What I Eat in a Day for Muscle Gain and Fat Loss (No BS, Real Meals)

You Don’t Need a New Diet—You Need a System

Tired of jumping between bulking and cutting plans, influencer meal preps, or $20 smoothies with 30 ingredients? You’re not alone. Most people think they need a completely different approach depending on their goal—cutting, bulking, or maintaining.

But here’s the truth: You don’t need different foods—you need smart portions and a structure that fits your life.

This is exactly what I eat in a day. Whether I’m cutting fat or trying to put on muscle, the meals don’t change—just the quantities. It’s built on real food, backed by science, and actually doable in a busy schedule.

Busy Life. Built-In Nutrition.

I’m a dad to a two-year-old. I run a business. I train four times a week and still make time to cook most of my meals.

This isn’t some six-meal-per-day, vacuum-sealed-chicken influencer meal plan.It’s practical. It’s scalable. And it works.

Most people fail because their nutrition plan isn’t flexible. If you understand how to structure your meals around your goals, you don’t have to overhaul everything every time your body changes. You just make adjustments—and stay consistent.

Macros That Move with You

Here’s what I shoot for on a maintenance day:

• Calories: 3,260

• Protein: 244g

• Carbs: 285g

• Fat: 127g

I weigh 185 lbs, train hard, and spend most of the day on my feet—either coaching clients or chasing my son around. That lifestyle movement, called NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), can swing your daily calorie burn by up to 2,000 calories depending on how active you are outside the gym.[(Levine et al., 2002)]

Protein: My Anchor Macro

I always eat well over 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. It helps me stay full, retain muscle when cutting, and build lean mass when bulking.

One study found that even higher intake—2.4g/kg of bodyweight—led to more fat loss and more muscle gain during a calorie deficit than lower-protein diets.[(Longland et al., 2016)]

Carbs: My Lever

Carbs are what I tweak.

Goal	Rice Per Meal	Daily Carb Swing
Cutting	¼ cup dry	-50g (-200 cal)
Maintenance	⅓ cup dry	—
Bulking	½ cup dry	+50g (+200 cal)

Same food. Just adjusted portions.

Meal-By-Meal Breakdown

Meal 1: Breakfast (~1,425 cal | 70g+ protein)

• Smoothie: Greek yogurt, whole milk, OJ, peanut butter, berries, kale, whey isolate

• Side: 3 eggs with cheddar, 2 slices of French bread

• Drink: Whole milk cappuccino

I eat this around 6 AM and don’t eat again until 1 PM. This high-protein, high-fat meal keeps me full and supports morning training.

Meals 2 & 3: Lunch & Dinner (~700 cal each | 60g protein)

Same framework every day:

• 10 oz protein (chicken, ground pork, etc.)

• ¼–½ cup dry grain (rice or quinoa)

• Veggies (whatever’s on hand)

I don’t batch cook everything. I cook once, make extra, and use leftovers for the next meal. Easy. Flexible. Repeatable.

Post-Workout Shake (~335 cal | 35–40g protein)

• Base: Unflavored whey isolate

• Add-ins: Banana, peanut butter, cocoa, water

• Supp: 5g creatine monohydrate

Each ingredient serves a purpose:

• 🍌 Banana = glycogen replenishment

• 🥜 PB = slows digestion + adds flavor

• 🍫 Cocoa = antioxidants

• 🧠 Creatine = strength + brain support

Supplements I Actually Use

I keep it minimal. Here’s what I take:

1. Protein Powder

Why: Makes hitting 240g protein easier without chewing through 3 lbs. of meat. Use: Post-workout or as a macro patch

2. Creatine Monohydrate

Why: Strength, muscle, cognition, recovery, and longevity. Dose: 5g daily[(Kreider et al., 2017 – ISSN Position Stand)]

3. Fish Oil + Vitamin D

Why: Joint health, immune function, cellular support. Personal Note: I stopped taking them, but joint soreness returned. After restarting, the issue went away.[(Heaney et al., 2017 – Omega-3s, Vitamin D & Exercise ↓ Cancer Risk)]

Cut = Less. Bulk = More. Protein = Constant.

This isn’t perfection. It’s a system that fits my life.

I don’t swap out meals or chase macros to the decimal. I built a daily structure I enjoy—and I scale it up or down depending on how I’m looking and what I’m training for.

No fat burners. No dirty bulks. Just smart adjustments.

Final Takeaway: Build Something You Can Stick To

If your nutrition doesn’t match your lifestyle, you won’t stick with it. That’s what I’ve learned as a dad, business owner, and athlete.

So stop chasing the perfect plan. Build a simple one—and execute it consistently.

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Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most of us know that eating well, regular activity, and managing our sleep and stress levels are important for a healthy life. Still, we struggle to apply that information into our already busy lives. That's why the Active Wave coaching programs help you create a strategy to lose fat, get stronger, and improve your health, all in the context of your own life. We know that's the only way to keep those changes for good, no matter what situation you're in. If you'd like to chat about how you can start to change your life and reach your health and fitness goals, book a free, 10 minute call with one of our coaches today!