Best Diet for Rapid Weight Loss and Muscle Growth

Here's the thing: there's a reason why diets are synonymous with deprivation. When weight loss is the foremost goal – as it often is – we tend to fixate on what we can't have and less so on what we need more of to ensure that our bodies are able to function at their best.

As a goal, "weight loss" alone is fairly meaningless. Take boxer Anthony Joshua. At 110kg and 6ft 6in, his body-mass index makes him technically "overweight". That's plainly ridiculous. But it illustrates a point: if you're only focusing on eating less and dropping kilos, you're not truly working on achieving the powerful body you want.

For effective home workouts, uplifting stories, easy recipes and advice you can trust, subscribe to Men's Health UK today

SUBSCRIBE

You've heard that muscle weighs more than fat. Many weight-loss plans target dense muscle over fat mass, because it produces a bigger shift on the scales. After a week spent starving, you might be lighter, but only because your fat-to-muscle ratio has tipped the wrong way. So, for men who are serious about getting in shape, there are plenty of reasons to eat smarter: raising your immune system, elevating your energy, boosting endurance and getting stronger – particularly if recent events have necessitated a gym hiatus.

"Diet is a key piece of rebuilding strength," says Brian St Pierre of Precision Nutrition. "Without sufficient macronutrients and micronutrients, you won't be able to recover adequately or perform at your peak."

And that kind of strength will benefit not just your workouts, but your focus on work, your mental resilience and everything in between. Will you lose fat on this programme? Absolutely. But far more importantly, you will do so without weakening your body in the process.

Step 1: Diversify Your Fuel

Some crash diets slash entire food groups as a way to shock your system into weight loss. But the big surprise is how quickly it piles back on again. To strengthen your entire body and support lasting change, you need to eat a range of nutrients, says St Pierre. Here's exactly why each is important. (Don't worry, we'll translate the science into delicious meals later.)

Enhances your strength by repairing and growing your muscle tissue

Protein

Nutrients that occur only in animal foods, such as creatine, will further stoke muscle power and strength. Red meat is the best source, but vegans can find it in supplement form. Other examples include carnosine, linked to muscle function and reduced fatigue.

Supply the fuel to work out longer and harder and keep hormones in balance

Slow-Burn Carbs

These occur only in plant foods, with distinct colours signifying different types. Phytonutrients reduce training-induced inflammation and boost your all-round health. Examples you've heard of include carotenoids, flavonoids and resveratrol. Found only in mushrooms and other fungi, myconutrients will help you avoid deficiencies that might be sapping your strength.

Trainer Harder and For Longer, For Life

Healthy Fats

We don't just mean those derived from plants like avocado and nuts, or from oily fish, but also those found in less obvious suspects such as egg yolks, grass-fed beef, pork and organ meats. Unprocessed fats from whole foods lower inflammation, protect hormone balance, support joint health and improve immunity, so you'll never have to miss a workout.

Step 2: Calculate Your Portions

This involves a little bit of maths for a whole lot of progress. You don't need to follow this to the letter to see results, but adjusting your intake of proteins, fats and carbs will reap rewards when you're back in the gym, no gains lost. Use this guide to ensure that the fuel you fill up on is fit for purpose.

• Set Your Calories If you want to maintain your current bodyweight but add strength and muscle mass, your total daily caloric goal should be about 15 times your bodyweight in pounds. So, if you weigh 160lb, that's 2,400kcal per day.
• Prioritise Protein You've heard it before, but it bears repeating: spreading your protein intake evenly throughout the day is crucial for maintaining muscle mass. The oft-cited target of 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight is the gold standard. So if you weigh 160lb that's 160g of protein, or 40g per meal with two 20g snacks.
• Fill in Your Fats You need to derive at least 20% of your calories from fats in order to maintain your hormone levels, says St Pierre. That might equate to roughly 500kcal, depending on your size. (We'll do the maths for you later on.)
• Pile on the Carbs Start with a base of 20% – if that sounds low, there's space to build on it. St Pierre recommends diversifying the carbs you eat, making sure to include phytonutrients and myconutrients. You can tinker with this percentage as you adapt the diet to suit your tastes and specific needs.
• Start Experimenting! You might notice you have some calories left over: about 750kcal. How you allocate them is up to you. St Pierre advises trialling a few different systems, adding more fat or more carbs until you find a balance that satisfies your stomach and your taste buds. If you're not sure where to start, split the remaining calories equally into carbs and fat and see how that feels.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Step 3: Turn Maths into Meals

All this talk of measurements and macros, but what does that look like on a plate? Take the numbers you calculated in Step 2 and turn them into a plan for creating easy daily meals. Because you have enough to think about.

Step 4: Now Build Your Meal Plan

How you choose to enjoy the Strong Man Plan is up to you. Once you have your portions sorted, you're free to mix and match at will. Click through the gallery below to see what a typical day's eating might look like for our 68kg man.

Step 5: All The Gear...

There are a few fundamental pieces of kit that will make the process of designing a meal plan a whole lot more efficient. Check them out:

Measuring Cups & Measuring Spoons with Measuring Ruler Set of 11

Apicallife amazon.co.uk

£17.99

Joyoldelf Premium Kitchen Silicone Spatulas Set of 4

Joyoldelf amazon.co.uk

Digital LCD Kitchen Food Scales

Jazooli amazon.co.uk

Mixing Bowls, Set of 3

Maxi Nature amazon.co.uk

£19.99

Glass Ovenware Roasting Dish, Set of 3

VonShef amazon.co.uk

£24.99

VonShef Wooden Chopping Board Set, 3 Pieces

VonShef amazon.co.uk

£12.99

12 Pieces Kitchen Knife Set

Wanbasion amazon.co.uk

Tefal 5 Piece Essential Non-stick Pots and Pans Set

Tefal amazon.co.uk

£44.95

---

Sign up to the Men's Health newsletter and kickstart your home body plan. Make positive steps to become healthier and mentally strong with all the best fitness, muscle-building and nutrition advice delivered to your inbox.

SIGN UP

Love what you're reading? Join our goal-smashing membership today from only £5, cancel anytime. You belong in the Men's Health SQUAD!

FIND OUT MORE

Paul Kita Paul is the Food & Nutrition Editor of Men's Health.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

Best Diet for Rapid Weight Loss and Muscle Growth

Source: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/health/a32599509/build-muscle-burn-fat-meal-plan/

Share this post