We have all been stuck in a situation where we are at a fast food restaurant during the middle of an intense training stretch and we are trying to eat clean and build muscle. What do you do if your friends or family want to stop at McDonald’s, but you are in beast mode trying to get those gains?!
This happens to me almost every week. Although I am passionate about building the best physique possible, you have to have balance and enjoy time with friends and family. Eating out is a social event, and in order to stay normal and not sacrifice your lifestyle for lean muscle gains, you need to learn how to order lean muscle-building meals wherever you are.
Somebody asked me last week if you could eat anything healthy at McDonald’s that would actually contribute to lean muscle gains. Since McDonald’s is one of the most popular restaurants in the world and almost all of us eat there at some point throughout the year, I decided to check out my local McDonald’s menu and come up with a muscle-building meal.
With some creativity, I am excited to share with you my high protein McDonald’s meal that will help you guys get jacked and build lean muscle. Next time your friends, family, or girlfriend want to stop at McDonald’s, make sure to try this meal to help you build lean muscle mass and get jacked!
Let’s dive right in and see what I ordered!
Muscle-Building Meals: High Protein McDonald’s Feast
As I pull up to the drive-thru, I only had one thing on my mind – gains! Who would have thought that I could roll up to the McDonald’s drive-thru after an intense workout and get in a serious muscle-building meal.
The great thing about most fast food places is that with some creativity, it is not impossible to consume a high protein meal that coincides with the perfect muscle-building diet.
This was not the cleanest meal I have ever eaten, but it was a high-quality cheat meal that was perfect for any bodybuilder or guy looking to pack on muscle mass.
Here was my complete order complete with the macronutrient total. As you can see, this is one fantastic cheat meal idea from McDonald’s that will help you pack on mass.
Muscle-Building Fast Food Checklist:
1. Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken (Low-Fat Balsamic Vinegar dressing)
Calories: 320
Protein: 27
Fat: 11
Carbohydrates: 32
2. ¼ Lb Quarter Pounder Beef Patty
(Order the Beef Patty A La Carte)
Calories: 225
Protein: 19
Fat: 16
Carbs: 0
3. Premium McWrap with Sweet Chili Sauce
Calories: 360
Protein: 26
Fat: 9
Carbohydrates: 43
Total Meal Macronutrients:
Calories: 905
Protein: 72
Carbohydrates: 75
Fat: 36
As you can see, this is a pretty high calorie meal, but it is loaded with protein and has a good ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. This is about the highest protein cheat meal you will be able to come up with at McDonald’s while keeping your total calories under 1,000.
Muscle-Building Fast Food Blueprint
With some creativity, it is not hard to eat a high-protein reasonably lower calorie meal at any fast food restaurant. You can use the formula I used at this McDonald’s location with pretty much any fast food restaurant. The first fast food rule is to order a salad with grilled chicken and a low-fat dressing.
The next step to the fast food muscle-building blueprint is to order a protein ala carte. Every fast food restaurant will have a grilled chicken burger or some kind of hamburger. Simply order a grilled chicken breast or a beef patty by itself. Not only will this be way cheaper to do, but you will also save a ton of calories. I could have actually made this McDonald’s meal even healthier if I got a grilled chicken patty instead of a beef patty. Some fast food places such as In-N-Out actually have hamburgers that are wrapped in lettuce and use higher quality beef. The protein-style lettuce-wrapped burger is one of my favorite fast food cheat meals. It is delicious and is loaded with protein and very few carbohydrates.
The next option if you really want a huge meal is to order some kind of grilled chicken wrap or sandwich. This is going to be your main source of carbohydrates while still keeping the total calories of the meal fairly low. Since I didn’t have any carbohydrates with my salad or my beef patty, I decided to treat myself to a sweet chili wrap. It was delicious and less than 400 total calories. Most fast food places have some sort of grilled chicken wrap or sandwich. Make sure to watch out for the dressing or sauce on these. I suggest getting the sauce on the side and using it sparingly if you want to lower your total sugar and fat content of the meal.
Muscle-building fast food is not hard to pull off if you follow these three steps. If I was in my fitness model mode and still HAD to eat at McDonald’s, I would have changed my order to the Southwest Chicken Salad with grilled chicken and Balsamic dressing, grilled chicken patty a la carte, and the Premium Grilled Chicken McWrap with no tortilla. These swaps would have lowered the total calories of the meal to fewer than 700 while still giving me the same amount of protein.
Next time you are at McDonald’s, remember this easy guide so you can chow down on a delicious cheat meal that will satisfy your appetite and your gains!
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