Water depletion works different for every one. It depends on how much your body is holding as well. I've had success doing the tapering methods sometimes but then other times, that didn't seem to work for me. I don't get any results at all from Taraxatone and others seem to do really well with it. Now, in terms of the amount of water that you were drinking during your tapering, I think that was far too much. A gallon on Friday? That's like 4 litres isn't it? In my opinion that's far too much.
The only diuretic I've used thus far is Aldactazide and I really liked it. Dyazide is a popular choice though.
I'm sure there are more people that will give you their input on this issue.
One more thing, in dropping your water, it's best to try different methods far in advance to the show and see what methods work for you. Rather than risking looking all watery on stage.
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Water depletion techniques