Athlete Diet Plan for Weight Loss will show you how to get rid of fat, gain muscle and feel amazing. By following these healthy diet plans designed for people that spend a lot of time exercising, you can drop weight and look great! This is the perfect diet plan for ultra-runners, cyclists, martial artists or anyone else looking to lose some weight and achieve a lean physique.
Meal Plan to Lose Weight for Athletes
If you’re an athlete, you may find it’s tough to lose weight. You’re already more active than the average person, so increasing physical activity probably doesn’t represent an option for weight loss. Instead, you’ll need to lose weight by changing what you eat. A meal plan to lose weight for athletes should reduce fat in the diet and include plenty of high-fiber carbohydrates. Talk to a sports scientist or medical professional to figure out a calorie intake that facilitates weight loss, and meet your calorie needs with healthful foods that will support your training program.
What is a healthy weight loss goal?
A safe weight loss goal is 1 to 2 pounds per week. Allow plenty of time before an event to lose weight safely. Losing too much weight too quickly can hurt your performance and cause health problems. It can also cause you to lose muscle along with fat. The best time to try to lose weight is during the off season or at the start of the season, before a competition. Resistance training may limit loss of muscle as you lose fat. Ask your dietitian or healthcare provider to help you choose a weight loss goal that is right for your height, age, and activity level.
What is a healthy meal plan for an athlete?
Eat a variety of healthy foods that are low in calories during regular meals and snacks. Do not skip meals. The following are suggested amounts of the carbohydrate, protein, and fat you may need each day. Your dietitian can tell you how many calories and nutrients you need each day.
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- Fat is important because it provides energy and vitamins. You need 20% to 35% of your total daily calories to come from fat. For example, a man who needs about 2900 calories per day would need 725 fat calories each day. There are both healthy fats and unhealthy fats in foods. Ask your healthcare provider for more information about different types of fat and the total amount of fat you should have.
- Carbohydrate is the main source of energy your body uses during exercise. The amount you need depends on your daily calorie needs and the sport that you do. It also depends on whether you are male or female. Athletes need 6 to 10 grams of carbohydrates for each kilogram of body weight. To find your weight in kilograms, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. Then multiply this number by your carbohydrate needs. For example, if you weigh 70 kilograms, you would need 420 to 700 grams of carbohydrate each day.
- Protein helps to build and repair muscle, produce hormones, boost your immune system, and replace blood cells. The amount of protein you need is only slightly higher than the amount suggested for people who do not exercise. Endurance athletes need 1.2 to 1.4 grams for each kilogram of body weight per day. Athletes who do strength training (such as lifting weights) need 1.2 to 1.7 grams for each kilogram of body weight per day. People can usually meet their needs for protein by following a balanced meal plan. Good sources of protein are lean meats, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, peanut butter, and beans. Protein or amino acid supplements are not needed if you follow a healthy and balanced meal plan.
How can I safely decrease calories?
To lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, eat about 500 calories less than you normally do each day. Below are some ideas on how to decrease calories.
- Eat smaller portions. You can do this by using a smaller plate. You can also use the plate rule for portion sizes. Place vegetables on ½ of your plate. Put a protein food on ¼ of your plate. Place a carbohydrate on the other ¼ of your plate.
- Avoid second helpings. At restaurants, split your meal with someone else, or take half of the meal home with you.
- Cut down on liquids and foods that are high in sugar and fat. Examples of high-sugar liquids and foods are soda, sweetened drinks, and candy. High-fat foods and liquids include whole milk, potato chips, fried foods, mayonnaise, and pastries (cookies and cake).
- Eat healthy snacks between meals to avoid getting very hungry. This will help you avoid overeating during meals. Eat a carbohydrate snack about 1 hour before exercise to give you energy and keep you from getting hungry. Some examples of snacks that have carbohydrates include a low-fat bran muffin, banana, apple, or yogurt.
What are some healthy foods I can include in my meal plan?
- Eat low-fat dairy and lean protein foods. Drink 1% or skim milk. Eat low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheese. Eat fish, chicken or turkey without skin, and lean cuts of meat. Trim all visible fat from meat before you cook it. Choose eggs and egg whites.
- Eat foods that are high in fiber, such as whole-wheat foods (bread, tortillas, crackers), beans, and legumes. Choose high-fiber cereals that are low in calories (less than 150 calories per serving), such as oatmeal. Add high-fiber foods to your diet slowly if you do not normally eat them. If you add high-fiber foods to your diet too quickly, you may have bloating, gas, and stomach discomfort.
- Include whole-grain carbohydrates and a lean protein food in each of your meals and snacks. These foods may help you stay full longer.
- Choose low-calorie healthy snacks, such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, and grains (such as a granola bar).
What liquids should I drink?
- Drink calorie-free or low-calorie drinks, such as water and low-calorie sports drinks. Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. Dehydration can cause serious health problems. Athletes have higher liquid needs because they lose water through sweat.
- Always carry water with you during long exercise sessions. You can wear a special bag or belt made to carry water on your back or around your waist. Drink sports drinks during exercise sessions that last longer than 1 hour. The best way to check if you are drinking enough liquids is to check the color of your urine. Urine should be clear or very light yellow, with little or no smell. If your urine is dark or smells strong, you may not be drinking enough.
Breakfast
To lose weight, trim some fat from your diet — athletes who eat a lower-fat diet see more weight-loss success, according to the University of Northern Iowa Sports Science Exchange. For breakfast, consume low-fat milk over high-fiber, low-fat cereal, preferably covered with fresh fruit. Avoid granola cereals — most have too high a fat content. If you want something more to start your day, try toasted whole grain bread topped with fruit juice-sweetened jam.
Lunch
Athletes need more protein than most people to perform well and rebuild their muscles in between training sessions. As part of your meal plan to lose weight, your lunches should include some lean protein, plus plenty of complex carbohydrates to provide energy for your workouts. Try a large salad with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, peppers and radishes, topped with smoked chicken breast and drizzled with a bit of olive oil. A cracked whole wheat roll on the side can provide some additional carbs and fiber — just make sure to skip the butter. Alternatively, you could enjoy a hearty turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole grain bread, along with some sliced apples and carrots on the side. Dress your sandwich with mustard instead of mayonnaise to keep the fat content low.
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Dinner
For dinner on your athlete’s meal plan to lose weight, you should make sure to get some additional protein — in fact, athletes who eat a little more protein tend to lose more weight, according to the University of Northern Iowa Sports Science Exchange. However, the protein you eat still needs to contain little fat. Try some fish broiled with lemon and pepper — cod and tilapia both represent low-fat, healthy choices. Steam some asparagus or broccoli, and add some brown rice on the side for fiber and additional whole-grain carbs. If you don’t like fish, try a lean chicken breast baked with fresh herbs, possibly with a sweet potato and and carrots on the side. For dessert, keep it light and fat-free — you can enjoy a bowl of fresh fruit or a small scoop of fat-free sorbet.
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Considerations
As an athlete, you need to make sure you don’t lose weight too fast, or your athletic performance could suffer. Try to cut no more than 500 calories a day from your diet, according to the University of Arizona. Don’t skip meals to lose weight; instead, eat smaller amounts at every meal and snack on low-calorie, high-carbohydrate foods frequently throughout the day to fuel your workouts and keep yourself from getting hungry. Eating your meals more slowly may help you feel full consuming fewer calories.
Diet brands for athletes
The following diet brands may support athletic training needs. People can use a meal delivery or meal replacement service as part of an overall diet that meets their calorie and macronutrient requirements.
Please note that the writer of this article has not tried these products. All information is purely research-based.
Trifecta
Trifecta offer a meal delivery service that provides customers with macro-balanced meals that chefs have prepared.
Customers can choose from different meal plans, including vegan, keto, and paleo. Those who are unsure which plan is best for them can complete the online quiz.
People can use Trifecta’s mobile app to track their nutrition and exercise progress. The company also offer free access to a nutrition coach.
On their website, Trifecta give examples of bodybuilding, CrossFit, and Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes who use their meal plans.
Huel
Huel provide nutritionally complete meals and snacks. Their products include drinks, powders to make shakes, and snack bars. They claim that each meal contains:
- carbohydrates
- protein
- fiber
- fats
- 27 vitamins and minerals
According to the company’s website, Huel powder contains a balanced macro split of 37:30:30:3, meaning that it contains 37% carbohydrate, 30% protein, 30% fat, and 3% fiber. The product contains all of the essential amino acids.
Huel claim that their products are easier to digest than solid foods. Liquid food may be useful for athletes, particularly if they suffer digestive symptoms or need to consume more calories.
Using Huel as a meal replacement for some meals may be a convenient way for athletes to fuel their energy and training needs.
Allplants
Allplants provide a plant-based meal delivery service. Their in-house nutritionist designs the meals to make sure that they are balanced and delicious.
Athletes can choose single or double portions to suit their target calorie intake. They can also keep meals in the freezer to use at their convenience. The meals contain 300–600 calories, so athletes who need more calories could use some meals as snacks.
According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a plant-based diet provides all the nutrients that the body needs for training and competition. The authors of a 2019 review concluded that plant-based diets are cardioprotective for endurance athletes.
Currently, this brand only delivers to the United Kingdom, though they state that they are looking to expand internationally.
Diet Chart For Sportsman
Whether you are a bodybuilder, a professional athlete or simply exercising to improve your health, sports nutrition plays a key role in optimising the beneficial effects of physical activity. Making better decisions with your nutrition and hydration can result in improved performance, recovery and injury prevention.
Consuming the right balance of food and drink is important for everyone. Yet those actively participating in sport on a regular basis need to be aware that it can also affect their performance. Fats, protein and carbohydrates all provide your body with fuel to maintain energy. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel used by working muscles.
Adequate intake is essential for preventing muscle fatigue. While you should monitor your fat intake, you should not remove it from your diet completely. Fats provide fatty acids that can be used as a source of energy – especially if your exercise sessions last longer than one hour. Fats also provide the building blocks for hormones and formation of cell walls. Protein can be used as a source of energy and is critical for building new muscle tissue. If you are taking part in resistance training, your body will require additional protein.
Diet chart for sportsman
| Sunday | |
| Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM) | Mushroom Paratha 2 + Tomato chutney+ Scrambled egg( 2egg) |
| Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM) | plane Yoghurt with raw vegetables / grilled vegetables -1 cup |
| Lunch (2:00-2:30PM) | 1/2 cup rice + 3 medium chappati+ Fish masala 1 cup( fish 180 g Oily fish(Salmon, Mackerel, Troutetc))+ Snake guard subji 1/2 cup. |
| Evening (4:00-4:30PM) | 1 cup boilled channa+ light tea 1 cup. |
| Dinner (8:00-8:30PM) | 3 Roti/ chapati+ 1/2 cup mix veg curry |
| Monday | |
| Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM) | Chicken sandwich(4 slice bread) + 1 cup skimmed milk. |
| Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM) | 1 cup bana+ almond milk shake. |
| Lunch (2:00-2:30PM) | 1 cup rice+ Soya chunk curry1/2 cup+ Ladies finger subji 1/2 cup+ small cup low fat curd. |
| Evening (4:00-4:30PM) | Brown rice flakes poha with nuts 1 cup. |
| Dinner (8:00-8:30PM) | 3 Roti / chappathi+Ridge guard subji 1/2 cup. |
| Tuesday | |
| Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM) | Soya flour Uthappam 2 +Tomato /green chutney + 1 glass skimmed milk. |
| Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM) | 1 cup boilled channa |
| Lunch (2:00-2:30PM) | 4 chapati+ Grilled chicken 150 gm+ Dhal 1/2 cup+ cucumber salad 1/2 cup. |
| Evening (4:00-4:30PM) | 1 cup blue berry milk shake |
| Dinner (8:00-8:30PM) | Brocken wheat upma 1 cup+ 1/2 cup green beans subji |
| Wednesday | |
| Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM) | 4 Idli + Sambar 1/2 cup+1 table spoon Gren chutney/ Tomato Chutney+ 2 egg white |
| Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM) | 1 Portion fruit salad+ Cottage cheese. |
| Lunch (2:00-2:30PM) | Veg pulav rice 1.5 cup+ 1 cup Soya Chunk curry+ 1/2 cup Low fat curd. |
| Evening (4:00-4:30PM) | Chicken salad 1 cup. |
| Dinner (8:00-8:30PM) | 3 roti/ Chapathi+ Ladies finger subji 1/2 cup. |
| Thursday | |
| Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM) | chappati-4+ Egg roast 1/2 cup 2 egg |
| Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM) | green gram sprouts 1 cup |
| Lunch (2:00-2:30PM) | 4 Roti+1/2 cup salad + Fish curry ( fish 180 g Oily fish(Salmon, Mackerel, Troutetc))+ 1/2 cup cabbage subji. |
| Evening (4:00-4:30PM) | 1 Portion fruit + cotage cheese |
| Dinner (8:00-8:30PM) | 3 Roti / chappathi.+ Tomato subji 1/2 cup. |
| Friday | |
| Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM) | Chicken keema Paratha 2+ 1 tbs green chutney+ 1 glass skim milk. |
| Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM) | 1 Portion fruit salad+ Cotage cheese. |
| Lunch (2:00-2:30PM) | 1.5 cup rice+Kidney beans curry 1 cup + 1/2 cup cucumber salad+ Ladies finger subji 1/2 cup. |
| Evening (4:00-4:30PM) | Brown rice flakes poha with nuts 1 cup. |
| Dinner (8:00-8:30PM) | Wheat dosa 3 + 1 cup Bitter guard subji. |
| Saturday | |
| Breakfast (8:00-8:30AM) | Sprouts & Paneer Paratha 3+ Green chutney. |
| Mid-Meal (11:00-11:30AM) | 1 cup boilled channa |
| Lunch (2:00-2:30PM) | 4 chapati+ Grilled chicken 150 gm+ Dhal 1/2 cup+ cucumber salad 1/2 cup. |
| Evening (4:00-4:30PM) | 1 cup blue berry milk shake |
| Dinner (8:00-8:30PM) | Brocken wheat upma 1 cup+ 1/2 cup green beans subji |
Do’s And Dont’s
Do’sEat adequate high carbohydrate meals every day to keep glycogen stores full and make most of your training sessions.Allow 3-4 hours digetion time for a large meal, 2-3 for smaller meal, 1-2 for blended or liquid meals and less than one hour for smaller snacksIf you eat less than one hour before the event be sure to snack on any tried and truelow fat high carbohydrate snackIt’s best to have high glycemic index foods during and after exercise such as Glucose, Potatoes, Bagels, Raisins, Oatmeal, Sugar etc
Don’ts
- Dehydrate your body.
- Maintain proper balance of intake and output.
- Balance your protein and carb intake wisely.
- Alcohol & smoking shoulb be avoided totally.
Food Items You Can Easily Consumed By Sports Person
- Cereals: Brown rice, Oat meal, Brocken wheat, Ragi, Quinoa, Maiz grit, Sweet corn.
- Pulses: Chickpeas, Kidney beans, moong dal, masoor dal, soybeans.
- Vegetables: Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Lettuce, Beet, Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet potatoes, Beans and all other vegetables( especially the green ones such as spinach, lettuce, leeks, broccoli, asparagus, peas, cabbage and beans, are high in minerals, calcium, iron and other vitamins)
- Fruits: Avacado, Banana, Custard Apple, Pears, Grape and Watermelon, Orenges and Apple (sweet corn, bananas are good for carbohydrate loading before even)
- Milk and Milk products: Skim milk, Paneer, Cotage Cheese, Yoghurt.
- Meat, Fish and Egg: Lean Meat, Chicken Brest, Tuna, Salmon, Tilapia, Sword fish , Cod.
- Oil: 1.5 Tbsp/ day( Olive oil, Mustard Oil, Rice bran Oil, Canola oil
- Sugar: 2 Tsp/ day.