The Ultimate Daily Diet Plan for Gym Beginners to Boost Results!
The Ultimate Daily Diet Plan for Gym Beginners to Boost Results!
Working out is not the only thing to achieve beautiful fitness. A balanced diet plays the main role in better fitness. However, most beginners don’t know about proper diet plans, and they also don’t realize how necessary maintaining the diet is. We divide our fitness journey into three parts: 30% is workout, 20% is rest, and 50% is a proper diet. Now imagine how important it is. If you are a beginner, it is natural that you will struggle with maintaining a proper diet. In this article, I will help you create a complete diet plan that will be easy to maintain.
How to maintain a proper diet?
What is a proper diet? And how do you maintain one? A proper diet means you are providing your body with essential nutrients from organic and natural foods. A proper diet provides the necessary calories depending on the condition of your body. Our body exists in three states: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.
- Ectomorph: An ectomorph is a lean and skinny person who has a small amount of fat on their body.
- Mesomorph: A mesomorph has a better body type, like an athlete, with minimal fat. Their body is closer to a fit physique.
- Endomorph: An endomorph has a higher amount of fat on their body and is generally considered unhealthy.
So, in these three states, people need to maintain three types of balanced diets. They should eat different types of food with varying amounts of protein and calories. I will explain everything in detail. The diet also depends on your daily activities, age, and workout level.
How much protein is necessary per day for a gym beginner?
Research has shown that a normal person who does not exercise needs 1 gram of protein per kg of body weight. A person who works out daily but does not want to gain more muscle needs 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight. A person who works out daily and wants to gain more muscle needs 2 grams of protein per kg of body weight. For example, if your body weight is 50 kg, you have three protein demands. Here’s the breakdown in a table:
| 50 kg Body Weight | Normal Person | Workout Person (Doesn’t Want to Gain Muscle) | Workout Person (Wants to Gain Muscle) |
|
Protein Demand |
50 grams | 75 grams | 100 grams |
This is a quick and proper measure. You should always maintain your protein demand based on your body weight.
How to count calories and how many calories are essential per day for your body?
Before knowing how calories are measured for your body, let’s first understand how they work. Calories help burn fat and release metabolism in your body. Calorie demand depends on your body type. We already know that our body has three types: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. These three types will require different amounts of calories.
How many calories for a healthy person per day?
According to research from 2020 to 2025, a healthy man needs an average of 2,500 calories per day, while a healthy woman needs an average of 2,000 calories. If you consume 2,500 calories, you will get approximately 20% – 30% of your calories from protein. However, for 20% – 30% protein, some specific foods will help you reach that goal. These foods are:
- Sea fish
- Meat
- Eggs
- Lentils
- Yogurt
- Protein shakes
- Quinoa
- Nuts and seeds
These are just a few examples of foods that can provide protein. Many other foods can also provide similar benefits. If you consume 2,500 calories from these foods, you will definitely get 20% – 30% of your protein needs.
How many calories for ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph?
Each body type has different calorie needs. Here’s the breakdown:
- Ectomorph: An ectomorph person is lean and needs to gain muscle. They should increase their calories with a workout. For example, if an ectomorph person takes 2,500 calories daily, they should aim for 3,000-3,200 calories per day. The extra 500-700 calories will be stored in the body and help build muscle.
- Mesomorph: A mesomorph person has a well-structured physique and generally does not need to gain more muscle. They can maintain their current calorie intake but can increase it if they want to gain muscle.
- Endomorph: Endomorphs tend to be fatty and unhealthy. They should reduce their calorie intake to burn fat. If their required calorie intake is 2,500 per day, they should reduce it to 2,000 calories per day. By consuming 500 fewer calories, their body will burn fat to meet the calorie requirement.
Diet Plan for Morning Breakfast
A proper diet starts with breakfast. Arrange your breakfast with balanced foods. We previously published an article about proper nutrition for breakfast, but here I’ll describe it in a unique way.
What should you eat for breakfast to ensure essential protein?
On average, you need 30 grams of protein for breakfast. If you follow my recommended foods, this will be enough.
Start with a yummy smoothie!
Smoothies are a high-protein and healthy breakfast choice. You can use 1 cup of oat bran, 1 cup of milk, some chia seeds, a few raisins, 1 teaspoon of honey, and a few banana slices. This smoothie contains about 20 grams of protein.
Four boiled eggs are enough for breakfast.
Add four boiled eggs to your breakfast. A boiled egg contains 6.5 grams of protein with the yolk. If you prefer to avoid the yolk, it contains 3.6 grams of protein in the white part. So, four boiled eggs provide 14.4 grams of protein. This will complete your essential protein intake.
Eat chickpeas for breakfast!
Chickpeas are a great food for fitness lovers. Try to eat up to 50 grams of wet chickpeas every morning. Chickpeas contain protein, calories, sodium, no cholesterol, magnesium, potassium, etc. Chickpeas also give strength and keep your bones strong, especially beneficial for athletes.
Take a meal at 11 am-12 pm
At this time, it’s important to have a small meal. For this meal, you can have two boiled eggs, 5-7 dates, 1-2 bananas, and various nuts. Some people may skip this meal, but it is crucial for everyone.
Diet Plan for Lunch
At lunch, your recommended protein intake is around 30-40 grams. You should eat a heavier meal at lunch. Here’s what I maintain for my lunch diet, based on extensive research. I hope my ideas work well for you too.
At lunch, eat to your heart’s content. You can eat rice with fish, meat, or chicken, vegetables, and add some lentils. If you consume a larger amount of lentils, it’s even better. Lentils are rich in fiber, protein, minerals, and vitamins. I also recommend increasing the portion of fish, as it has no harmful effects on your health and is packed with protein. Sea fish is especially recommended, as it contains more protein than other types of fish.
Your Evening Meal Plan
The evening meal is also crucial, but it should be lighter than lunch. You can have an egg, one or two bananas, mixed nuts, fruits (not blended), dates, yogurt, protein smoothie, boiled potatoes, bread with peanut butter, seeds, or some chicken. Vary the food items every day to ensure a variety of nutrients.
Your Diet Plan for Dinner
Never skip dinner if you want to stay healthy and fit. Dinner should be lighter compared to lunch. You can have light rice with two boiled potatoes, lentils, fish, and some vegetables. You can eat plenty of vegetables and lentils. These will meet your protein requirement of 20-30 grams at dinner, so there’s no need to complicate things.
What can you take for a pre-workout?
A pre-workout meal is crucial to gaining strength. Without it, you can’t work out properly. I personally take black coffee before my workout. Sometimes, I also take 5-7 dates, some nuts, or one or two boiled eggs. These are light foods but provide energy. Sometimes, I also have flour bread with fried eggs, lentils, or vegetables, but I always include black coffee in my pre-workout routine, as it gives instant energy and has no sugar, which is better for health.
When should you take your pre-workout meal?
At least 30 to 45 minutes before your workout, to ensure it’s properly digested. If the food doesn’t get enough time to digest, it won’t boost your energy effectively.
What can you take for a post-workout meal?
The post-workout meal is the most important compared to other meals. Your body needs protein after your workout. Research shows that you should eat your post-workout meal within 30 to 60 minutes. So, try to give your body the best nutrition after your workout.
For a post-workout meal, you should aim for 20-30 grams of protein. It works best if you schedule your post-workout meal around lunch or dinner, as it will fulfill your protein needs for those meals. Alternatively, you can have 4 boiled eggs, 4 bananas, rice with sea fish, chicken, vegetables, and lentils.
Warning: This diet plan is for average people. If you want to lose weight, you should follow a different diet plan. Never blindly follow this article without considering your personal needs.
What is necessary to maintain a proper diet plan?
Diet is the heart of a workout. Without a proper diet, you can’t expect a fit body. You should set your goal before starting at the gym. Otherwise, after one or two months of working out, you may feel discouraged if you don’t see results. However, that’s the wrong mindset. Good results come when you maintain a proper diet alongside your workouts. Keep working out and following your diet, and after six months, you will see remarkable changes. You won’t believe how much you’ve changed.
Maintain proper hydration!
Hydration is also crucial. According to research from the National Academies, women need 2.7 liters of water per day, and men need 3.7 liters. These amounts are for normal conditions. However, depending on your daily activities, you may need to increase your water intake. When we work out, we lose a lot of water through sweat, so it’s essential to drink more water to stay hydrated.
Select nutritious foods that support your entire body
There are many people who will choose foods even though I’ve mentioned a complete and proper diet. But always remember that your food choices shape your body. Your body needs protein for muscle growth and repair, complex carbohydrates for energy, healthy fats for hormone production, and fiber, magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitamins, and minerals. Choose healthy food that provides all of these.
How will someone who cannot afford sufficient food meet their protein requirements?
If someone can’t afford proper food, they can meet their protein requirements with supplements. There are many natural protein supplements with no side effects. These supplements are made from natural ingredients. If you use them in suitable amounts, you will meet your protein needs. However, taking more than your body needs will result in fat storage, so be careful.
Here, I am sharing two of the best supplements that are popular worldwide, have no side effects, and are recommended by doctors. These two products have almost 100k reviews on Amazon, so you can see how popular and trusted they are. I recommend choosing one of these.
The other is Creatine Monohydrate.
Another option is to use fish oil or fish oil capsules. These contain omega-3 fatty acids and are made from fish supplements. A fish oil capsule (1,000 mg) contains 300 EPA and 500 DHA. A person who works out can take 4-6 fish oil capsules per day. If you have any health concerns, it’s best to consult a doctor first, but fish oils are generally safe and beneficial for the body.
Conclusion
This article is based on my personal experience and thorough research. I believe this diet will help you if you follow it properly for at least six months. You can adjust it to suit your needs. My recommended foods will provide you with the essential nutrition for good health. Additionally, you can use the recommended supplements if you feel the need. Stay safe and enjoy your fitness journey with steady progress. Thanks for reading the full article!