When you’re regularly putting your body through the rigours of an intense training session, getting high calorie foods into your diet is a top priority. The strain on your body caused by lifting weights that are often two or three times your bodyweight is considerable. Then there's the nauseating burn caused by volume training (e.g. 10 sets of 10), the supercharged metabolic rate lasting for days that urges you to replenish your energy and protein stores.
To curb the raging appetite that accompanies a strict, structured, and extreme training regime you should be looking to up your intake of high calorie foods so you can maintain your performance. Enter the 3500 calorie meal plan to satisfy your hunger and meet the mammoth increase in your energy and protein requirements. Failing to accommodate these factors means you will not meet your training potential!
Time and cost are two of the main practicalities to consider when trying to consume 3500 calories a day whilst also meeting nutritional requirements and macros. Preparing and consuming such a vast quantity of food in a working day, and the expense of buying fresh, nutrient and protein-rich foods mean very high-calorie diets are not only as important as the training itself, but can be equally as challenging.
Let us help ease the pain with our 3500 calorie meal plan packed with calorie dense foods, hunger-busting protein snacks and energy supplements.
3500 calorie meal plan key stats
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll get with our 3500 calorie diet:
Calories: 3500kcal
Protein: 262g
Carbohydrate: 353g
For a 90kg male, the following plan equates to:
- 39kcal per kg bodyweight
- 3g protein per kg bodyweight
- 4g Carbs per kg bodyweight
For a 73kg woman, this plan equates to:
- 48kcal per kg bodyweight
- 4g protein per kg bodyweight
- 5g Carbs per kg bodyweight
How to get 3500 calories a day
You’ll need a mix of high calorie meals and high calorie snacks to reach your 3500 calorie goal each day. Meal replacement shakes can also be great to include in your high calorie diet to hit your nutritional goals conveniently.
You’ll be eating fairly regularly, so plan accordingly around any training. Here’s how you should look to do it:
Breakfast
- 45g porridge oats with 350ml semi-skimmed milk (320kcal; 16.5g Protein; 42g Carbs)
- 2x scoops whey protein 200ml semi-skimmed milk + 150g (1/4 large 500g pot) natural low fat yoghurt + 1x Banana and blend (460kcal; 56g Protein; 38g Carbs)
Total Calories = 780
Our experts recommend:
XL Nutrition XTRA Whey Protein
Mid-Morning
- 2x boiled eggs (200kcal; 10g Protein)
- 1x Apple (46kcal; 11g Carbs)
- 2x Tangerines (50kcal; 10g Carbs)
- 40g Almonds (220kcal; 8g Protein; 7g Carbs)
- 200ml Fresh orange juice (100kcal; 1g Protein; 20g Carbs)
Total Calories = 616
Lunch
- 160g boiled chicken breast in 300ml made up chicken stock (146kcal; 32g Protein)
- 350g (1-1.5 cups) mashed sweet potato (300kcal; 4g Protein; 69g Carbs)
- 30g grated cheese (120kcal; 7g Protein)
- 100g Mixed vegetables (40kcal; 2g Protein; 6g Carbs)
- 50g Dark chocolate (265kcal; 3g Protein; 23g Carbs)
Total Calories = 871
Mid-Afternoon
- 2x scoops Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey with 200ml semi-skimmed milk + 200g natural yoghurt + 50g smooth peanut butter and mix with Hand blender (560kcal; 51g Protein; 24g Carbs)
Total Calories = 560
Alternatively, why not try,,,
XL Nutrition XTRA Protein & Carbs 5kg
Evening
- 1x tin tuna in brine (140kcal; 34g Protein)
- 80g cooked wholemeal pasta (285kcal; 10g Protein; 59g Carbs)
- Iceberg Lettuce (4-5 leaves) (10kcal)
- 1x slice granary bread made into croutons (100kcal; 4g Protein; 17g Carbs)
- 30ml Cider Vinegar
- Black Pepper
- 200ml glass of whole milk (130kcal; 6g Protein; 9g Carbs)
Total Calories = 665
Mid-Evening
- 2x rice cakes (60kcal; 1g Protein; 12g Carbs)
- 150g cottage cheese (100kcal; 16g Protein; 6g Carbs)
- Black pepper
Total Calories = 160
For a more indulgent evening snack, try out…
This will round you out at 3,652 calories, allowing you some give and take with your 3500 calorie meal plan, and filling you up with vital nutrients to support your workout and your health and wellbeing.
Staying on track
So that’s what a 3500 calorie meal plan looks like. Obviously you might want to swap out some ingredients or include some protein ready meals for taste or convenience. You might also be consuming energy drinks or putting sauces on your dishes. If that’s the case then make sure you’re noting the calorie content and including it in your daily intake.
Following a 3500 calorie meal plan will support you in sustaining a serious training programme, building and maintaining lean muscle, and keeping your energy and endurance at its peak. Combined with targeted pre-workout shots and powerful creatine supplements, like CreaMag from The Health Project, you’ll be firing through your daily grind and hitting your training goals in the gym.
