On this page, I have provided you with exactly what I consume each day. Here you can see the science of Muscle Nutrition in action, as all the concepts discussed on the site are implemented to design an entire day of eating. This sample diet should serve as a reference to you in creating your own nutritional plan fitted to your own macronutrient and energy needs. Included below is a full day of eating, everything I ingest, starting with breakfast and ending at my pre-bedtime meal. A total of nine meals are consumed!
1. Breakfast
2. Post-exercise
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I start cooking breakfast as soon as I roll out of bed. I'm hungry and my body has been fasting for 8+ hours. This is also my pre-exercise meal, as I'll be hitting the gym a few hours after eating. Therefore, carbs are extremely important in this meal for two reasons; 1) Restore liver glycogen lost during the night
2) and to load my body with carbs for the workout ahead. Meal Breakdown - 2 whole eggs (w/ yolk) Protein= 53g - 6 egg whites Carb= 49g - 1/2 cup oatmeal Fat= 20g - 1/2 apple Calories= 548 - 1/8 cup walnuts - Water with BCAAs and 10g dextrose |
- 2 scoop whey protein Protein= 48g *Note: Intra-workout drink contained 5g BCAAs and
- 2 scoops dextrose powder Carbs= 20g 20g of dextrose. This will be added to daily
- 5g creatine Calories= 272 totals below. Carb= 20g Calories= 80
- 2 scoops dextrose powder Carbs= 20g 20g of dextrose. This will be added to daily
- 5g creatine Calories= 272 totals below. Carb= 20g Calories= 80
3. Daily Meal 1
4. Snack5. Daily Meal 2
6. Daily Meal 3
7. Daily Meal 4
8. Daily Meal 5
9. Pre-bedtime meal- 1 scoop casein protein Protein= 24g
- 2 TBSP of natural peanut butter Fat= 16g Calories= 168 |
This meal comes about an hour after my post-workout shake. The main goals of this meal are to 1) Replenish muscle glycogen
2) Provide easily digested protein to get to muscle quickly, supporting the state of heightened protein synthesis in the muscle. Meal Breakdown - 8oz tilapia Protein= 45g - 1 1/2 cup Jasime rice Carbs= 67g Fats= 4g Calories= 484 For several hours after my workout, my body is extremely hungry and in need of lost of nutrients to support recovery and replenish nutrient losses. The body is very metabolically active for several hours after working out. I use this snack in order to get me to my next meal and provide additional quick digesting nutrients to my recovering muscle. Meal Breakdown - 1 scoop whey protein Protein= 24g - 1/2 scoop oatmeal Carbs= 37g - 1/4 cup frozen blueberries Fat= 13g - about 1 TBSP of unsweetened Calories= 271 almond milk - 1/8 cup walnuts - stevia to sweeten This meal is one of the staples of the bodybuilding diet, "Chicken, rice, and broccoli". It also happens to be one my favorite meals. Meal Breakdown - 6 oz chicken breast Protein= 36g - 1 1/2 cup Jasmine rice Carbs= 67g - mixed veggies Fat= 4g Calories= 360 I try to eat a lean red meat at least once a day. Often I use strip sirloin steak cooked on the grill to do so. It tastes good and is a great protein source to include into your diet (If the price is right). Meal Breakdown - 5 oz strip sirloin steak Protein= 43g - 7 oz baked sweet Carbs= 40g potato (w/ cinnamon) Fat= 12g - mixed veggies Calories= 380 This is the last carb meal of the day. At this point, my daily carbohydrate needs have been met and my muscle glycogen should be restored and ready for tomorrows workout. Meal Breakdown - 6 oz chicken breast Protein= 36g - 7 oz baked sweet Carbs= 40g potato (w/cinnamon) Fats= 4g - mixed veggies Calories= 316 Meal Breakdown - 7 egg whites Protein= 42g - wilted spinach Carbs= 3g - orange pepper Fats= 14g - onion Calories= 306 - avocado - Franks hot sauce |
Daily totals
Actual Totals Target Totals
Protein= 351g (1,404 calories) Protein= 330g (1,320 calories)
Carbohydrate= 343g (1,372 calories) Carbohydrate= 330g (1,320 calories)
Fat= 87g (783 calories) Fat= 111g (999 calories)
Calories= 3,559 calories Calories= 3,640 calories
Protein= 351g (1,404 calories) Protein= 330g (1,320 calories)
Carbohydrate= 343g (1,372 calories) Carbohydrate= 330g (1,320 calories)
Fat= 87g (783 calories) Fat= 111g (999 calories)
Calories= 3,559 calories Calories= 3,640 calories
Summary
As you can see, my diet was not exactly on point. Although some of the numbers were slightly off, it was still an efficient day of eating. I only fell 81 calories short of what I was aiming for, which means my body should've still had plenty of extra energy to put towards muscle building. My protein and carbohydrate intake was a little high and I could have devoted more of my calories to fat. At the end of the day, your macronutrient and calorie breakdown does not have to be PERFECT.
I seriously advise you to take just one day to track what you're eating. If you end up close to the recommendations (like I am above) don't worry about changing too much in your diet. If your numbers fall extremely off of the goal, then you may need to make some drastic changes in your diet. Most people's problem when it comes to trying to build muscle is that they are not eating nearly enough calories to sustain growth. And they don't realize it! Until you spend a day recording what you eat, you won't know if you're truly eating enough. With our recommendations on this website, you should know exactly how much protein, fat, and carbs to eat as well as when to eat them. Find the diet that works for you and stick to it. Consistency is the key to good dieting and seeing drastic results. If you want to build lean mass, start utilizing the power of nutrition.
I seriously advise you to take just one day to track what you're eating. If you end up close to the recommendations (like I am above) don't worry about changing too much in your diet. If your numbers fall extremely off of the goal, then you may need to make some drastic changes in your diet. Most people's problem when it comes to trying to build muscle is that they are not eating nearly enough calories to sustain growth. And they don't realize it! Until you spend a day recording what you eat, you won't know if you're truly eating enough. With our recommendations on this website, you should know exactly how much protein, fat, and carbs to eat as well as when to eat them. Find the diet that works for you and stick to it. Consistency is the key to good dieting and seeing drastic results. If you want to build lean mass, start utilizing the power of nutrition.
Tips for success
- Cook in bulk. Take one day a week to cook all of the food you'll need for the week. This will save you from having to individually cook each of your 7-9 meals a day. This way you can simply grab something already prepared in the fridge and heat it up.
- Get yourself some tupperware and a cooler. Your going to be eating 7-9 times a day and it's important that you don't miss these meals. Pack your meals in tupperware and bring them with you if your on the go.
- Get yourself some tupperware and a cooler. Your going to be eating 7-9 times a day and it's important that you don't miss these meals. Pack your meals in tupperware and bring them with you if your on the go.