You will mostly hear about countless diet plans, but have you ever wondered how a 2500 calorie diet plan looks?
If you count each calorie, 2500 is a huge number for a day. But it’s the distribution of macronutrients like proteins, carbs, and fats that make or break a meal plan. A balanced meal divides calories in every meal of your day.
When it comes to customizing a calorie count each day, you need to first understand how much food you have to consume every day to achieve results. Usually, a 2500 calorie count is rather hard to complete in one day, but it is essential for muscle buildup.
What are Calories?
Your calorie intake predominantly depends on personal factors like
A balanced diet is prepped after careful consideration of these points. Teenagers and growing children usually need more nutritious calories. Age also determines any physical changes your body might have after intaking calories.
Then, your current weight and height are considered, and if you are trying to gain, lose or maintain your weight. Lastly, your lifestyle determines your calorie count, whether you exercise or not and how much movement you do each day.
These factors are the crux of planning a meal according to your calorie count. So, what does a 2500 calorie meal plan look like? Let’s find out.
A Regular 2500 Meal Plan
What’s important to note is that most meal plans are distributed in 40/40/20, 30/20/50, or 20/50/30 ratios. These ratios evenly contribute to 2500 calories at the end of each day. Including the three main meals, you also have snack options.
We have found the best 40/40/20 ratio to keep you full and finish the 2500 calorie mark with this meal plan. Here’s what a basic 2500 meal plan looks like and how you can incorporate it into your daily life.
Breakfast
Incorporating proteins like eggs and carbs like whole-grain oats in your breakfast can keep your calorie count consistent and filling!
These foods help you to start your morning with a boost. If you can not live without fluids in the morning, a plain cup of brewed coffee will do the trick. Given that it’s with no fat, it will only amount to 5 calories, which is safe for your diet.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup egg whites
- 1 cup oats
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 cup blueberries
Calorie Count: 595
- Fats 15 g
- Protein 40 g
- Carbs 75 g
Lunch
Lunch is a mid-day meal; if you work, you know how grumpy you can get if you don’t have a nice lunch. Don’t worry; we have a calorie-safe yet delicious meal planned for you. This lunch carries the main protein - chicken breast and carbs like long-grain brown rice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped broccoli (steamed)
- 6 oz. chicken breast
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
Calorie Count: 419
- Fat 6.5 g
- Protein 45 g
- Carbs 45 g
Snack Break
A balanced meal plan has it all. Yes, snacks too. Snacks can be eaten whenever you have hunger breaks throughout the day. The only difference is that these should be extremely healthy and include delicious options.
Here you have a 40/40/20 ratio of snack options, and you can have them anytime during the day.
Ingredients
2 scoops of Whey protein powder (isolate)
1 apple (medium-sized)
Calorie count: 376
- Fats 4 g
- Carbs 35 g
- Protein 50 g
Another Snack Option
Ingredients
- 1 Bagel
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
Calorie count: 309
- Fats 6 g
- Protein 11 g
- Carbs 57 g
Dinner
Finish off with a feast; here, we have a dinner meal filled with macro nutrition to help you build muscles and complete a 2500 calorie count for the day.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 pat butter
- 15 asparagus sticks (chopped)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 oz. lean steak
Calorie count: 676
- Fat 28 g
- Carbs 46 g
- Protein 60 g
Total Calories: 2380
Do not worry about reaching the perfect 2500 calorie count; the crucial part about this meal plan is sticking to this mark consistently.
You can add some fruits and healthy snacks to your diet. Just make sure to always read the label as a rule of thumb. Or calculate calories by a simple calorie counter with apps like this one.
For a healthier meal plan, try to go for home-cooked meals where you can control what you put in your food.
Eating loads of foods may be a dream for many, but only people who are trying to gain and build muscles know how hard it can actually be. For that reason, we have made this list.
Tips to Build Muscle Through Meal Plans
To build muscles, you need to complete your targeted calorie count and gym hours.
Spending hours in the gym sure builds muscle, but when you have a meal plan, the process just becomes easier and faster.
Especially when you do not have to worry about shedding that extra fat! Here are some of the best tips on building muscles with balanced meals:
How Food Can Help Build Muscles
Macronutrients are important for muscle building, and it’s not only protein that gives you lean muscles. A good amount of controlled carbohydrates and fibers also help to gain muscle.
Consuming the right kind of food builds muscles and improves your energy levels.
According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), at least 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kilogram of body weight is essential for individuals to build muscles.
When it comes to carbohydrates, you also need them to maximize glycogen replenishment in your muscles.
Usually, carbohydrates are good to consume post-workout because they balance your energy levels. Moreover, you need to have 1.2 to 1.5 g of carbohydrates per kg body weight. This intake should happen at every 30-minute interval for building muscles.
Carbohydrates, along with proteins, promote protein synthesis and stimulate muscle tissue repair in your body. So this simple math of calorie consumption can be an efficient way of building muscle mass.
After an extensive workout, you need a rapid recovery, and consuming a diet that is filled with macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamins can initiate muscle tissue repair and replenish muscle glycogen.
A good mix of vitamins, minerals, and water can also promote muscle growth and speed up the process of muscle recovery.
Have an Energy Surplus
It is also important to consider that you need to create a calorie surplus when increasing muscle mass. To put it simply, it means that you are consuming more calories than you’re burning.
According to research, energy surplus may help muscle building while exercising and physical training.
Here’s a list of some muscle-building foods to add to your dinner. These are high in energy and help build body mass.
Foods to Add to Your Meal Plan
When building lean body mass, you need high protein and low fat. The calories can fluctuate between meals, but you need to consistently follow and reach your calorie count by the end of the day.
Here is a list of some foods you can include in your meal plan to build muscles.
Eggs
An egg is a protein-filled food, and a boiled egg contains 6.28 g of protein each.
You will often notice your protein powder comes with amino acids and these amino acids are also present in eggs.
Research shows that eggs are a great source of power, strength, and energy. In addition, they are also a great source of vitamin B, which is essential for increasing skeletal muscle mass.
Whey Protein Powder
Protein powder is a staple for all bodybuilders. Three scoops of protein powder give you about 50 g of protein.
You can include this isolated powder as drinks or shakes in your meal plans. In addition, protein powder can be consumed pre/post-workout and even during workouts to keep your energy levels high.
Also read: How to Make a Protein Shake Without Protein Powder?
Quinoa
Contrary to popular belief, meat is not the only food source for high proteins. For example, research suggests that quinoa is exceptionally high in protein and has a range of vitamins and minerals.
Quinoa is a great provider of fibers and balanced amounts of amino acids, and all of these qualities come at the cost of zero gluten.
Tofu
If you are a vegan and want to follow a plant-based diet, tofu is the way to go. One hundred grams of fried tofu contains 18.8 g of protein.
Moreover, tofu is a soy-based product, which is also high in energy. You can include this in your breakfast and dinners as an alternative to main proteins like chicken and beef.
Chicken
Chicken breasts are popular among bodybuilders because 100 g of chicken breast contains 22.5 g of protein. In addition, unlike other meals, chicken does not have a high-fat ratio. As a result, you can cook and plan various meals with chicken.
Cheese
Even if you follow a diet, it does not mean that it must be bland. You can easily add ingredients like cheese to your meal plans; just add them carefully.
However, you need to ensure that you don’t surpass the daily calorie count. Adding to that, it is also advised that you do not have saturated fats in your meals.
Each cup of diced cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese contain 24.5 g and 20.4 g of protein, respectively. One cup of cottage cheese contains 14.9 g of protein, and it is a healthier option if you want to include cheese in your meal plans as it is partially skimmed.
Cheese is also a good source of calcium, which strengthens your bones.
Lean beef
Beef can be a good option and source of protein when you’re planning your meals. However, make sure you use lean beef instead of fatty portions. 100 g of boneless lean beef contains 27.7 g of protein, trimmed to 0” fat.
The good thing about beef is that it’s a complete protein, which means you’re getting all the essential amino acids that are great for muscle building and recovering from low energy levels.
Also read:
How to Recover From Sore Muscles
Consequently, when your body goes through strenuous training and exercise, your muscles tend to get sore and tighten up. We have the perfect solution for you; Exogun is the best massager for muscle recovery.
After an extensive workout, you need to replenish your energy. Exogun provides percussion therapy which penetrates deep into tissues and reduces tension in your muscles.
Moreover, you can also get Exogun-mini which is portable and super convenient to carry, and it provides the best massage for muscle recovery around specific areas of the body.
In addition, pulling and straining muscles is common for many people, even if they don’t exercise. This Exogun mini is beneficial for muscle recovery in many ways:
- Compact but powerful
- It comes with four attachments, each to target muscle and bone pain
- Increases blood circulation for pain relief
- Recovers sore and tensed muscles instantly.
Summary
Following a meal plan is a good technique to maintain a healthy diet while gaining lean muscles. However, be mindful that you do not push your body too much, and keep track of what suits your body the most.
If you can not complete the 2500 count daily, start slow. Just like Rome was not built in a day, your body needs time to heal, adjust and adapt to new meal plans.
You can also try the best massage for muscle recovery to deal with body stress post-exercise and diet.
Good luck on your fitness journey!
Also read: 15 Easy at-home Chest Workouts to Build Up Your Holiday Body