A 4000 calorie meal plan either includes frequent meals or consists of greasy dishes. As a rule, people consume half of such a meal plan. Why do dietitians recommend people count calories?
Calories are tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night.
People consume and waste energy. As a result, they either gain or lose weight. Medical News Today reports the significance of caloric energy. It initializes the vitally important functions inside the body. If the body lacks power, a person will get sick or lose kilos. Those who consume more energy than required risk getting slow metabolism and excess weight. How much caloric energy is enough?
How to Find Out the Required Daily Calorie Plan?
Every person has a basal metabolic rate. People use it for breathing, sleeping, digesting, and performing other essential functions. It depends on the following factors:
- age;
- gender;
- weight;
- height.
Fitness trainers and dieticians use one of the three formulas to find it out.
Mifflin-St Jeor
Formula for men: 10 x weight + 6.25 x height – 5 x age + 5
Formula for women:10 x weight + 6.25 x height – 5 x age – 161
Inventors introduced the formula first in 1990 and considered only data related to the resting body. Experts consider it the most accurate formula to determine how much a person should eat and drink to keep fit.
Harris-Benedict
Formula for males: 13.397 x weight + 4.799 x height – 5.677 x age + 88.362
Formula for women: 9.247 x weight + 3.098 x height – 4.330 x age + 447.593
It was developed in 1919 and revised in 1984. Find the calculator here.
Katch-McArdle
The formula is universal for both men and women: 370 + 21.6 x (1 – % of body fat) x weight.
Today, one can download apps to count calories and get 4000 calories a day. A person selects ingredients, and the system calculates everything. It is very comfortable because a person always carries a smartphone and can add food when having a snack outside.
How Many Calories Does an Average Person Need?
Everything depends on the BMR and a person’s activity. As a rule, a woman should eat up to 2000 calories. Men should stop at 3000 calories or less. What does 4000 calories look like? It is pretty much. Though, some people follow such a plan to gain body mass or receive more energy. For example, bodybuilders consume meals rich in protein to gain muscles and strength to lift barbells and participate in bodybuilding competitions.
How Much Food Should I Eat to Consume 4000 Kilocalories?
Below, you can find a 4000 calorie meal plan bodybuilding. It can help you understand how much food such a meal plan covers.
Breakfast
- omelet (six eggs eggs) – 600 cal;
- guacamole (2 tablespoons) – 50 cal
- whole grain bread (1 slice) – 100 cal
Snack
- two glasses of milk – 300 cal
- one banana – 150 cal
- a protein bar – 200 cal
Lunch
- baked ham (200 grams) – 330 cal
- cooked brown rice (200 grams) – 260 cal
- salad with avocado and tomatoes – (200 gram) – 90 cal
- protein milk (1 glass) – 150 cal
Snack
- tuna sandwich (1 portion) – 450 cal
- fresh orange juice (a glass) – 100 cal
- an apple – 100 cal
Dinner
- lean ground beef (2 pics)- 389 cal
- steamed vegetables (100 grams) – 85 cal
- vegetable salad (200 grams) – 60 cal
- fruit salad (200 grams) – 100 cal
Bedtime Snack
- milk (1 glass) – 150 cal
- peanut butter (2 tablespoons) – 200 cal
- whole grain toasts (2 slices) – 136 cal
As one can see, the menu does not contain simple carbs and trans fats. Instead, it guarantees the required effect without harmful consequences.
Experts recommendation! It is dangerous to get 4000 calories a day without a specialist or an adaptation period. Abnormal food consumption can affect a person’s liver, stomach, or heart.
Who Needs to Consume 4000 Calories?
Three groups of people can follow a 4000 calorie meal plan.
Players
Basketball, football, and rugby demand much power and endurance. People get their energy from food. Coaches recommend eating from 3500 to 4500 calories before matches.
Bodybuilders
It is not a secret that sportspeople cannot get big muscles only by exercising. They also should follow a diet rich in protein (meat, fish, white eggs) and healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, egg yolk, cocoa, etc.
Endurance Athletes
It is impossible to run a marathon, box 12 rounds, and ride a bike several miles without practicing and energy. Some athletes consume more than 4000 calories a day to get strength and cope with physical challenges.
How to Get Accustomed to 4000 cal Meals?
Some people can quickly get 4000 calories a day by eating unhealthy or high-fat food. For example, one piece of pizza equals 266 cal, and 100 grams of nuts can contain as much as 600 calories! High-calorie meals are heavy and jeopardize our health. That is why the main thing is not the calorie count but the quality of meals.
Health experts recommend balancing animal and plant-based meals to get all macros and other nutrients.
One needs to get used to healthy meals to get the required energy and feel well. The rules below can help.
Eat Little and Healthily But Often
It is easier to digest smaller portions of healthy food than big meals with lots of sugar, trans fats, and harmful carbohydrates. One should better eat 700 calories per meal than 2000 per breakfast or dinner. One should also prefer light bedtime snacks to avoid nightmares.
Healthy Food Should Prevail
Keto and Dukan diets suit this purpose the best. The Keto diet includes healthy fats. These are nuts, avocados, meat, olive oil, egg yolk, etc. The Dukan diet prevails in nourishing proteins like meat, cheese, fish, and protein milk. One can mix complex carbs like oatmeal, broccoli, cooked and raw vegetables, and fruits with products from the Dukan and Keto meal plans.
Shakes and Smoothies Can Add Nutritious Calories
One can blend fruits, greenery, and vegetables to get healthy juices and smoothies. For example, milk can turn a handful of strawberries into a tasty milkshake. If a person has milk intolerance, it can be replaced with organic and vegan milk (oat milk, soymilk, coconut milk, etc.).
Get Used to Frequent Snacks
Apple chips, peanut butter, nuts, dried berries, and fruit are nutritious and hearty. One can buy them online or in the supermarket and carry packages where or when necessary to kill the hunger and get energy.
Use Toppings and Additives
A person can add nuts, spices, high-calorie avocados, egg yolks, guacamole, soy sauce, olive oil, and other high-calorie but nutritious ingredients when eating salads, soups, and other dishes.
Note! It would be best to create a 4000 calorie meal plan: grocery list to get healthy products. They should be at one’s fingertips at any moment.
Why Does Meal Quality Matter?
Except for the required amount of calories, daily meals should be balanced. They should contain enough proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. When the body lacks some elements, it loses its ability to perform vitally essential functions. As a result, a person gets sick or acquires chronic diseases due to constant insufficiency.
Adults
Doctors recommend keeping to the following proportions:
- carbs – 45-65% of daily meals
- proteins – 10-35% of daily food
- fats – 20-35% of everyday meals
Those Who Want to Lose Weight
C-P-F proportion should be changed for people who want to look slimmer:
- carbs – 10-30% of everyday meals
- proteins – 40-50% of daily meals
- fats – 30-40% of daily meals
Diets
Specific diets require a concrete percentage of macronutrients. Today, people keep to the three most popular diets:
- Dukan diet (proteins prevail);
- A high-carb diet (more than 60% of carbohydrates);
- Keto diet (60-80% of fats and little carbs and protein).
Nevertheless, none of these diets deal with a 4000 calorie meal plan.
4000 Calorie Meal Plan
Athletes who follow a 4000 calorie meal plan should eat more fat to get energy or protein to gain muscle weight. Carbs are also a good source of energy, but a person should be knowledgeable. Simple carbohydrates provoke obesity, diabetes, and other health disorders. Below, one can see a list of products that supply our bodies with complex carbs:
- whole wheat bread and pasta
- quinoa
- dates
- lentils
- black beans
- oatmeal
- oats
- chickpeas
- apples
- bananas
- pears
- sweet potatoes
Note! Athletes should not forget to add water to their daily meal plans. There is no limit concerning the daily water amount. As a rule, the heavier and more active the person is, the more water an athlete needs.
Conclusion
A person can have a hard time when starting following a 4000 calorie meal plan. One should be picky in food and frequently eat small portions to let the stomach digest well. An organism needs time to get adapted to changes. Moreover, a person must burn many calories to cope with the load. That is why it is necessary to create a good meal plan. As a rule, a person requires a week to adjust the body to the new eating style.
FAQ
Is 4500 Calories a Lot?
Yes, this meal plan suits only people who need a lot of energy. These could be sportspeople and bodybuilders. However, if an average person with low physical activity eats 4500 calories daily, he or she will gain weight quickly. If a person is not prepared, an athlete can get health problems.
What Exercise Burns the Most Calories?
Running is the winner among exercises that people do to keep fit or lose weight. The best variants are high-knee running and butt kicks. Another suitable variant is to run like a mountain climber in a plan position. If you want to learn how to do these exercises right, you should read this article.
Is 5000 Calories a Day Too Much?
500 calories a day is safe only for athletes. It does not mean that a person can eat whatever one wants. Food should not have trans fats, sugar, and starch. Protein, fiber, and healthy fats are perfect energy suppliers and body creators. They do not harm if a person does not start overeating spontaneously and burns enough energy daily (over 3,000 burnt calories).
Hi! My name is Stephanie Hinton and I’m a trained expert in food and nutrition.