Making the Cut (49 page)

THE 7-DAY PEAKING DIET

Okay, you have a week until your big event, and you need to know, in simple instructive terms, how to look your absolute best. At this point you’re not going to lose any real weight, give or take a pound, so your last-resort dirty trick is all about water weight.

Water Reduction

Water makes up about 60 percent of total body mass. When we retain extra water, it is usually stored within the natural fluid that surrounds our cells (extracellular fluid)—this is what makes you feel bloated or fat. Imagine if you could drop that extra fluid safely and effectively, how slim you would feel, and how much more definition you would see in your body. Stop imagining: you can! I’m sure you have all heard athletes, especially boxers and wrestlers, use the term “cutting weight.” This refers to excess water weight that they drop right before a weigh-in. Well, actors and models use the same techniques to get ready for the red carpet, and you can use them too for whatever special occasion you’re gearing up to attend.

Three key dietary factors influence water retention: water consumption, sodium intake, and carbohydrate consumption. As strange as it sounds, the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated, your body will hang on to its water supplies with a vengeance, possibly causing the number on the scale to inch upward. Remember, sodium holds 50 times its weight in water. To put this fact in perspective, if you were to eat a pickle, the next day you could be holding one additional pound of water weight. We covered sodium intake earlier (see Chapter 2), but we are going to get crazy-strict about it during the peaking phase—you’ve only got seven days, remember.

Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of glycogen as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some glycogen is stored in the liver, and some is stored in the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound, and when stored it is packaged with three or four pounds of water. That is why actors and models will often go on a low-sodium, low-carb diet several days before a special event or photo shoot.

Exactly seven days before your big day, whatever it is, you will follow the 7-Day Peaking Diet the same way you’ve followed the rest of my program: to the letter. It will cover exactly what to eat and drink to drop excess water weight fast. Always remember, though: don’t go over the edge and think you can stay “peaked” permanently. It’s not healthy to keep your body in a state of dehydration or carb depletion. You can stay peaked only for about a week or so. Anything beyond that can lead to burnout and actually have counterproductive effects on your physique.

Here is a list of natural diuretics that you can utilize during this peaking period. Even though they are natural, you should use them in moderation; they may be healthier than taking water pills, but you shouldn’t overdo it.

Diuretic herbs and foods you can consider include: dandelion tea, green tea, linden, stinging nettle, sugar-free cranberry juice, and diuretic fruits and vegetables such as asparagus, celery, cucumber, onion, parsley, eggplant, watermelon, lemon, garlic, and peppermint.

SWEATING IT OUT

Another effective, if unpleasant, way to shed water weight when you absolutely have to bring that last little bit of muscle-definition out is to simply sweat it out. You have two basic choices here, one easy, one hard: you can sit in a sauna for two 20-minute sessions with a 10-minute rest period between; or you can do some intense cardio for an hour while wearing a sweatshirt. I’ve done both, and they both suck. I mean it—you’ll be tired, grumpy, and hungry. But the results will pay off. (Take a look at my book cover if you don’t believe me.) If your body is weakened by illness or injury, you should not undertake this method of shedding water weight. And if you start to feel faint or weak while sweating it out, you should stop and replenish your fluids.

The 7-Day Diet

The following diet regimen applies to all oxidizer types. It is not about optimal fat burning or muscle growth—it’s about shedding water and getting ripped up for that jaw-dropping effect we all need from time to time. You can switch any of the meals on this list around at any time during the week; if you like the lunch from Day 3 but not the one on Day 4, any of the meals on the diet are acceptable at any time. As for calories, we are going to hit the absolute bottom, as far as we healthily can, to crash out that last bit of weight. Therefore for this week and this week only, you will abandon the calorie allowance you calculated for yourself at the outset of the program and follow the exact portions I’ve laid out for you here instead.

During this week you can use all the sodium-free seasonings mentioned on Chapter 2. Do not use real salt at all this week—not even a little. (Come on, we have gotten this far—suck it up, and let’s finish this with a bang!)

One last caveat:
Do not do this diet for longer than seven days.
If you do, you will risk slowing your metabolism and losing muscle mass. This diet is effective for seven days and seven days only. The diet plan outlined for you in The Routine (see Chapter 2) is the most effective for gaining muscle and shedding fat. This is just about temporarily losing water weight to peak your physique!

Congratulations!
You now have all the knowledge, tips, and secrets you will ever need to whip yourself into the best shape of your life. Use what I’ve taught you wisely, and it will stand you in good stead for years to come. I hope the past 30 days have shaken you up a little, made you aware of what you’re capable of. Now go with God, and knock ’em dead, baby!

FOOTNOTES

^*1
If that’s what you’re looking to do, you need to go buy my first book,
Winning by Losing,
and then meet me right back here later.

^*2
I recommend distilled water because it’s sodium free, but other forms of noncarbonated water are also fine as long as they have
no sodium.
Again, read your labels.

^*3
See Bicep Curl variation below.

The material in this book is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice and care of your physician. As with all new weight-loss or weight-maintenance regimens, the fitness and nutrition program described in this book should be followed only after first consulting with your physician to make sure it is appropriate for your individual circumstances. Keep in mind that nutritional needs vary from person to person, depending on age, sex, health status, and total diet.

Copyright © 2007 by Jillian Michaels

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

Three Rivers Press and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, in 2007.

Michaels, Jillian.

                                    Making the cut : the 30-day diet and fitness plan for the strongest, sexiest you / Jillian Michaels.—1st ed.

                                                                        p. cm.

1. Weight loss. 2. Reducing diets. 3. Physical fitness. I. Title.

RM222.2M482 2007

613.2'5—dc22                                                                                           2006101331

eISBN: 978-0-307-44962-7

v3.0_r2