How To Meal Plan Effectively For These 4 Situations

Asking a person how they plan their meals when trying to gain, lose, or put on muscle will result in a myriad of different responses. The first thing to understand is that everyone’s body is different as are their metabolism. Hormone levels can lead a person doing and eating the same things to garner much different results from a person with naturally high testosterone levels. To achieve goals related with body composition meal planning is essential as counting calories, carbs, and all other nutrients is imperative. The following are tips to plan meals effectively for a variety of goals so they have the best chance of achieving these goals.

Trying To Put On Lean Muscle

Putting on lean muscle is one of the most difficult things that a person can do. Meal planning is the most important part of this outside of the gym as calories have to be counted precisely. A person gaining lean muscle only wants to put on a little bit of muscle weekly. This muscle will add up over a few months to give them the results that they have wanted. This is going to take a bit of weighing foods and counting nutrients taken in as a lack of protein can lead to muscle loss instead of gain. For this goal you need to meal prep for every meal as opting for fast food or pizza one night can set you back an entire week. Only put the highest quality of foods in your body if you want it to put on lean muscle for the look that you want. Avoid complex sugars and processed foods as it takes the body time to fuel itself with these nutrients as they are difficult for the body to break down.

Trying To Lose Weight

People make resolutions every single year to lose weight with many people not making it until February before deciding to quit. The meal prepping for these people usually has to do with making more health conscious decisions. The first step is to identify what they were eating on a regular week by writing it down. Seeing all of the unhealthy foods being consumed during the week can be alarming but everyone has to start somewhere. Start by substituting healthier options for foods that you consumer regularly. This could be turkey bacon or something like zucchini noodles instead of grain based noodles which are high in calories and carbs. Once you have found healthier replacements for all of these foods step back on the scale after a few weeks. Fixing your diet is imperative before starting any type of exercise program as going home and eating 3 burgers after the gym is doing more harm than good.

Bulking Up Without Regard For Type of Weight Gained

A “dirty bulk” is utilized by a variety of people including bodybuilders and those gaining weight for sports. The meal plan for this goal is to eat everything in sight with daily calorie values easily multiplying the suggested daily caloric intake. The tough part about this type of meal plan is that you are going to have to eat every couple of hours. This will take immense amounts of food and supplementing the diet with protein as well as other supplements that are high in calories is imperative. MRE Meals are a good option for a person trying to bulk up with reckless abandonment as there needs to be time for the gym instead of constantly prepping food.

Eating For Athletic Performance

Eating for athletic performance depends entirely on the sport being played as well as body type. A football player might need to eat much more than someone playing a less intensive sport like golf. A swimmer that burns thousands of calories per workout needs to replace these calories by eating large amounts. The swimmer also has to try to keep a slender body type as to reduce resistance in the water. The best thing that an athlete can do when planning meals is opt for the healthy route then listen to their body to let them know what to eat. If an athlete craves protein then this is what need to be replenished after a workout and the same goes for carbs, sugars, and fats. The body craves what it needs so listen to it as everyone burns their nutrients off in a different way even when performance the same activity.

Planning your diet depends on your final goal so take the above tips and put them into use. The body is a fascinating thing and it can be manipulated quite easily through diet. The healthier your diet becomes, the better you will feel and more productive you will be on a daily basis.