I’ve gotten a few emails recently from a few readers who want me to put together a menu for them to follow to build muscle. Since I’ve never really posted a sample meal plan before I thought it was about time to do so.
I thought it would be a good idea to also include a sample meal plan for people who want to lose weight, since that is what most of my clients want to do.
Because plans should be highly individualized, the portion sizes of these plans may be different than what would be optimal for you. The whole idea is to give you a starting point that you can change based on your own caloric needs.
I did not include any dairy in either of these plans because I know some people have a tough time with dairy.
I also did not include any shakes or bars because I try to get as much real food as possible. You can include them if you want, as long it doesn’t change your total calories or macros too much away from your target.
Weight Gain Sample Meal Plan
For the weight gain sample meal plan, I went with a somewhat traditional macronutrient ratio. High carb, moderate to high protein and low fat is most common for putting on size. I chose to include a little more fat and a little less carbs in this sample meal plan because that’s what I prefer, but feel free to experiment and see what works well for your body.
For the calories I chose to keep it around 2,700 because that is around where I should be, but you should adjust the portion sizes based on what your caloric needs are.
If you like a post-workout shake, you can replace one of the meals with that and you can add some fruit to balance out the carbs.
Click here for more info on weight gain meal plans.
Meal 1
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| Oatmeal (1cup) | 300 | 10g | 6g | 54g | 8g | 2g |
| 3 Whole Eggs | 210 | 18g | 15g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 Medium Strawberries | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4g | 1g | 2g |
| 526 | 28g | 21g | 58g | 9g | 4g |
Meal 2
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| Chicken Breast (6 oz.) | 150 | 39g | 2g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quinoa (1 cup) | 444 | 16g | 7g | 79g | 10g | 0 |
| Spinach (1 cup) | 13 | 2g | 0 | 1g | 1g | 0 |
| 607 | 57g | 9g | 80g | 11g | 0 |
Meal 3
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| Filet Mignon (6 oz.) | 454 | 44g | 30g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brown Rice (1 cup) | 218 | 5g | 2g | 46g | 4g | 0 |
| Broccoli (1 cup) | 20 | 1g | 0 | 4g | 3g | 2g |
| 692 | 50g | 32g | 50g | 6g | 2g |
Meal 4
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| Chicken Breast (6 oz.) | 150 | 39g | 2g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Small Baked Sweet Potato (150g) | 136 | 3g | 0g | 31g | 5g | 10g |
| Steamed Asparagus (1 cup) | 31 | 3g | 0 | 6g | 3g | 0 |
| 317 | 45g | 3g | 37g | 8g | 10g |
Meal 5
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| Ground Beef 95/5 (6 oz.) | 300 | 52g | 10g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brown Rice (1 cup) | 218 | 5g | 2g | 46g | 4g | 0 |
| Green/Red Peppers (1/2 cup) | 23 | 1g | 0 | 4g | 2g | 3g |
| Onions (1/2 cup) | 23 | 1g | 0 | 5g | 1g | 2g |
| 564 | 58g | 12g | 56g | 6g | 6g |
Totals:
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| 2,706 | 238g | 77g | 280g | 40g | 21g |
Weight Loss Sample Meal Plan
For weight loss, I think low- carb/ high- fat plans work best so that is what I chose for this sample.
Many people who try low-carb plans do them with high protein content, but they should be done with high fat and moderate protein and that is what I tried to do with this plan.
The total calories of this menu is close to 2,000 so keep that in mind when looking at the portion sizes. If you need a little less, decrease the food. If you need a few more calories, increase the portions.
Click here for what I did when I wanted to get lean.
Meal 1 (Breakfast)
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| 3 Whole Eggs | 210 | 18g | 15g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spinach (1 cup) | 6 | 1g | 0 | 1g | 1g | 0 |
| 1/2 Medium Avocado | 161 | 2g | 15g | 9g | 7g | 1g |
| Coconut Oil (2 Tbsp) | 260 | 0 | 28g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 637 | 21g | 58g | 10g | 8g | 1g |
Meal 2 (Lunch)
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| Wild-Caught Salmon (6 oz.) | 330 | 35g | 21g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mixed Greens (2 cup) | 15 | 1g | 0 | 3g | 2g | 1g |
| Olive Oil (1 Tbsp) | 120 | 0 | 14g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Balsamic Vinegar (2 Tbsp) | 30 | 0 | 0 | 6g | 0 | 6g |
| Kalamata Olives (4 olives) | 45 | 0 | 4g | 2g | 0 | 0 |
| 540 | 36g | 39g | 11g | 2g | 7g |
Meal 3 (Snack)
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| Almonds (1 oz., about 23 almonds) | 168 | 6g | 13g | 6g | 3g | 1g |
| 168 | 6g | 13g | 6g | 3g | 1g |
Meal 4 (Dinner)
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| Ribeye Steak (6 oz.) | 493 | 36g | 39g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steamed Broccoli (1 cup) | 20 | 1g | 0 | 4g | 3g | 2g |
| Olive Oil (1 Tbsp) | 120 | 0 | 14g | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 633 | 37g | 53g | 4g | 3g | 2g |
Totals:
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbohydrates | Fiber | Sugar | |
| 1,978 | 100g | 162g | 31g | 16g | 10g |
Wrapping Up
Hopefully these sample meal plans give you an idea of where to start when creating your own customized menu plan.
Consistency is key when eating so match up your goals with how you eat and stick with it.
My Fitness Pal is a great app for your mobile device or computer to track your foods and is what I used for these calculations.
