Preparing for a fitness competition involves altering your diet in the weeks leading up to the event. The purpose of making changes to what you eat is to increase muscle tone and symmetry in order to impress judges. Modifying your training to enhance your dietary changes also helps to increase your chance of success in competition.
Planning
Decreasing body fat ratio is a primary goal of fitness competitors in the eight to 12 weeks leading up to a competition. It is necessary to design a nutrition plan in order to reach your goal. Calculate your body fat ratio before you begin your diet plan at the beginning of your preparatory period and monitor it weekly. Keep a daily log of what you eat, including calorie count.
Foods to Eat
A diet plan for competition should include foods that provide enough calories for your training and daily activities but do not lead to adding fat to your body. Proteins are important for your diet because they are needed for muscle growth and repair. Sources of protein include chicken, turkey, fish and beef.
Carbohydrates are also an important component in a diet and should come from sources such as green leafy vegetables and oat bran. Include fat sources that contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, such flax seed oil. Avoid vegetable oils, butter, mayonnaise and any fried foods.
Meals
The amount of food you actually consume depends on your body weight. Your daily intake of calories should equal 8 to 15 calories per pound of your body weight. The percentage breakdown of calories consumed should be 30 percent protein, 55 percent carbohydrates and 15 percent fats.
Plan your daily meals a week in advance to make it easier to stick to your diet. Drink plenty of water. Do not drink coffee or consume alcohol. Eat five small meals a day. As you get close to the competition, the percentages of what you consume should change. Increase the ratio of protein and decrease the ratio of carbohydrates.
Training
A diet alone will not help you reach your desired body fat ratio. Adding more cardio exercises to your regular training can help you maximize your fat loss potential. Keep a daily tab of your workout.
Precautions
Do not skip any meals during your preparation period. Being hungry makes your body store fat and slow down metabolism. If you do not feel you are losing fat quickly enough, add more aerobic exercise to your training. Be careful of losing too much weight too fast. This can lead to losing muscle as well.
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