Eating Plan for Muscle Gain
Everyone who wants to gain muscle should have an eating plan. In a nutshell, the eating plan outlines what you’re supposed to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It’s easy to derail from the main course when you don’t have a meal plan to refer to. With an eating plan, you can be sure that you will give your body the exact carbs and proteins that it needs to accelerate muscle growth.
It’s recommended that you buy your food supplies in bulk because you will get a good discount as opposed to when you shop every day. In fact, buying the supplies that you need for one day is expensive. You should stock your fridge with food items that can last a week or so.
Fruits should be kept in the freezer to prevent them from losing their flavor and nutrients. As for vegetables, you can precook them in advance when you have some time. Before you get started with the eating plan, here are some amazing tips that should give you an edge.
Eat Frequently
You should eat up to six meals a day and should be served in small portions. Eating frequently guarantees that your body does not run out of nutrients and energy that’s needed to build muscle. If you don’t eat well, you may never experience the muscle gain that you desire because your body will be starved.
Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods come with too many calories. The bad thing about them is that they have few nutrients that can contribute to your health. You should therefore eliminate them from your meal plan.
Drink Plenty of Water
You should drink a minimum of eight glasses per day. The body needs water for its metabolic processes. If these processes don’t take place, your muscles won’t grow.
This is because the metabolic processes are responsible for breaking down the food you consume into nutrients that can be absorbed by the body. Even if you are travelling out of town, you should consider carrying a bottle of water that will keep you hydrated throughout the day.
Meal Timing
When you’re eating to gain mass, you should be careful not to accumulate bad fats in your body. It’s recommended that you eat a meal before and after training in the gym. This ensures that the body has a sufficient supply of nutrients.
You should therefore eat a bigger serving when you’re about to hit the gym and eat another meal later. The other small meals should be eaten after every three hours. The logic behind this argument is that the body requires more food in the morning because it has been fasting at night.
As a matter of fact, there is usually not enough calories in the body at morning because most of them were used to digest food that was eaten in the previous evening. The situation is the same after working out due to the fact that most calories were burned to generate the energy that you were using.
7 Day Meal Plan Example
Monday
- Breakfast: Poached eggs on a bed of spinach
- Lunch: Whole meal pittas with tuna, red onion and tomato
- Snack: Greek yogurt with frozen berries
- Dinner: Steamed salmon, broccoli and sweet potato
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Porridge oats with milk and chopped banana
- Lunch: Prawn Thai curry using coconut milk, frozen peas and sweetcorn, brown rice
- Snack: Liver and onions
- Dinner: Pork steaks grilled with chopped tomato sauce, spinach and green beans
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Smoothie with milk, frozen berries, Greek yogurt, honey, peanut butter and whey protein
- Lunch: Mackerel with a tomato, onion, zucchini and carrot salad
- Dinner: Chili with kidney beans, brown rice, green beans
- Snack: Chocolate milk
Thursday
- Breakfast: Grilled sausages and three scrambled eggs
- Snack: Peanut butter with pitta, apple
- Lunch: Leftover chili with sweet potato wedges
- Dinner: Chicken thighs roasted with garlic purée, lentils and zucchini ratatouille
Friday
- Breakfast: Three-egg mushroom omelet, leftover chicken
- Lunch: Pittas with salmon and cottage cheese
- Snack: Carrot sticks (hummus optional)
- Dinner: Braised steak and mushroom casserole, broccoli and cauliflower
Saturday
- Breakfast: Porridge with blended banana, apple, honey and berries, topped with ground almonds
- Lunch: Ham, brown rice, peas and sweetcorn
- Snack: Cottage cheese and pitta
- Dinner: Mussel and prawn fish pie with sweet potato and cauliflower mash and green beans
Sunday
- Breakfast: Sausage, broccoli and egg frittata
- Snack: Almonds, apple
- Lunch: Turkey burgers (turkey mince and chopped onion)
- Dinner: Slow-cooked lamb neck, roasted sweet potato, carrots and peas
