Now that I have finished my first contest this year hopefully i can take some of the things I learned and apply them to future shows. I worked a lot on my dieting this show and learned a lot about how my body holds water weight. Here's some tips on how to shed a few lbs of water weight to tighten up that physique for the summer.

1. Be strict with your diet- no cheating and no guesstimating. Be realistic, you either have the will and determination or you don't. Don't sell yourself short on a rewarding way to reach your potential physique.
   
   
   
2. Count your calories and macro nutrients
   
   
   
3. Cycle your carbohydrates.
   
   
   
4. drink a gallon to a gallon and a half of water a day. You wont retain it since you are depleting your carbohydrates.
   
   
   
5. Your fat intake should be determined on how much muscle mass you are carrying. People with higher body fat and less muscle need to cut a lot of fat out of their diet. 
   
   
   
6. If you are holding enough muscle you should add enough cardio during your workouts to burn the excess fat and carbohydrate calories. I like to burn around 400 a day doing cardio. 
   
   
   
7. One serving of complex carbohydrates a day (mid day meal) and one serving of simple sugars (before workout). On low carb days.
   
   
   
8. Intake less calories on rest days.
   
   
   
9. I lift 5-6 days a week. People who over train should focus more on dieting outside the gym. Being a strict dieter will benefit you more than being a person who trains too much.
   
   
   
10. Throw in extra gym work like cardio and abs into your week. Maybe even on a rest day. 
    
    
    
11. Don't eat past dinner time and avoid carbohydrates when you aren't going to be using them. (i.e. sleep, long periods of inactivity).
    
    
    
12. I like to spend 10 minutes in the sauna twice a week to help work out the water. But always stay hydrated and consistent with your hydration.