Muscle gain meal plan: from macros to your shopping list

1. Start with the week you actually have

Before choosing recipes, list the meals you need to prepare at home, the ones you need to take with you and the ones you will eat out. Add your constraints: training times, time available to cook, foods you enjoy and any dietary restrictions.

You can start with this checklist:

Planning menus around your schedule and checking what you already have before writing the shopping list are among the practical recommendations from Manger Bouger.

References: [1]

2. Set nutrition targets for your profile

Energy needs and macronutrient intake should reflect your activity and training. Protein alone does not make a meal plan: available energy, carbohydrates and fats also matter. A 2026 review of sports nutrition emphasises adapting intake to the needs of the active individual. Source: Kozjek Schwietert et al., 2026.

For protein, the International Society of Sports Nutrition's 2017 position stand gives a target of 1.4 to 2.0 g per kilogram of body weight per day for most healthy people who exercise, with the aim of building or maintaining muscle. Source: ISSN position stand on protein and exercise.

Worked example: at 80 kg, that equals 112 to 160 g per day. This calculation only illustrates the unit; it is neither a prescription nor the profile of a Sthenia user.

To set an individual nutrition plan, particularly if you have a medical condition, a dietitian can adapt these targets. The need for individualisation also appears in the joint position paper on nutrition and athletic performance.

References: [2][3][4]

3. Set your budget before choosing the meals

Write down what your budget needs to cover: meals at home, snacks and items you already have or need to replace. Keep meals eaten out in a separate category so that you compare amounts covering the same scope.

For a spreadsheet or manual check, separate two figures:

• The cost of the quantities used in the recipes you plan to make.
• The amount you need to spend, based on the pack sizes sold and what you already have.

If a recipe uses only part of a packet, the cost of that portion and the amount paid for the whole packet are not the same. Keeping them separate prevents you from confusing an estimated meal-plan cost with your total at the checkout.

See how the grocery budget shapes a Sthenia meal plan.

References: [1]

4. Turn your targets into portions, then a shopping list

First choose the meals you want to keep in your week. For each one, record the ingredients, the quantities per serving and the number of servings to prepare. You need this information to check the nutrients in each meal and combine the ingredients into one shopping list.

Use this order:

Do not reuse a recipe's macros after changing its quantities without calculating them again.

References: [1][5]

5. Plan how you will adjust the week

A cancelled meal, an unavailable ingredient or a busy evening can all require a change to the plan. Start by identifying exactly what changes: the recipe, number of servings, day or product purchased.

In this method, every change ends with two checks: the nutrient intake for the meals concerned and the shopping list. This keeps a record of your adjustments instead of leaving you with several hard-to-follow versions.

References: [5]

6. Build your week with Sthenia

In Sthenia, you enter your profile, goal and weekly grocery budget. The app generates a seven-day meal plan and a costed shopping list, using that budget as a planning constraint.

The budget is taken into account from the moment the plan is built. This gives you one consistent starting point for both your meals and your shopping. The costs shown are estimates: the amount you actually pay will depend on the products and shop you choose.

The weekly plan and costed shopping list are Sthenia Pro features. See how Sthenia puts your budget at the heart of the plan.

References: [6]