REDUCE FAT AND SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE

7 9 3. Although you should be keeping fats and simple sugars to a minimum year-round, this is an absolute necessity when preparing for a contest. One gram of fat contains 9 calories - over twice that of protein or carbohydrate (4 grams each). It doesn't take much fat to add an extra 500 to 1000 calories to your daily diet. Likewise, simple sugars are readily stored as fat (they also increase insulin levels, which in turn promote fat storage).