Introduction
It is ineffective to increase consumption of empty-calorie items like soda and chips in order to increase muscle mass, bone density, or repair tissue. This is where meal planning comes in. Meal preparation makes sure you consume enough calories, protein, and a variety of nutrients for muscle growth.
A meal plan is deciding meals in advance using your schedule, preferences, foods you have on hand, seasonal produce, sale items, etcetera. It usually involves planning a meal for a week and grocery shopping once a week for the items needed in the menu you made.
Benefits of Meal Planning
- Eating healthily
- Learning portion control
- Saving time
- Saving money
- Avoiding food waste
More on Meal Planning
Give yourself time to plan your weight gain diet plan for female each week. Consider how many meals you need to prepare for the entire week. Write down what you want to eat for 7 days from Monday to Sunday, breakfast to dinner, and all snacks in between. This can help you see and control how many calories and macronutrients you consume.
Include some of your favorite meals, easy-to-make foods, and add some new recipes if you have time.
But if you’re a beginner in meal planning, simplicity will be your friend. You can plan a meal with the same ingredients every day. This way, you can grocery shop faster and won’t overthink what to eat every day, making meal prep easy and simple.
Sample Meal Plan
This is a 2200-calorie meal plan for weight loss and muscle gain female edition with 40% of protein, 35% of carbs, and 25% of healthy fats. Play around with these ingredients with different cooking methods or seasoning for 7 days. For beverages, it’s best to stick to low- and no-calorie options such as water, tea, and coffee.
Calories: 2,175
Total Carbs: 193g
Total Fats: 62.4g
Protein: 219.3g
Breakfast
- 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup steel-cut, 1/2 cup skim milk
- 2 scoops protein powder with 1 cup of blueberries
Snack
- 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup raspberries, 1/2 tablespoon chopped pecans
Lunch
- Quesadilla made with 2 corn tortillas, 1/2 cup low-sodium black beans (rinsed), 2 slices low-fat pepper jack cheese
- 1/2 cup or 152 grams of diced watermelon
Snack
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with 1/2 cup salsa
- 2 scoops protein powder with 1 large banana
Dinner
- 1 turkey burger
- 1/2 cup roasted broccoli and cauliflower
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1 cup spinach salad
Tips for Success
- Know how much calories you need to consume.
Tracking your calories and knowing how much protein, carbs, and fats you consume is important for weight gain meal plan for females. The recommended ratio of macros (protein-carbs-fats) for women who want to gain weight and build muscle is 40-35-25. Keep in mind that everyone and every body is different, so what works for one person may not work for another.
- Keep it simple.
A weight gain meal prep for females doesn’t have to take a lot of work. You might find it hard to follow overcomplicated recipes and different meals every day. Keeping it simple makes it easier to commit to the plan.
- Don’t start from scratch.
It’s not necessary to spend hours poring through a cookbook in order to prepare meals effectively. The meals you often eat first, every week or two, repeat them. Then, if you’re up for it, occasionally throw in something fresh.
- Check leftovers or what’s in the refrigerator.
The meals for the next week begin in the refrigerator. Create a meal using the leftover ingredients. When planning some meals, check if the ingredients can be found in your pantry; if not, add them to the shopping list.
- Cook in bulk
Cook extra and store the extras in the refrigerator or freezer. When using the oven, consider what else you can prepare concurrently. Cooking some chicken breasts for sandwiches while making a casserole is an option.
- Exercise
A meal plan for weight loss and muscle gain female edition can work better if you add some resistance training to work your muscles.
Conclusion
Meal planning helps you save time, save money, and have more control over your food choices.
Making a weight gain meal plan for females and preparing your meals in advance, along with the proper exercise, can help you get your desired results faster. Remember to be kind to yourself, don’t stress meal planning so much, keep it simple and just start with the basics.
