Bulking meal plan for a lean, steady gain
Gaining weight on purpose sounds easy until you have to eat 3,200 calories every day. This prompt has your todo.is agent set a modest surplus for a lean bulk, plan calorie-dense meals that don't feel like a chore, and keep protein high so most of the gain is muscle, with a weekly weigh-in to adjust.
The prompt
- Make me a lean bulking meal plan for 7 days. I'm [WEIGHT], [HEIGHT], train [TRAINING DAYS] a week and want to gain about [WEEKLY GAIN] per week. Estimate maintenance calories and add a small surplus. Aim for about 2 g protein per kg body weight. I'm a [APPETITE] eater, so make meals easy to finish with calorie-dense foods (oats, rice, nut butters, olive oil, whole milk, smoothies). Put more carbs before and after training. My weekly food budget is [BUDGET]. Give me an Excel file with meals, macros per meal, a grocery list and a Sunday prep plan, and email it to me.
What to change
- [WEIGHT]: E.g. "68 kg".
- [HEIGHT]: E.g. "180 cm".
- [TRAINING DAYS]: E.g. "4 days of weights".
- [WEEKLY GAIN]: For a lean bulk, about 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight, e.g. "0.25 kg".
- [APPETITE]: E.g. "small" (hard to eat a lot) or "big".
- [BUDGET]: E.g. "$90 a week".
Example result
- Lean bulk: 68 kg, 180 cm, weights 4 days a week
- Goal +0.25 kg a week · small appetite · estimates, adjust after 2 weeks
- Your numbers
- • Estimated maintenance: about 2,700 kcal
- • Surplus: +300 kcal, target about 3,000 kcal a day
- • Protein: about 140 g · Fat: about 85 g · Carbs: the rest, about 400 g
- Training day (about 3,050 kcal)
- • 7:30 Breakfast (700 kcal, 30 g protein): 100 g oats cooked in whole milk, banana, 2 tbsp peanut butter
- • 11:00 Snack (450 kcal, 25 g): Bagel with cream cheese and smoked turkey
- • 13:30 Lunch (750 kcal, 40 g): Chicken thighs, 2 cups rice, stir-fried vegetables with olive oil
- • 17:00 Pre-workout (300 kcal, 10 g): 2 rice cakes with jam and a banana
- • 19:30 Post-workout dinner (850 kcal, 45 g): Beef mince pasta bolognese, big portion, Parmesan
- Rest day (about 2,900 kcal)
- • Fewer carbs around training, more fats: eggs and avocado toast, salmon with potatoes, Greek yogurt with granola and honey
- The liquid meal (for small appetites)
- • 400 ml whole milk, 1 banana, 50 g oats, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 scoop whey
- • About 800 kcal and 50 g protein, easy to drink between meals
- Cheap calorie-dense staples
- • Oats, rice, pasta, potatoes, whole milk, eggs, peanut butter, olive oil, bananas, chicken thighs, canned tuna, beef mince
- Sunday prep (75 minutes)
- • Cook 1.5 kg rice and 1 kg chicken thighs, portion into 5 boxes
- • Make a big pot of bolognese (5 portions)
- • Pre-weigh oats and smoothie bags for the week
- How to adjust
- • Weigh in 3 mornings a week and use the average
- • Gaining more than 0.5 kg a week: drop 150 to 200 kcal
- • No gain after 2 weeks: add 150 to 200 kcal (a glass of milk and a banana)
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and add your weight, height, training days, target gain and budget.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen, or message it to your agent on Telegram or WhatsApp.
- You get an Excel file with training-day and rest-day meals, macros, groceries and a prep plan.
- Send your weekly average weight to your agent and ask it to adjust the calories.
Tips for a better result
- If you struggle to eat enough, drink some calories. A milk, oat and banana shake is one of the easiest 800 kcal you'll get.
- Add olive oil, nut butter and cheese to meals you already eat instead of eating bigger portions.
- Keep the surplus small (about 200 to 400 kcal). A 'dirty bulk' adds more fat than muscle.
- Ask your agent to build a matching gym workout plan so your training and food line up.
bulking meal plan: FAQ
- How many calories should I eat when bulking? A lean bulk usually means about 200 to 400 kcal a day above maintenance. Your agent estimates maintenance from your details, and you adjust it based on your real weekly gain.
- What is the difference between a lean bulk and a dirty bulk? A lean bulk uses a small surplus and mostly whole foods to gain slowly with less fat. A dirty bulk eats as much as possible, which usually adds more fat.
- Do I need protein powder to bulk? No, but it is a cheap and easy way to reach a high protein target. Milk, eggs, chicken, fish, yogurt and legumes work too.
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