Meal Prep Ideas For Muscle Gain – Sure, you can go on a high-calorie diet, but if you want that weight to go to your biceps, not your abs, it all depends on what you eat. Meal planning is the perfect way to ensure consistent and fast results in reaching your healthy weight loss goals.
If you’ve never heard of cooking or you’re not sure how you feel about cooking in your kitchen, switching to a new diet can be intimidating. But this beginner’s weight gain meal planning guide gives you a simple step-by-step process to help you master all the meal planning tips, tricks and recipes.
Meal Prep Ideas For Muscle Gain
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Whether you’re trying to bulk up for fitness goals or overcome an illness that caused significant weight loss, weight gain comes down to one simple thing: calories. Eat fewer calories than your body needs and you will lose weight. Eat more calories than your body needs and you will gain weight. Very easy. But if you want muscle, not just fat, you need to consider what you eat, how you exercise, and your overall lifestyle.
Meal Prep Recipes For Muscle Building & Fat Loss
You can plan workouts and set goals, but as home nutritionists, we have some recommendations for what to eat. If you want muscle, not just fat, there are two important things to consider as part of your diet: calorie count and macronutrients.
Learn how to manage these factors when choosing what to eat below. Then we’ll show you how to create a diet that fits your lifestyle and schedule. This will help you achieve bigger goals and avoid cravings for junk food.
The number of calories needed to gain weight depends on your activity level and current weight. The following steps will give you a good calorie goal:
If you are new to building muscle (less than two years of experience), you will gain muscle faster than someone who is already bulking up and trying to bulk up. Also, if you have a naturally lean body, you will need a different approach than someone who started with a little more fat.
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So your calorie intake will vary based on 1) where you are in your muscle building process and 2) your current body fat percentage.
Once you figure out your daily calorie intake for weight gain, you’ll need to understand the macros you need to build lean mass. You know, driving won’t help you reach your goal – understanding macros will help you understand why.
Macros, or macronutrients, are three types of nutrients that make up most of our food and give your body energy. They are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The best way to balance your diet and reach your weight loss goals is to understand how to calculate the daily grams of protein, carbohydrates or fat you eat. Each of these macros affects your muscle growth differently – so it’s important to strike the right balance between the three.

You’ve probably heard that building muscle requires more protein. Well, that’s not bad. Protein is the basic building block of your muscles. So without enough protein, your body won’t get what it needs to maintain or increase muscle mass. Not only is it important to get enough protein for muscle growth and development, but it’s important to consistently eat protein at every meal and snack throughout the day.
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Carbohydrates can have bad effects, but they are important for fueling your workouts and restoring healthy muscles. The key to managing your carbohydrate intake is to choose as many complex carbohydrates as possible. Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are a more stable source of energy than simple carbohydrates. Examples of complex carbohydrates include brown rice, oats, black beans, peas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, bell peppers, and berries.
Although you want to prioritize protein and carbs, fat is a long-term source of energy and a quick way to add calories. Each gram of fat contains twice as many calories as one gram of protein or carbohydrate. Be careful with fat intake, as it can lead to excessive fat storage. A balanced diet emphasizes protein and carbohydrates over fat and includes adequate amounts of healthy fats.
Macros determine our energy levels and how fast we can build muscle. They also have a huge impact on our overall appetite. Since 5 calories of broccoli take up more space in our stomach than 5 calories of olive oil, we can also use our macro balance to curb hunger. This is true for those who want to lose weight and gain muscle, including foods like broccoli. Those looking to gain weight and build muscle should pair this broccoli with high-calorie fats to get more calories per day.
Each body prefers a slightly different ratio of macronutrients. Some people thrive on a low-carb diet, while others need a slightly higher carb ratio to maintain. Federal Dietary Guidelines for Macronutrient Ratios:
Calorie Meal Prep Plan For Weight Loss
Tip: An easy way to calculate protein needs for fat loss and muscle gain is to calculate 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. So a 190-pound person needs 190 to 285 grams of protein per day, which is 760 to 1,145 calories.
Remember: Our male and female calorie examples need to lose fat while gaining muscle. If you don’t have fat to lose, the calories will be much higher. But you still change your macro balance to increase protein and decrease fat. and the ratio of carbohydrates to ensure muscle growth.
Now that you’ve figured out your calories and macros, let’s get some prep ideas to help you cook. The best meal prep recipe is one that you like, fits your cooking skills, and meets your daily calorie and macro goals. Packing just one healthy meal may seem like a lot, but it can be done.

In general, the diet should include lean protein, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats. To avoid gaining unwanted fat in your diet, focus on eating clean – include whole foods and minimize saturated fat, processed foods and excess sugar.
Trader Joe’s Meal Prep For 1 Week Of Trader Joe’s Meals In 90 Minutes
Meal prep or meal prep is a great way to have healthy options for any meal or snack. Basically, you cook once and eat what you need for the whole week. By prepping your meals in advance, you can portion them out to ensure you meet your calorie and macro goals, making weekday meals less stressful.
Make a list of recipes that are high in protein and help balance your macros.
Make your exercise plan every day. Then assign recipes for each meal and healthy meal you want for the week. Keep it simple at first – you can eat the same foods every day if you want to. But don’t forget to add snacks, desserts or drinks you want. If you have a cheat day, schedule that too.
Write down the ingredients you need, then check the fridge, freezer, and pantry to see what’s missing. Make a grocery list and go shopping to find what you’re missing.
Fish Meal Prep
Writing down the numbers may seem tedious, but if you do all the calculations ahead of time, you’ll thank yourself later. You can also reuse this meal plan, so keep all your calculations in one place, so if you decide to redo the meal plan, you only have to do it once.
Follow your prescription’s instructions. If you’re new to baking, keep it simple. If cooking is a challenge for you, consider hiring a catering company to help you improve your cooking skills. At first, until you feel confident preparing and cooking, consider making a few recipes and using the same foods throughout the week.
Separate your meals into prep containers and store in the fridge or freezer for later use. Be sure to use the right cookware for your needs, including reheating meals at the end of the week. Properly stored food should be safe for a week in the refrigerator. Making large batches is a great way to save time, but make sure you freeze foods cooked more than five days in advance.
Grab your food when you need it and enjoy knowing you have your calories and macros in your bag. Not everyone likes leftovers, so here are some tips to help your food taste fresh:
Meal Prep Lunch Bowls With Spicy Chicken, Roasted Lemon Broccoli, And Caramelized Sweet Potatoes
You have everything you need to start cooking for weight gain. Making healthy lifestyle changes can be difficult, but with the tools above, you’re ready to reach your weight loss goals through meal planning.
My name is Kevin. My life changed when I realized that living a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong journey that can be achieved mostly by eating a balanced diet and maintaining an active lifestyle.
By experimenting in the kitchen and sharing food
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