7-Day High Protein Meal Plan for Muscle Gain

Protein is the building block of muscle. Without enough of it, no matter how hard you train, your body won't have the raw materials it needs to grow and recover. This 7-day meal plan is designed to hit 150-200g of protein per day while keeping meals simple, affordable, and delicious.

How Much Protein Do You Need?

A good rule of thumb:

• Building muscle: 0.8–1g of protein per pound of bodyweight
• Losing fat while maintaining muscle: 1–1.2g per pound

For a 175 lb person, that's 140–210g of protein per day.

Your Daily Macro Targets (2,500 cal example)

Macro	Amount
Protein	175g
Carbohydrates	275g
Fat	65g
Calories	~2,500

Adjust based on your weight and goals.

Day 1

Breakfast (8am)

• 4 scrambled eggs
• 2 slices whole wheat toast
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (0%)
• Protein: ~55g

Lunch (12pm)

• 200g grilled chicken breast
• 1 cup brown rice
• Mixed salad with olive oil
• Protein: ~50g

Dinner (6pm)

• 200g salmon fillet
• Sweet potato + broccoli
• Protein: ~45g

Snack

• 1 scoop whey protein shake + banana
• Protein: ~30g

Day Total: ~180g protein

Day 2

Breakfast

• Overnight oats with 1 scoop protein powder
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• Protein: ~45g

Lunch

• Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread (200g turkey)
• Cottage cheese side
• Protein: ~55g

Dinner

• Beef mince stir-fry with vegetables + rice noodles
• Protein: ~50g

Snack

• 250g cottage cheese + handful of almonds
• Protein: ~30g

High-Protein Foods to Always Keep Stocked

• Chicken breast — 31g protein per 100g
• Canned tuna — 30g protein per 100g
• Greek yogurt (0%) — 10g protein per 100g
• Eggs — 6g protein per egg
• Cottage cheese — 11g protein per 100g
• Lentils — 9g protein per 100g (great for plant-based)
• Edamame — 11g protein per 100g

Meal Prep Tips

1. Cook in bulk — grill 1 kg of chicken on Sunday, portion it out for the week
2. Batch cook rice or grains — make 4-5 cups at once, refrigerate
3. Keep hard-boiled eggs ready — make a dozen at the start of the week
4. Pre-portion snacks — prep your cottage cheese or Greek yogurt containers the night before

Protein Shakes: Do You Need Them?

Shakes are convenient, not essential. If you can hit your protein targets through whole food alone, great. But for most people, 1 shake per day makes hitting targets much easier — especially post-workout.

Look for a whey protein with at least 20g protein per scoop and minimal additives.

The Bottom Line

You don't need to eat perfectly — you need to eat consistently. Hit your protein targets, eat mostly whole foods, and stay in an appropriate calorie range for your goal (surplus for muscle, deficit for fat loss). Do that every day and results will follow.