Many people consider a 2000 calorie diet meal plan to be a standard level for a suitable diet. Nevertheless, the level of a diet meal plan should depend not only on activity frequency, body size, age, and gender but also on the purpose of our diet. For individuals who wish to gain weight or train out for muscle gain, we created a 3000 calorie food plan.
Understanding the needs of people, Kerri Ann Jennings will show you suitable instructions about how to set a 3000 calorie meal plan for a week. This article covers all you need to know about a 3,000-calorie diet, including why you should do it, what foods to consume and how much you should eat, and an example meal plan.
Who should take a 3,000-calorie diet?
Your daily calorie requirements are determined by a number of factors, including
- Gender. At rest, women burn 5–10 percent fewer calories than males of the same height.
- Age. The number of calories you burn at rest decreases as you get older. The more calories you require to maintain your weight, the taller you are.
- Activity. Calorie requirements are increased by exercise and activities such as yard work and fidgeting.
Adult women’s daily calorie needs range from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day, whereas adult men’s daily calorie needs range from 2,000 to 3,000 calories, with the low end of the ranges being for inactive persons and the high end being for active people.
These figures are based on formulae based on an adult woman’s and man’s average height and weight. The reference lady stands 5’4″ (163 cm) tall and weighs 126 lbs (57.3 kg), whereas the reference guy stands 5’10” (178 cm) tall and weighs 154 lbs (70 kg).
To maintain your body weight, you may need 3,000 calories or more per day, depending on your size and activity level.
Though athletes have greater calorie requirements than the general population, others who engage in physically demanding industries, such as farm laborers and construction workers, may also require a high-calorie intake to stay in shape.
Conversely, if you exercise moderately a few times a week with little activity in between, you probably don’t require as many calories as most people believe, because exercise burns far fewer calories than most people believe.
How to gain weight safely?
Many people want to reduce weight, while others want to gain weight.
When you consume more calories than you burn on a daily basis, you acquire weight. 3,000 calories may be more than your current calorie demands, leading you to gain weight, depending on your activity level and body size.
Why you may want to gain weight?
There are a variety of reasons why people wish to acquire weight.
If your body mass index (BMI) indicates that you are underweight, your healthcare practitioner or qualified dietitian may advise you to gain weight.
If you’re an athlete, you might desire to acquire weight — preferably in the form of muscular mass — to improve your performance.
If you’re a bodybuilder or a powerlifter, you might want to gain weight to boost your muscle size and strength.
You may also be recuperating from major surgery or have a health condition that raises your calorie demands, such as cancer or infection.
Safe rate of weight gaining
While there is several research on the subject, a healthy weight growth rate is 0.5–2 pounds (0.2–0.9 kg) each week.
Weight gain of roughly 4.4 pounds (2 kg) per week has been achieved safely in persons with severe malnutrition
Bloating, gastrointestinal pain, and fluid retention are all common adverse effects of rapid weight gain. If you’re a sportsperson, these side effects might detract from your performance by interfering with your exercises or sessions.
Furthermore, fast weight gain can elevate triglyceride levels, thus increasing the risk of heart disease.
The amount of calories you require to maintain your weight determines how quickly you acquire weight.
On a 3,000-calorie diet, someone who maintains their weight on 2,000 calories per day would gain weight significantly faster than someone who maintains their weight on 2,500 calories per day.
One 8-week study found that when 25 healthy persons ate 950 calories more than their weight-maintenance calorie needs, they gained an average of 11.7 pounds (5.3 kg), with 7.7 pounds (3.5 kg) of fat.
Those same participants would acquire substantially less weight if they ate merely 500 calories more than their maintenance calorie needs for the same amount of time.
How to take a healthy 3,000-calorie diet?
Carbohydrates, fat, and protein are the three macronutrients that make up your diet.
Protein and carbohydrates have four calories per gram, but fat has nine.
According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies’ Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs), humans should consume:
- Carbohydrates account for 45–65 percent of their calories.
- Fat accounts for 20–35 percent of their calorie intake.
- Protein accounts for 10–35 percent of their calories.
These percentages are applied to a 3,000-calorie diet in the chart below:
| Calories | 3,000 |
| Carbs | 338–488 grams |
| Fat | 67–117 grams |
| Protein | 75–263 grams |
Protein intakes on the higher end of the AMDR have been demonstrated to prevent body fat growth owing to excess calorie consumption and improve muscle mass when paired with resistance training.
On a high-calorie diet, resistance exercise can encourage muscle development rather than fat accumulation.
Consume protein before and after your exercises, as well as at regular intervals throughout the day, to aid muscle repair and growth
What to eat, what to avoid?
It might be difficult to get 3,000 calories per day from complete, unprocessed, or minimally processed foods such fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean meats.
This is because these meals are high in nutrients yet low in calories, causing you to consume a substantially bigger quantity of food.
Conversely, highly processed refined foods, such as bacon, potato chips, candies, cookies, sweetened cereals, and sugary beverages, are very delicious and packed with calories, making it quite easy to ingest 3,000 calories from them.
However, because these junk foods are deficient in crucial nutrients, it’s critical to acquire the majority of your calories from nutritious whole meals, such as:
Salmon, chicken, turkey, bison, whole eggs, and lean beef cuts like flank or sirloin steak are examples of animal-based proteins.
- Tofu, edamame, tempeh, peas, and chickpeas are all plant-based proteins.
- Oats, rice, bread, pastas, and quinoa are examples of grains.
- Milk, cottage cheese, kefir, and Greek yogurt are all dairy products.
- Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, olive oil, and nut butters like natural peanut or almond butter are high in fats and oils.
- Avocados, berries, apples, bananas, pears, oranges, grapes, and other fruits
- Squash, sweet potatoes, peas, kale, peppers, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, and a variety of other vegetables,
In addition, protein powders such as whey, casein, and plant-based powders such as rice, soy, or pea can be included into smoothies for a nutrient- and calorie-dense snack.
Finally, while mass gainer supplements, which typically deliver 1,000 calories per dose, are a handy choice, it’s important to first fulfill your calorie and nutritional demands through food.
On a 3,000-calorie diet, avoid or restrict highly processed, nutrient-poor foods like
- French fries, onion rings, doughnuts, chicken strips, cheese sticks, and other fried foods
- Tacos, burgers, pizza, hot dogs, and other fast food items
- Soda, sweets, sports drinks, sugary baked goods, sweetened tea, ice cream, sweet coffee drinks, and other sugary foods and beverages
- Cookies, chips, sweet cereals, pastries, and other refined carbohydrates
You may enjoy your favorite indulgences in moderation if the majority of your diet consists of full, nutrient-dense meals.
7-Day 3000 Calorie Meal Plan
| Meals | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
| Breakfast | 5 Egg omelet (use mushrooms, onions, peppers), 2 cups low-fat chocolate milk | Half a glass of cereal, 1 slice of whole wheat toast, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 egg, 1 glass of milk, 1 glass of orange juice | 1 bowl of yogurt or 2 glasses of unsweetened milk, 2 boiled hard eggs, 2 semi-skimmed feta cheese(forefinger thick), 5 black olives, 3 thin slices of bran bread | Milk 200 ml, oats 50 grams, 4 eggs, 1 tomato, 2 slices of cheese, 1 apple | 5 Egg omelet (use mushrooms, onions, peppers), 2 cups low-fat chocolate milk | 1 bowl of yogurt or 2 glasses of unsweetened milk, 2 boiled hard eggs, 2 semi-skimmed feta cheese(forefinger thick), 5 black olives, 3 thin slices of bran bread | Milk 200 ml, oats 50 grams, 4 eggs, 1 tomato, 2 slices of cheese, 1 apple |
| Snack | Breakfast cereal consisting of banana and oats (add 1 tbsp honey in it) | 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 2 tablespoons of jam or honey, 3 tablespoons of peanut butter | 2 portions of seasonal fruit salad | 2 bananas, 1 handful of almonds | Breakfast cereal consisting of banana and oats (add 1 tbsp honey in it) | 2 portions of seasonal fruit salad | 2 bananas, 1 handful of almonds |
| Lunch | 1 baked potato, Canned tuna 150 grams, low fat salad salad, a glass of orange juice | 1 bowl of meat soup, 1 slice of ham, 1 cucumber, half an avocado, 1 teaspoon of mustard, 1 red pepper | Grilled meatballs prepared by using 1 portion of lean meat (should not exceed 5), half a portion of meatless vegetable meal, 2 tablespoons of white rice, 1 bowl of semi-fat yogurt, plenty of seasonal greens, 3 thin slices of bran bread | 150 grams of turkey or chicken breast, 200 grams of rice (200 grams uncooked), 200 grams of broccoli | 1 baked potato, Canned tuna 150 grams, low fat salad salad, a glass of orange juice | Grilled meatballs prepared by using 1 portion of lean meat (should not exceed 5), half a portion of meatless vegetable meal, 2 tablespoons of white rice, 1 bowl of semi-fat yogurt, plenty of seasonal greens, 3 thin slices of bran bread | 150 grams of turkey or chicken breast, 200 grams of rice (200 grams uncooked), 200 grams of broccoli |
| Snack | Grilled Chicken Sandwich (1 grilled chicken breast, 2 slices of whole wheat bread), a banana | 2 bowls of lentil soup, 1 slice of wholemeal bread, 1 glass of orange juice, 1 greens and cheese sandwich | Fruit salad prepared with 2 servings of seasonal fruits | Grilled Chicken Sandwich (1 grilled chicken breast, 2 slices of whole wheat bread), a banana | Fruit salad prepared with 2 servings of seasonal fruits | ||
| Dinner | Cooked white rice 2 cups, grilled fish 100 grams, cooked vegetables 1/2 cup, 1 glass of water | Salmon fish with asparagus (3 slices of salmon, 1 teaspoon of lemon, 1 teaspoon of red pepper, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic. Cook in the oven) | 200 grams of grilled or boiled chicken, 3 thin slices of whole wheat bread, half a portion of rice, seasonal salad with plenty of greenery (especially parsley with its fat-breaking effects) | 150 grams of turkey or chicken breast, 300 grams of chickpea meal, 3 spoons of yogurt, 100 grams of salad | Cooked white rice 2 cups, grilled fish 100 grams, cooked vegetables 1/2 cup, 1 glass of water | 200 grams of grilled or boiled chicken, 3 thin slices of whole wheat bread, half a portion of rice, seasonal salad with plenty of greenery (especially parsley with its fat-breaking effects) | 150 grams of turkey or chicken breast, 300 grams of chickpea meal, 3 spoons of yogurt, 100 grams of salad |
| Snack | Grilled chicken breast, 100 grams, 1 cup broccoli | 5 crackers, 2 dried apricots, 2 dried figs, raisins up to a palm, 1 glass of milk, 2 teaspoons of peanut butter | Grilled chicken breast, 100 grams, 1 cup broccoli | ||||
| Total | 3326 | 2950 | 3327 | 2966 | 3326 | 3327 | 2966 |
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Building a 3000 calorie meal plan in a week has never been an easy challenge for us. Hence, Kerri Ann Jennings is very glad to instruct and share with you the way to set up a 3000 calorie meal plan in 7 days. Hope you love it and see you on some next posts about diets.
Don’t forget to find out more Diet plans and Recipes on Kerriannjennings.com
