Did you ever try the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (or Targeted Ketogenic Diet?) by Lyle McDonald? His ideas were all the rage a few years back. I used those techniques to get to an alltime body fat low, while maintaining all my strength (I assume I kept the large majority of my muscle).
Basically, you go lowcarb, but you time your carbohydrate intake for either specific days (2 day pigout) or specific times (30 minutes before a workout, and up to an hour afterwards).
I have not heard of that specific diet. But from what you are describing, that is what I did. My carb intake was "highest" right before and after a workout. Also, my cheat meals were continued until 4 weeks before the contest.