Build A Contest Prep Diet For NATURAL Female Competitors

Let me tell you something. It is super easy to starve a competitor by feeding them 800, 900, 1000 calories a day and making them do hours upon hours of cardio… That’s not hard.

That’s not even coaching!

But a lot of you are hiring coaches who are doing exactly that. And then you’re wondering why your body isn’t responding, why you’re not losing fat while you’re losing a ton of muscle, why you’re feeling tired all the time.

It’s because you’re working with people who don’t know what they’re doing! And they’re giving you starvation diets and calling it a contest prep.

That’s not how any of this works!

But today, I want to tell you exactly what does.

Starting with Maintenance Calories

So whether you’re looking to start on a contest prep for the first time. Or you’re in the middle of a prep right now, and it’s just not going well. Or maybe you’re even coaching yourself. Today, I want to talk about how to create a contest prep diet from start to finish.

Here’s the thing. You need to get your mind around one thing, this is a mantra I’ve created for my company years ago, and I tell this to every single client I work with.

You must eat to be lean, eat to be strong, eat to have the body of your dreams.

Food is your greatest ally.

It is not your worst enemy.

So many women go into this contest prep game without knowing anything about nutrition. So many of you have fears around carbs or on eating too much fat and are eating too many calories, and it’s stopping you from seeing the results that you need to see.

Food is your greatest ally. It is not your worst enemy. Share on X

Next Step: Calculating Maintenance Calories

Let’s talk about the first thing you need to do when you’re embarking on a contest prep diet. And that is to begin your diet, starting with maintenance calories. The first thing I want you to figure out what your maintenance calories are and then track your eating just as you are normally. Don’t change anything, see how much of a difference there is between what you’re eating now and what your maintenance should be.

The EASIEST Caloric Equation For Maintenance Calories

There are a ton of equations about how to get there, but one of my favorite easiest ways to do that is to take 15 times your body weight (and that’s your body weight in pounds).

Now, that number is going to look astronomical for some of you! You’re just not used to eating what your body truly needs to maintain the muscle that you have and to show up in your workouts in the way that you should.

If you do have a slower metabolism, you can use 13 or 14 times your body weight and see how that number adjusts for you.

But I can guarantee a lot of you are nowhere even close. And that is our starting point…

Reverse Dieting to Meet Maintenance

Once you discover you’re not eating enough, it’s time to do something about it.

We’ve figured out how many maintenance calories you need per day. And now, we need to take the time to bridge the gap between your current calories and your ideal for maintaining your weight.

That means you’re going to go ahead and have to do this next step, which is reverse dieting. Slowly raise your calories so that way you meet that maintenance number.

Realistically, that might mean increasing your calories by 50 to 100 per day every single week until you get to that number. Once you do, you want to remain there for at least 4 to 6 weeks just to get your body back on track.

If you’re someone who has been dieting for a long time, or eating low calories for a long time, you might need to stay there for about 8 to 12 weeks.

The main idea with this is to optimize your metabolism, creating an environment where hormonally things are balanced for you. One where your metabolism is running normally, and you’re able to maintain your weight within +/- 5 pounds of your true maintenance.

This is going to create the type of environment that’s going to help you to lose weight more effectively – and efficiently.

Transitioning to Contest Prep

Once you start on that actual contest prep and go into a deficit, I prefer doing a 40/30/30 or 40/40/20 setup for macros.

For those with a normal to high metabolism, erring to more carbohydrates on the diet is even better, so that 40% in the 40/30/30 would be 40 carbs, 30 protein, 30 fats, on the 40/40/20, 40 protein, 40 carbs, and 20 fats.

Now, if you’re someone who has a little bit of a slower metabolism or you’re dealing with a body whose hormonal environment does much better with lower carbs, then your 40/30/30 could be 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat.

But all in all, getting to that maintenance before you start to diet is crucial.

You want to have enough calories to play around with every week of your prep so that you can take things down in increments that make sense. That helps you to hold on to as much muscle as you can.

Duration of Contest Prep

Now, once you’ve been on that maintenance for a while, it’s time to go ahead and start your contest prep. And I want you to take some time to do that. Give yourself at least 16 to 20 weeks to prep for your show.

Now, I know that might seem like a long time. 4 to 5 months to diet down?! This is crucial, especially for those who are natural. We want to start with a moderate deficit.

You don’t want to go gung ho straight out the gate! So I would suggest you lower your calories from maintenance by about 10 to 15%. I don’t like to say 250 to 500 just because those numbers are so set in stone.

And it depends on where you are calorically and what your body needs. So using a deficit of starting about 10 to 15% works across the board, regardless of how many calories you’re eating.

Cardio and Training During Contest Prep

Now, of course, creating a deficit doesn’t just come from food alone. You can also use your training and your cardio along with that. But be careful this early out, especially at 16 to 20 weeks, that you’re not overdoing your cardio.

Keep your cardio at about 30 minutes.

And I’d even say to watch your heart rate, keep your heart rate around 75 to about 80% of your max heart rate during those workouts. The idea behind Contest Prep is to try to keep on as much muscle as you can – and gently coax the body to lose fat.

What happens with so many of you when you’re going on these super aggressive diets is that, yeah, you’re losing weight super fast… But you’re boring through your muscle tissue! And, you’re not losing fat in a way that’s going to help you to look that great on stage.

Bodybuilding is an art!

And the way that you approach your training, and your diet, are like your tools – your paintbrush, and your scalpel. And you have to fine-tune how you use them to create the perfect physique for the stage.

Remember, there is life after the stage and it’s not worth risking your health for a few minutes of glory under hot lights and a plastic trophy.

Weight Loss Guidelines and Food Choices During Contest Prep

The next question a lot of folks ask me is, “Roxie, how much weight should I be losing?” And it doesn’t matter whether you’re in a prep or if this is regular real-life weight loss. You want to focus on losing about 1 to 2 pounds a week.

So you need to gauge this as you’re going through your prep. And here’s the thing… If you have more than 15 to 20 pounds to lose for a show, you need to put that on hold and focus on getting off that excess weight.

Bodybuilding shows are not a weight loss contest.

It’s really for those who are ready to take their physiques to the next level and then be judged for it. And when you try to do that rapidly, that’s when you start dealing with stretch marks and loose skin.

Now it’s different if you already have that from previous weight loss, a lot of that can be masked with posing, getting a lot leaner, and drying out before a show. But if it’s something you’re not dealing with right now, don’t create problems for yourself.

Lose that weight gradually. First, perhaps work with a coach before you even do a prep so you can do this the right way.

Perhaps, come on and work with me.

But make sure that you’re taking the steps to do this. The smart and healthy way.

If you have a lot of weight to lose more than 15 to 20 tiny pick a different show. The stage will always be there.

Nutritional Variety and Caloric Adjustments

When it comes to the types of food on your plan, and what you should be eating, it shouldn’t be very different than what you’re eating in maintenance.

Bodybuilding is a lifestyle. So you should be eating healthy already.

And know, you don’t just need to eat tilapia and asparagus for every meal to prep for a show. In fact, that’s absolutely ridiculous. And if you’re doing that right now, or if a coach has you doing that right now, run in the other direction.

Having a variety of foods is okay during a contest prep.

Now, I’m not talking about eating processed foods or any kind of junk. Choosing whole foods, fresh vegetables, lean proteins, and yes, even fruit, rice, and potatoes. These foods are not bad. These foods are not evil!

How much of it is on your diet, now, that’s an individual thing. It’s going to come down to your macros, what you’re doing to set up your diet, and what your body may or may not be sensitive to.

When I do a diet for a client, I try to include the foods that they will actually eat and like.

There’s no magic in eating asparagus and tilapia for every meal.

It doesn’t make the skin thinner. It doesn’t make you leaner, faster. And there’s no magic formulation to eating those same things over and over again.

Monitoring Progress and Adjusting Caloric Intake

When it comes to lowering your calories every single week, what you need to do is listen to your body and look at biofeedback.

There have been times when I’ve written diets for clients or we did not change the caloric amount for four entire weeks because their bodies just kept responding.

They were losing 1 to 2 pounds a week consistently every single week. They were getting leaner and leaner. According to their pictures, they’re losing inches. They’re looking tighter and tighter while holding on to muscle and staying full.

That’s what you need to look for.

And when your body starts to slow down in progress, you’re not losing weight as quickly…

When the numbers stop changing when you’re looking at your measurements, and if you see that you’re not getting leaner, then you need to go ahead and take a bigger deficit. Knocking off an extra 100 calories or so, or maybe even lowering the diet by about 10 to 15% (or maybe even if you have the wiggle room 20%) off of wherever your calories currently are would be advantageous for you.

This contest prep stuff, it’s science, but it’s not rocket science.

And it’s important for those of you who want to get into this game to understand how it works.

I love talking about this stuff and I especially love sharing my knowledge with you because I’ve been there before. I’ve been exactly where you are.

And if you’re someone who’s looking to get better and smarter at this game, I created this ebook with of all of my best contest prep advice to help you get to the stage, look your best, and do it the healthy way.

Enter your information below to access it instantly right now!