Diet for Muscle Gain and Fat Loss

When your goal is to gain muscle mass and drop your body fat percentage, almost 90% of your success occurs in the kitchen. Having a planned, well thought-out diet plan will certainly help you reach your goals.

Using the advice and tips found in this article, you will be on your way to a new, healthier and fit-looking you in no time!

Constructing your diet can be confusing and time consuming at first, but after just a short amount of time you’ll be a professional. First, you need to calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). This is the amount of calories your body would need if it were in a coma. Then, choose your activity level from below and do the appropriate calculations:

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2

If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375

If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725

If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

If you want to lose 1 pound of fat a week, subtract 500 calories from your calculated daily caloric value. It is recommended that for healthy weight loss, you do not drop your calories by more than 1000 each day. Men and women should get at least 1200 calories a day.

Gaining muscle will largely be achieved by your work in the gym and the quality of food you put in your diet. You want to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, complex carbs, and healthy fatty acids. Most people do not get enough fruits and vegetables, so I would encourage you to reach for foods from that food group whenever possible. Because they are so low in calories and have so many benefits, they are a perfect addition to any meal plan.

A day of your diet may look like this (with you calculating the portions so that they fit your caloric needs):

Breakfast:

Oatmeal with agave nectar or honey 
Almonds

Snack: 

Apple/Banana

Lunch: 

Turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread 
Carrots

Snack: 

Greek Yogurt with honey and blueberries

Dinner: 

Chicken 
Brown rice 
Broccoli  

When in doubt, pick foods that have not been processed or pre-made. Also, If you have trouble getting your protein requirements through your diet, trying a good quality protein powder may be worth your while. A protein powder is convenient and can be used when you’re on the go. It may be hard at first, but picking foods that you love and having a “cheat meal” once every week will make gain muscle and losing fat seem like a piece of cake!

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