I’m trying to figure out a meal plan to help me lean out, without losing too much muscle. I have a long commute to work so breakfast is hard to prepare in the morning, I’m not sure if what I’m doing is going to cut it or not. The only nutritional knowledge I know is what I’ve read on-line so this is an example of my current meal plan:
Immediately waking up - 4:00 AM
1 scoop protein powder
1 coffee
Post-workout - 6:00 AM
2 scoops protein powder
1 banana
Meal 1 - 7:00 AM
Smoothie
.75 cup oatmeal
.5 cup frozen spinach
1 cup blackberries
2 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp natural PB
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 scoops protein powder or 1 scoop protein powder * 4 hard boiled eggs
I’m usually in bed by 9:00 PM, but I go to bed hungry a lot.
My workout routine is a 5-day split with Thursday & Saturday as my rest day.
I finish with calves every other workout with 5 sets of 40/30/20/10/10
Sunday - Chest - Presses/flys
Monday - Low back/hams - deads/leg curls/good mornings/back extensions
Tuesday - Shoulders - Presses/raises/pulls
Wednesday - Upper back - Pulls/rows
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Legs - Squats/lunges/extensions/presses
Saturday - Rest
Current height and weight? Estimated bodyfat percentage? Years training and ballpark current lifts?
It’s hard to tell if a meal plan will help you “lean out” without knowing a bit about where you currently stand. What you outlined above might be too little food (for a larger/leaner man) to preserve muscle, or it might be too much food (for a smaller/fatter man). You’ve got mostly sensible choices in that meal plan, but again, a little more info is necessary. If you’re 6’1" and 195 pounds, 12% bodyfat, squatting 405 and benching 315, our advice will be different than if you’re 5’7" and 165, 20% bodyfat, squatting 185 and benching 150. Help us help you.
Ah-ha. Now we’re getting somewhere. So you’re already big, strong, and not really “lean” but nor are you fat. In that case, your plan seems “basically” appropriate (although exact macro breakdowns might help someone offer more tailored advice). You’re eating protein. You’re eating vegetables. Your carb sources look generally okay, although I might suggest dropping the pasta and sticking to just sweet potatoes or rice for that evening carb source.
Any cheat meals? Not saying that you have to be spot-on 100% of the time, but a lot of people seeking fat loss seem to derail their progress by posting this great meal plan that they stick to most days of the week, except that Tuesday nights they go for some pizza and beer, Friday they go to happy hour after work, and Saturday they get some ice cream.
I feel like if I don’t get enough carbs in my evening meal, my morning workouts are a little inhibited.
Sunday-Friday I stick to this same plan.
Saturdays are different, I typically take in 3 larger meals rather than the 5 or 6 I take in during the week. Meals are a little more flexible, I still eat a lot of lean protein and healthy vegetables, but often include more starchy carbs compared to the rest of the week. Such as whole-wheat pasta, potatoes, beans, or bread. Even when I do eat these they are in moderation, approximately a palms size.
Cutting your night time carbs and adding peri workout carbs would probably fix that problem. And get you leaner in the process.
FYI: we are about the same hight weight, although my bf is a little higher. past 3 months, all I’ve changed is no carbs at night (protein and veg only) and added Finibar/plazma/MAG-10. Added 10 lbs (at 235 as of a week ago) and need a belt on my short to work out as they are falling off. Please realize that this is a simplistic version on my last 3 months.
Also, TC has a article coming up and from that I know that I will drop a meal time carb and add a scoop of Plazma to 'accelerate" the effect.
Add some dextrose pre-, peri-, and post workout and cut back a little on the night carbs. As it stands now, you are depleting your glycogen in the morning, and not replenishing until evening. Your muscles are most receptive to protein and glycogen uptake during and immediately following physical activity. Don’t waste your workout by not fueling your muscles when they need it most.