I never had to use any type of diuretic, i was always able to get super shredded and scaley looking if you know what im talking about, but i would certainly use it if for some reason i prepped for a show all those month, then got sick or something happened where i needed to pull some last minute water out of me, but i wouldnt count on using it from the start. Plus you really should use it before a show if its goingt o be the first time youve used it before, it can have very serious backlash and do the opposite of what you want, along with a plethora of other things.