Burger King is an easy and convenient meal option but it’s important to know what meal to order that will best help you continue to progress towards your bulking or cutting goals.
So what should you eat at Burger King if you work out? If you are losing weight, a bacon cheeseburger is a high protein and moderate fat meal. If you are bulking, a bacon cheeseburger and a hamburger is a high protein and carb meal. In both cases, you should avoid fries as they are 350 calories with minimal protein.
In this article, I will provide:
- 3 meal options for what to eat at Burger King to lose weight
- 3 meal options for what to eat at Burger King when bulking
- My top 3 tips for eating at Burger King both before and after your workout
Check Out Our Complete Guide On The Best Bodybuilding Fast Food
What to Eat at Burger King to Lose Weight: 3 Meal Options
Three meal options to order at Burger King to lose weight are:
1. 400 Calorie Burger King Cutting Meal Plan
- Order a bacon double cheeseburger
- Do not add fries
This meal has 402 calories with 24g of protein (26%), 27g of carbohydrates (27%), and 22g of fat (49%).
A bacon double cheeseburger is a good option because of the extra boost of protein and fat the cheese and bacon provide compared to a normal hamburger. Both protein and fat provide a feeling of being full and satisfied longer after eating. When losing weight, it helps reduce hunger that can happen when eating fewer calories.
By not including french fries in your order, you are saving yourself 320 calories, 45g of carbohydrates, and 14g of fat. Fries are a low-volume food, meaning they will not physically fill you up for the calories. Also, fries have minimal protein, so it’s a simple way to decrease your calories without missing out on nutrients or feeling hungry soon after eating.
Customizations to this meal, that can further reduce the calories include:
- Ordering the burger without the bacon.
- Ordering the burger without the cheese.
If you are planning to eat this meal around your workout, I recommend ordering just a hamburger instead (no bacon or cheese). The extra fat that the bacon and cheese add, is not beneficial around your workout. It will slow down your body’s digestion, leaving you feeling less energized for your gym session.
One hamburger is likely not enough calories though (if eating around your workout) so I recommend including a second in your order.
2. 600 Calorie Burger King Cutting Meal Plan
- Order a bacon cheeseburger
- Add a hamburger
- Do not add fries
This meal has 566 calories with 30g of protein (21%), 53g of carbohydrates (34%), and 26g of fat (41%).
A hamburger provides a relatively even mix of protein, carbs, and fat. This mix is beneficial when losing weight as the protein and fat will leave you feeling full and satisfied, while the carbs will keep you feeling energized.
Customizations to this meal, that can further reduce the calories include:
- Ordering the burger without the bacon.
- Ordering the burger without the cheese.
If you are eating this before or after a workout, I recommend swapping the bacon cheeseburger out for a second hamburger. This swap will reduce the fat by 6g, which will make a difference in the amount of energy you will have during your workout as fat slows down the digestion process leaving you more sluggish.
3. 800 Calorie Burger King Cutting Meal Plan
- Order a bacon cheeseburger
- Add two hamburgers
- Do not add fries
This meal has 812 calories with 43g of protein (21%), 79g of carbohydrates (39%), and 36g of fat (40%).
Adding a second hamburger will help to increase the meal’s calories without adding too much fat. While fat is important to keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day, it is a very low volume but high-calorie food. This can quickly add up and make it difficult to lose weight.
Customizations to this meal, that can further reduce the calories include:
- Ordering the burger without the bacon.
- Ordering the burger without the cheese.
If you are eating this before or after a workout, I recommend sticking to the bacon cheeseburger and only 1 hamburger. Consuming the second hamburger will likely be too high of a volume of food to eat before a workout. If you do, you will likely find you have digestive discomfort and are not feeling as energized during your workout.
What to Eat at Burger King When Bulking: 3 Meal Options
Three meal options to eat at Burger King when bulking are:
1. 700 Calorie Burger King Bulking Meal Plan
- Order a double cheeseburger
- Add a bacon cheeseburger
- Do not add french fries
This meal has 709 calories with 40g of protein (23%), 54g of carbohydrates (30%), and 37g of fat (47%).
These burgers have additional cheese and bacon when compared to a plain hamburger. Both are a source of fat and add additional protein. Fat is beneficial to include in meals when bulking given its lower physical volume for how high calorie it is. This can be helpful when bulking to decrease the physical fullness often felt from eating high calories.
The additional protein helps to ensure sufficient protein is being consumed. When bulking, a primary objective is to build muscle mass and increase strength. To do so, your muscles need protein to repair. Therefore prioritizing protein is especially important when bulking.
Customizations to this meal, that can further increase the calories include:
- Adding mayonnaise to both burgers
However,if you are planning to eat this meal pre or post-workout, I recommend swapping the double cheeseburger for a regular hamburger. This will reduce the fat in your meal by 11g, which will allow your body to use the carbs you’re eating to keep you feeling energized throughout your workout.
2. 900 Calorie Burger King Bulking Meal Plan
- Order a double whopper
- Do not add french fries
This meal has 905 calories with 48g of protein (21%), 49g of carbohydrates (22%), and 58g of fat (57%).
The double whopper has a second pattie, increasing the protein in the meal by 20g. When bulking, it is important to get sufficient protein as that is what your body will use to repair your muscles post-workout. This repair process is what causes muscle growth and increased strength, both key goals while bulking.
Customizations to this meal, that can further increase the calories include:
- Add bacon to your burger.
- Add cheddar cheese to your burger.
I do not recommend eating this meal before or after a workout given the high-fat content. Fat slows down the digestion process, which is not optimal around a workout, as it will leave you feeling less energized and lethargic. Instead, I recommend sticking to the 700 calories bulking meal plan.
If you are going to consume this meal pre-workout, ordering the burger without mayonnaise will help to reduce some of the fat.
3. 1100 Calorie Burger King Bulking Meal Plan
- Order two double bacon cheeseburgers
- Add a hamburger
- Do not add french fries
This meal has 1,050 calories with 61g of protein (23%), 80g of carbohydrates (30%), and 54g of fat (46%).
This meal has a relatively even mix of protein, fat, and carbs that is ideal for bulking. This mix provides adequate protein for muscle recovery, enough carbs to keep you energized and the right balance of fat that will boost calories with little volume without causing the feeling of being too overly satiated for the rest of the day after eating.
Customizations to this meal, that can further increase the calories include:
- Add mayonnaise to all of the burgers
However, if you will be eating this meal pre or post-workout, I recommend opting for the 700 calories meal plan instead. Eating a meal this high in calories and this volume of food will likely leave you feeling lethargic, similar to the post-Thanksgiving food coma, which will certainly lead to less than an optimal workout.
- Related Article: 12 Best Low Sodium Burger King Meals
Tips for Eating at Burger King Before a Workout
What you eat before a workout is an important factor to consider for anyone looking to perform well in the gym. Your pre-workout meal is what will provide you with the energy you need to push hard in a session and make the long-term progress you are looking for.
Should you eat at Burger King before a workout? Yes, you should eat at Burger King before a workout. A hamburger with orange juice is a high carb, moderate protein, and low-fat meal ideal pre-workout. Multiple hamburgers can be ordered for those that need more calories. Do not exceed three as that will create a meal that is too high in fat for pre-workout.
4 Tips for How to Eat at Burger King Before a Workout
My top 4 tips for how to eat at Burger King before a workout are:
1. Order a sandwich
Before a workout, carbs are king as they provide a quick energy source that is needed to get through a hard workout. At Burger King, a sandwich bun provides a high-carb option that is ideal for pre-workout.
It is ideal to aim for at least two servings of carbs during this meal, with a serving being approximately the size of a closed fist.
In my experience, if you can consume this meal 1 – 2 hours before your workout, you will feel the most energized for your gym session.
2. Order a meal with beef as the protein source
While protein is not as important as carbs before a workout, it is beneficial to include some protein as well to slow down the process of our body breaking down muscle and instead start the repair process.
At Burger King, beef provides much more protein per serving compared to chicken, making it the ideal meat source before a workout.
3. Skip the bacon, cheese and mayonnaise
Cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise are all high in fat. Before a workout, we want to limit the fat and instead, get our energy primarily from carbs. If you are eating a lot of fat before a workout, you will likely find you don’t have sufficient energy to push hard during a gym session.
By excluding these items from your meal, you are reducing the fat eaten before a workout.
4. Add an orange juice
Carbs can be both slower digesting, meaning they provide energy over a couple of hours, or quick digesting, meaning they provide energy within a half hour. With a pre-workout meal, it’s beneficial to include both types so you have a quick burst of energy at the beginning as well as some sustained energy that lasts throughout.
Orange juice is a quick digesting carb, and therefore beneficial to include in your pre-workout meal. I recommend not consuming this orange juice with the rest of your meal, instead, consume it half an hour before the start of your workout. Another option is to sip on it during your workout to provide some quick energy throughout.
Tips for Eating at Burger King After a Workout
Your post-workout meal is equally as important as your pre-workout meal when it comes to seeing the best performance and desired results in the gym. This meal will kick-start the process of repairing the muscles damaged during your workout, resulting in increased strength and muscular growth.
Should you eat at Burger King after a workout? Yes, you should eat at Burger King after a workout. A double hamburger with bacon or cheese provides a high carbohydrate and protein and moderate fat meal that is ideal post-workout. Ordering an additional plain hamburger is a good option if you need more calories.
3 Tips for How to Eat at Burger King After a Workout
My top 3 tips for how to eat at Burger King after a workout are:
1. Order a sandwich
Throughout your workout, your body will use up most of the carbs from your pre-workout meal that it had stored as fuel. Replenishing these stored quickly after a workout is a top priority as this will stop the process of damaging muscle and instead start the process of repairing your muscles resulting in muscle growth.
To replenish these stores, we need to eat a meal high in carbohydrates, ideally within 1 to 1.5 hours after a workout.
You want to ensure at least two servings of carbs are included in your meal, with a serving being about the size of your closed fist. At Burger King, the best option is a sandwich bun.
2. Order a meal with two beef patties
Protein is the other macronutrient that is important to include in our post-workout meal since it is what our body will use to repair our muscles.
At Burger King, beef is the highest protein meat option and therefore is best post-workout. One pattie will not quite provide a large enough serving of protein, therefore including a second is important.
3. Choose only one of cheese, bacon or mayonnaise
After a workout, we want to limit the amount of fat we consume as it slows down our digestion making it more difficult for our body to use the carbs and protein we need.
I like to think of the metaphor of a highway, where the carbs and protein are racing along towards the destination of our muscles. Fat is those slow-moving cars that get in the way and drastically slow down how quickly and efficiently they can get to their destination.
At Burger King, the highest sources of fat are cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise. By limiting these items and only including one in your meal, you will reduce the quantity of fat consumed post-workout.
Comparing Burger King
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions for eating at Burger King if you work out.
Can I Eat at Burger King and Still Lose Weight?
Yes, you can eat at Burger King and still lose weight. To lose weight, the most important consideration is creating a caloric deficit, or put simply, eating fewer calories than burned. Burger King’s menu has some lower-calorie options, such as a hamburger, that make it possible to maintain a caloric deficit.
Can I Eat at Burger King and Still Gain Muscle?
Yes, you can eat at Burger King and still gain muscle. To gain muscle, adequate protein post-workout is necessary so your muscles have what they need to repair and grow. Burger King’s double bacon cheeseburger provides 25g per serving and a second can be ordered for those that need more calories.
What Meal at Burger King has the Most Protein?
The meal at Burger King with the most protein is the Texas double whopper. This meal has 1,877 calories, 110g of protein, 58g of carbohydrates, and 136g of fat.
What Meal at Burger King has the Most Calories?
The meal at Burger King with the most calories is the Texas double whopper. This meal has 1,877 calories, 110g of protein, 58g of carbohydrates, and 136g of fat.
Which Meal at Burger King has the Least Calories
The meal at Burger King that has the least calories is the hamburger. This meal has 250 calories, 13g of protein, 26g of carbohydrates, and 10g of fat.
More Fast Food Meal Plans
Check out our other bulking and cutting meal plans from popular fast-food restaurants:
- Eating At Wendy’s When Bulking & Cutting (6 Meals)
- Eating at Mcdonald’s When Bulking or Cutting (6 Meals)
- Eating At Jack In The Box When Bulking (6 Bodybuilder Meals)
- Eating At Dairy Queen When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)
- Eating At Carl’s Junior When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)
- Eating At Five Guys When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)
About The Author
Laura Semotiuk is a Precision Nutrition Level 1 certified nutrition coach. She works with athletes and active individuals looking to improve performance and develop healthy nutritional habits and behaviors. She has a passion for cooking, meal prepping, and creating simple and healthy recipes.