Should I follow a bodybuilding prep diet to get lean?

Paula's first question is simple: do you want to compete, or do you just want to look like you compete? At 21 she hired a trainer for a figure show and later realized she only wanted the look. She went from eating Nutrigrain bars straight to a contest prep diet and believed that was healthy eating. That led to years of restricting for weeks and months, then bingeing when she mentally broke. On Ep. 35 she tells Nikkiey that leap from no structure to contest prep created a pretty bad relationship with food. She also points out that she would look out of place on stage today, because stage lean is roughly 10% body fat lower than where she lives comfortably.

Ida Bergfoth, a four-time figure winner, offers some nuance. She calls a competition diet an extreme diet and says she doesn't recommend it to anyone who isn't willing to go the full length of the discomfort. For her, finishing prep was uplifting and taught her real discipline. If you choose it, take it seriously and do it the right way.

If prep diets have left you stuck in a restrict-and-binge loop, that's the plan, not you. What finally worked for Paula was focusing on calories and protein and letting carbs and fats fluctuate.