If you're here looking for a weight loss meal plan for men....I've got you covered.
All the resources & information included in this article are completely free.
All I ask, is that you read the entire article to make sure you're set up for long - term weight loss success.
What I mean by that, is this....
Simply giving you a meal plan may help you today or tomorrow.
But following an exact meal plan is just a band-aid.
It doesn't teach you how to think and eat independently over time.
And after 2-3 weeks of following it, you'll be searching for a new meal plan again.
So in this article I'm going to cover the 2-3 things you need to focus on with your nutrition to lose body fat and actually keep it off long-term.
And after coaching over 100 men personally in my Modern Man Program, I can confidently say that if you focus on these few things + utilize the sample meal plans I provide you as guidance/templates,
that you'll be set up on the right path to get in amazing shape.
And you won't be dependent on any one meal plan just to see results.
So let's get into the most important parts of what it takes to lose body fat,
and once you know that you can use the sample meal plans listed at the bottom for templates of where to start.
THE ONLY REQUIREMENT FOR LOSING BODY FAT....
Regardless of how you set up your meal plan or what foods you prefer, there's only 1 requirement to drop body fat & lose weight.
You need to be in a calorie deficit.
Meaning, you need to be consistently consuming less calories than you burn off in a given day/week/month.
And the best way to know that you're in a calorie deficit in my opinion, is to know how many calories you're eating daily. (tracking your calories)
To do this relatively easily and quickly,
I recommend the MyFitnessPal app. Which is free and allows you to scan the barcode of anything you're eating or use the search function to find any food.
So, how many calories should you personally be eating?
To know that, I first recommend finding your estimated maintenance calories - I'll leave this formula & step-by-step instructions below on how to do that:
Once you have your estimated maintenance calories, I recommend eating 500 calories below that number to effectively lose body fat without starving yourself.
Being in a deficit of 500 calories per day will generally help you lose about 1lb of body fat per week.
Which is an excellent rate of fat loss and generally isn't too strict of a diet that could lead to frequent binging or yo-yo dieting.
The main benefits of tracking your calories are these 2 things...
1. It will give you the best chance to create predictable weight loss for yourself. And you won't have to be guessing or 'hoping' that you'll lose weight.
2. As long as you eat within your calorie target, you can pretty much eat any foods you want.
And you'll never need one specific meal plan just to see results.
You'll be able to sprinkle in a couple slices of pizza occasionally, some birthday cake, a meal out, or any of your favorite foods without feeling like you're 'messing up' your diet.
Knowing how many calories you're eating will allow you to eat more flexibly & sustainably for the rest of your life, while still seeing results in your fitness.
Which I've seen first hand with dozens of my clients - always leads to a much higher quality of life.
Now, eating "anything you want" while still losing weight sounds amazing (and is amazing)...
But I always recommend my clients adhere to the 90-10 rule to make sure they aren't overdoing it with the treats and/or cheat meals.
THE 90-10 RULE....
This means to make 90% of your calories come from good quality, more nutrient-dense whole foods.
Like lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.
And allow for some less nutritious or processed foods 10% of the time.
This will help you not only feel your best, because you'll be getting in a variety of vitamins, minerals, and fibers....
but it will be advantageous for losing weight because these are generally lower calorie foods that also fill you up.
Making 90% of your diet from whole foods will make the amount of food you're eating feel like more food,
and it will ensure that you're not starving all the time, that you have good energy levels, and enough fuel for productive training sessions.
So, let's look at what the 90-10 rule will look like in a given week....
If you eat 3 meals a day, that's 21 meals in the week.
10% of 21 meals is about 2 meals in the week where you are having a less - nutritious or 'treat' type meals.
To successfully lose weight while having 2 planned less-nutritious meals every week....Is very fair in my opinion.
It's not asking you to be perfectly 'clean' with your nutrition and it allows for some less healthy meals in moderation.
Because trying to eat perfectly clean 100% of the time is a major mistake so many men make.
They try to make every single meal clean and when they have 1 food that isn't "healthy", they think they've messed up and it discourages them.
So they throw in the towel and binge for the rest of the weekend instead of just accepting that 1 meal "off-track" is okay and getting back to their plan tomorrow.
Which brings me to the final key point every guy should focus on with their nutrition - regardless of what foods they prefer....
PROTEIN IS KING
Protein is massively important for men who are looking to drop body fat and maintain muscle.
After the total amount of calories you're eating, daily protein intake is probably the next most important factor for losing body fat sustainably without also losing muscle.
Because protein plays a major role in maintaining and building muscle.
But it also keeps you full longer than carbs and fats do.
So for that reason, it's going to be extremely helpful to have plenty of protein in a fat loss phase to keep hunger at bay. (when you're in a calorie deficit)
That being said, tracking your daily protein intake in grams is always something I recommend.
The more information you know, the faster and more predictable results you'll be able to see.
But if you aren't tracking your protein intake, this is what I recommend....
Definitely still prioritize protein in your meals.
Make sure you're having at least 1-2 servings of protein in every meal you eat.
If you're consistent with this guideline, you'll generally land in a good range for daily protein intake if you're eating 2-4 meals per day.
So there you go, you've got 3 primary areas to focus on with your nutrition that will make sure you're losing body fat sustainably.
Which you can adhere to regardless of what meal plan or foods you're eating in a given week.
To recap, they are....
You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose body fat. (so you should probably track your calories)
90-10 Rule to eat healthy but allow for some flexibility in your diet.
Include protein in each meal you eat.
Now that you've got these 3 simple guidelines, let's get you the sample meal plans I talked about at the beginning which you can use as templates or for ideas.
SAMPLE MEAL PLANS....
**Disclaimer - I am not a doctor and don't recommend you follow any of these meal plans exactly.
Depending on your height, weight, age, activity level, goals, preferences, allergies, etc - these may be totally inappropriate for you to follow.
They are meant to be used as a guide and give you ideas as to how to setup a day of eating for a few different levels of calories.
Some I'm providing 3 sample meal plans. One for 1500 calories, 2000 calories, and 2500 calories.
Hopefully one of them can be helpful in some way for you.
And if you want me to design a completely customized nutrition & training program specifically for you,
I'd invite you to Apply for my Modern Man Program here where we can hop on a call and I can see how I can help you.
You can access the meal plans here....
Please let me know if you have any questions on any of these sample meal plans or any of the guidelines I've provided in this article.
- Jesse