount of water below in small sips throughout the day.
Salt is now wholly taboo!
Also, use a citrus pectin extract for natural toxic flush, e.g., Ikaria Juice. Follow the instructions on the pack.

This is how much water you should drink throughout the day today:

40-70 kg body weight: 200 ml of water
70-90 kg body weight: 300 ml of water
90-115 kg body weight: 400 ml of water

Your body separates from the water in the subcutaneous tissue.

#5 Drain Body – Day X: Today, you are in top form

If you have kept to the guidelines over the past few days, you should be in top form today.

Then you will see the difference in the mirror as soon as you get up.

If you want to preserve your best form throughout the day, proceed as follows:

Drink: Water in small amounts throughout the day.
Food: Small, regular snacks made from dried fruit and nuts – e.g., trail mix.

You can relax as soon as the shoot or the special moment is over. Have fun, and enjoy the time.

It is good if you now drink a normal amount of water again and listen to your thirst.

Handy if you’re doing it for a beach vacation: you’ll look more defined than usual for up to 7 days.

Dehydration mode – Bonus Tips

Here are some additional “best practices” to help you avoid the most common dewatering mistakes:

Don’t overdo the water withdrawal: Only limit your drinking drastically 24 hours before the event as stated above – not beyond that.
Beware of Alcohol: If Day X involves an event involving alcohol – be it a wedding or other celebration – be careful! You don’t tolerate as much alcohol as usual.
Sweating helps: It helps if you make your training sessions sweaty in the week before “Day X.” salt and water are flushed out of the subcutaneous tissue with the sweat.
No super low carb: You want to avoid your muscles looking flat on day X due to depleted glycogen stores.

Therefore, you should eat enough carbohydrates the week before the event.

You should not fall below 100-150 grams per day, depending on your body weight.

Well taken care of if you cover 35% of your calorie needs from carbohydrates.

There’s still something: The method described is the 80/20 solution.

Little effort, lots of profit.

If you’re serious about competing, like on stage as a bodybuilder or in the ring as a martial artist, there’s still room for improvement if you’re careful with your diet.

But if you want to “look good” like a model, you don’t need to go further than this route.

Dehydration mode – Conclusion

In 5 days to the six-pack model.

Why not?

If you’re already low in body fat today, why not go that last mile and get the definition that fitness models go to photo shoots within days?

For many people, a photo shoot is a great motivation and a nice reward at the same time.

The effort that you still have to put in for this is manageable. The result could be unique. The 5-step method described will help you to drain your body.

I think successes should be celebrated. Whether with a photo shoot or something completely different – a friend rewarded herself with a parachute jump, for example.