1300 Calorie Bodybuilding Meal Plan & Diet (Printable)

This 1300 calorie bodybuilding meal plan is composed of different meals that will help you to reach your calorie goal on your diet, without sacrificing taste or flavor.

As well, given that 1300 calories is considered a ‘low calorie diet’, my aim is to give you meals that help keep you satiated so that you don’t constantly feel hungry, which is a major problem when you’re trying to commit to 1300 calories or less.  

In this article, I will discuss:

• What is the 1300 calorie bodybuilding meal plan?
• What foods to eat on a 1300 calorie bodybuilding meal plan?
• What foods to avoid on a 1300 calorie bodybuilding diet?
• 1300 calorie bodybuilding meal plan
• How to customize the 1300 calorie meal plan 

Want to learn more about meal planning? Check out our complete guide on How To Create A Bodybuilding Diet.

What Is The 1300 Calorie Bodybuilding Meal Plan?

A 1300 calorie bodybuilding plan is a food plan that contains different meal ideas that will help you to reach your calorie goal, while also balancing out your protein, carb and fat intake. This meal plan in particular consists of two options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Whether or not a 1300 calorie meal plan is going to be optimal for you will depend on factors such as your current caloric requirements, along with your particular body composition goals. 

Since 1300 calories would be considered a lower intake for most, this meal plan would likely result in weight loss for the majority of people. 

It should be noted that eating 1300 calories long term is not advised and should only be adhered to for a short period of time in order to create a calorie deficit for fat loss.

If a person is not losing weight, or even gaining weight on a 1300 calorie diet, it might be time to consider taking a diet break or implementing a reverse diet in order to build calories back up to a healthy place.

With that said, there might be a few rare instances where a 1300 calorie meal plan might be followed for weight maintenance purposes. 

For example, a woman who is roughly 5’1” tall, weighs 100 pounds, and has a sedentary lifestyle would be able to eat 1300 calories a day to maintain her weight.

What Foods to Eat on A 1300 Calorie Bodybuilding Diet?

Protein

In the world of bodybuilding, protein is seen as a priority when it comes to your macronutrient breakdown. 

This is because protein is not only essential for building lean muscle mass, but is also the most macronutrient that burns the most calories during digestion, making it optimal for a fat loss phase.

A good rule of thumb for protein intake is to aim to get around 30% of your total daily calories from protein rich foods. In the case of a 1300 calorie bodybuilding meal plan, this would equate to consuming roughly 97.5 grams of protein.

When trying to hit your protein intake on a 1300 calorie diet, it will be very important to ensure that you are getting the majority of your protein from lean sources of protein. 

Since it will be extremely easy to overdo a 1300 calorie intake, you will want to ensure you are not getting too much fat while trying to hit your protein targets.

Good sources of lean protein for bodybuilders to prioritize in their diet include:

• Whey protein powder
• Chicken breast (without the skin)
• Turkey breast
• Shrimp
• White fish such as cod, haddock and mahi mahi
• Non-fat Greek yogurt
• Non-fat cottage cheese
• Skim milk

Carbs

Making sure that you are eating the proper amount of good quality carbohydrates can make all the difference in your diet. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy, so choosing the right types of carbohydrates will help to fuel your workouts, and will also help to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

A balanced and healthy carbohydrate intake consists of getting roughly 40% of your calories from carbs, or roughly 130 grams on a 1300 calorie diet. In order to best utilize these carbs, aim to schedule the majority of your carb intake in the few hours before and after your workout.

It is also best to prioritize carbs that are slower to digest, in order to keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day and avoid any unnecessary crashes or low energy levels.

The best whole food carbs sources to consume on a 1300 calorie bodybuilding diet are:

• Oats
• Quinoa
• Sweet potatoes
• Potatoes
• Brown or Wild Rice
• Whole grain breads
• Fruit (berries, bananas, apples, oranges)

Fat

Whether you are in a calorie deficit or not, it is important to ensure that you continue to have enough fat in your diet. 

The reason for this is that fat is an essential macronutrient that is critical for processes in the body such as the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, brain function, hormone health, and maintaining cell membrane health.

An optimal amount of fat to eat is around 30% of your total daily calories. If you are following a bodybuilding diet, that is going to amount to about 43 grams of fat. If you want to eat less fat, that’s okay, but it is recommended that adults eat at least 20% of their calories from fat, as this is considered the minimum amount to maintain optimal health.

Ideally, you are getting the majority of your fat intake from unsaturated fat sources such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (these are the healthy types of fat). 

You can also consume foods that contain saturated fats (the unhealthy type), but only in moderate portions. 

However, it is best that you avoid foods that contain trans fats altogether, as these have been shown to have negative effects on human health.

The best fats to consume on a 1300 calorie bodybuilding diet are:

• Nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts)
• Seeds (sesame seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds)
• Nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter)
• Avocado and avocado oil
• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Shredded coconut
• Eggs (the yolk contains the fat)

What Foods to Avoid on A 1300 Calorie Bodybuilding Diet?

When you are following a 1300 calorie bodybuilding diet, there are going to be certain types of food that you are going to want to avoid in order to ensure the most success. 

In particular, you are going to want to avoid foods that contain a large number of calories, but provide a low amount of volume or fiber.

More specifically, processed foods typically contain low amounts of fiber, and high amounts of calories and additives like sugar and salt, which make them very easy to overeat. This will adversely affect your calorie deficit and make it more difficult for you to adhere to your plan.

In addition to this, if you are consuming too many processed foods, you are likely not eating enough whole foods, which means that you could be missing out on essential vitamins and minerals that are critical for your health.

When you are following a bodybuilding meal plan, you should aim to consume at least 80 percent of your calories from foods that are whole and unprocessed, while saving your favorite processed foods for the other 20 percent of the time.

Related Article: How Many Calories Should You Eat on A Cheat Day?

1300 Calorie Bodybuilding Meal Plan

This meal plan contains two options for each meal that contain roughly the same calorie and macronutrient content. 

This will help to ensure that you are eating a variety of foods while not getting bored with your diet.

The total daily nutrition of this meal plan is:

• Calories: 1306
• Protein: 102 grams
• Carbohydrates: 130 grams
• Fat: 42 grams

How To Customize the 1300 Calorie Meal Plan

If you are looking to customize your 1300 calorie meal plan even further, you can tailor your calorie intake and meal timing to your workout schedule. 

More specifically, prioritizing carbohydrate intake 1-2 hours before your workout, and focusing on protein and carb intake 1-2 hours after your workout will help to ensure that you optimize your strength training session.

Due to the lower fat content in this meal plan, virtually any of the above meals could be used as a pre or post workout meal. 

With that being said, you want to ensure you are not eating an extremely voluminous or fibrous meal just before a workout in order to avoid any digestive upset while you train.

Since you want to make sure the majority of your energy is being directed toward your muscles during a workout and not your digestion, focus on meals that contain easy to digest carbs and protein, such as the fruit and protein smoothie listed above.

The meals that fall further away from your scheduled workout are where you can focus more on your fat and fiber intake, which are both important components of a balanced diet.

If you’d like a truly customized meal plan that goes along with your personal preferences or individual dietary restriction, then feel free to reach out to us and book a 20-min consult.  

Other Similar Meal Plans

Check out all our meal plans or view similar calorie specific meal plans.

• 1200 Calorie Meal Plan
• 1400 Calorie Meal Plan

References

Carbone, J. W., & Pasiakos, S. M. (2019). Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients, 11(5), 1136. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051136

Hermsdorff HH, Volp AC, Bressan J. O perfil de macronutrientes influencia a termogênese induzida pela dieta e a ingestão calórica [Macronutrient profile affects diet-induced thermogenesis and energy intake]. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2007 Mar;57(1):33-42. Portuguese. PMID: 17824197.

Jéquier E. Carbohydrates as a source of energy. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Mar;59(3 Suppl):682S-685S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/59.3.682S. PMID: 8116550.