Figure Competition Diet – How To Prepare For The Big Day

Figure competition is something that you should really prepare for. The preparation will take weeks or months depending on the figure that you are trying to achieve. To help you out in preparing for the competition itself, here are the things that you should remember about your diet.
Calories play a main role in a figure competition diet. You should be able to keep track of the calories present in the food you eat in order for you to be able to control the amount you are taking into your body. The general rule of the thumb is to consume calories that are more or less 16 times as the weight you want to achieve. If your goal is 120 pounds, then the total amount of calories you need every day is approximately 1, 920 calories. Certain food companies and restaurants state the amount of calories on their packaging or menu so you can just check them out. 
Aside from calories, you should also take note of the amount of protein you are eating. Protein should be the most important part of your diet. Proteins will help you regulate fat and it will also help you in building the muscles that you need. For proteins, the general rule of thumb is to eat about 1 gram multiplied to the weight you are aiming. If you are aiming for 120 pounds, then your protein intake should also be around that number. Protein can be found in a lot of foods therefore it will not be difficult for you to get it. Examples of these foods are eggs, lean meat, chicken and beans. If you want more muscles, you can try supplements such as protein shakes.
The next one is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates will be your main source of energy so you should never ignore it. In fact, almost 50 percent of the calories that you are eating should come from carbs. You should remember though that there are many sources of carbs. Your goal is to be able to determine which ones are good for you and which ones are not. It will be better if you target carbs that come from healthier food selections such as wheat and whole grain products. As much as possible, you should avoid foods that are too sugary such as sweets and white bread. You should start monitoring your carbohydrates intake at least 5 months before the figure competition starts.
Let us now talk about fats. You do not necessarily need to take on a low-fat diet. However, you should reduce your consumption of saturated fats and keep it at the minimum.  Five months before the competition starts, you can still eat at least 30% fat from your calorie count. However, once you reach the last 3-month preparation period, you should cut back up to 20% in order to keep your body lean and almost fat free. Remember also that if you are going to eat fatty foods, you should go for fats that are healthy for the body such as fatty acids and monounsaturated ones. You can get these from fish or nuts.