I am getting ready for a figure show and have not been able to find much info on what to eat the night before and the morning of the show. Can anyone help?

Hi Laura, that question is highly subjective as to how your condition is the night before the show. A lot of factors come into play.

What is your diet like now? What is your current condition? Are you happy with your progress, or are you looking to add some last minute hardness/water loss? What supplements are you taking? What does your last week of dieting look like (some folks like to get carried away here)?

Just a few things, but generally if you are happy with your current condition, just keep doing what you are doing and DON'T do anything drastic the night before or the morning of... IF your diet is really good the day up the show and you are happy with how you look, why change anything?

Was there a plan you had in mind that you want to ask about?..... on that note, Beverly Goo is pretty good the day of your show, but then again, that can also be pretty subjective!

My diet is good and working very well up to this point. I will be one wk out this Sat. I'm just confused about the whole water/sodium thing. A few people have told me to drop my water on thursday and other people say not until Fri. I'm definately going w/ the goo before stage time. Still don't know what to eat the night before. I don't eat beef.

Laura, there are so many conflicting opinions out there.

But, I was one of the driest in the show and here is how I did it at a bodyweight of 138.

Sun-Tues carb deplete and tain all bodyparts, Monday drop condiments and added salt, but continue to eat eggs for some sodium until Weds. 2 gallons of water each day.

Weds: water 1 gallon, 930 grams of carbs (my saturation point based on a fully depleted cell to carb it up over 24 hours) spread over 18 meals, on the hour every hour so I didnt spill. I had 200 grams of water with each meal which equalled one gallon of water. I started Taraxatone 12 per day. No eggs, kept protein at 1.25 my lean body mass need to account for protein in the carbs, I ended up just nibbling on small protein. Carbs were white potato one meal, then sweet potato and rice cakes the other, alternated every other meal.

Thurs, 630 carbs, ONLY sweet potato and 3 rice cakes per meal, bits of protein to get to 1.25. Water at 1/2 gallon or 100 grams per meal. 12 taraxatone. Start loading Density 1 per meal, total 18 per day.

Fri: 300 carbs, or 5 salt free rice cakes with 2 tbs natty pb 8 meals, 1/4 gallon or 110 grams of water with 8 meals. That night after weigh ins filet mignon, white potato, 6 oz white wine and cheesecake from Outback steakhouse.

Sat morning, 6 am 2 pancakes made with distilled and lots of butter, 2 pancake at 8 am, then 4 salt free rice cakes and 2 tbs of natty pb up to stage time. while pumping up a snickers bar.

As you can see I carb loaded and droppe water. 1 gram of carb holds 2.7 grams of water. I also tapered sodium, but added it back friday night and with the pancakes and snickers bat.

On saturday morning I had NO WATER until having 12 oz at pump up with snickers...

I was full and dry, check out the pics in my signature, and Im a drug free athlete.

The moral of the story is, if you deplete water and dont eat enough carbs to fill out, YOU WILL be flat. Dont eat enough carbs, cut water and sodium, super flat wont even look that lean.

The other strategy is not change a thing, but I wouldnt have been as dry as I was.

To be safe for you Id take the highest number of carbs you dieted on multiply that by 3.5 for Weds intake, spread over 8-9 meals, then take 2.5 x highest intake during prep for Thurs, and then take 2 x carbs for prep for Friday. have the meal I had friday evening, and what I did for Sat. work your water like I did. If you want to take Taraxatone that will help with sub Q, but you will need to load the carbs or you will flatten if you use any natural diuretic.

As always some will say change nothing, but I was drier than those taking that approach.

Good Luck!

Laura
Here is what I did:
Sunday before show:
BF: 3oz gr turkey, 3 eggwhites, 1 whole egg, omelett veggies (broccoli, bell pepper, mushrooms), 25 gr oatmeal, 1/2 grapefruit
S: US cake (2.5 scoops US)
L: 7oz chickenbreast, salad
S: Shake (2 sc UMP, 1 MP)
D: 7oz chickenbreast, salad, asparagus
S: 1 cup oatmeal, medium sweet potato, 1/2 banana
Monday:
Same meal plan, Dinner broccoli/cauliflower, no carbup meal, drink about 1.5 gallons, add some extra salt at BF/L/D, add 1 scoop Creatine with every meal
Tuesday:
BF, L, D same as Sunday, added 1 tsp Almond Butter to US cake, replaced shake with US cake, drink about 2 gallons
Wednesday:
BF, L same, D: 6oz buffalo burger, grean beans, broccoli, S 1: US cake w/Almond Butter, S 2: shake, S 3: 1 scoop each US/UMP with 1 tsp Almond Butter, drink 2 gallons
Thursday:
Same as Tuesday, add 1.5 cup oatmeal, medium sweet potato, 1/2 banana, 1tsp Almond Butter as S3, drink about 1 gallon, drop salt after lunch
Friday:
BF, S1, L, S2, D: 6oz ground beef, 1/2 grapefruit, 1/2 scoop each US/UMP; S3: 6oz ground beef, medium sweet potato, drink about 2/3 gallon
Saturday:
BF: 2 whole eggs, 4 oz ground beef, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 grapefruit
S: 4oz ground beef, 4oz sweet potato
Snickers/peanut butter during pump-up
After prejudging: 4 oz ground beef, 4 oz sweet potato, 1/2 grapefruit, then before finals 2 more meals just ground beef/sweet potato
Pump-up same as before
Drink sips of H2O as needed throughout the day.

I won the Lighweight Masters Over 40 Class, according to all the judges that I talked to being in the best shape they've seen me.

Thank you all for your help! These diets make much more sense than what I was told to do.