When I trained for contests, I kept my protein and carbs (mostly complex carbs) high, and minimized my fat intake.

For my body type, I didn't reduce my overall caloric intake, my weight loss came from increased cardio. I had learned from an earlier show, where I did reduce my caloric intake, that I lost muscle mass.

When I kept my caloric intake high, and increased my cardio, I kept my muscle mass and came in much fuller at contest time.