Stupidly Simple Eating For Grant Samples

Fuel the work. Build the mass.

This phase is different. We're not trimming anything, we're feeding growth. The job now is hitting your calories every day, getting quality carbs in around your training, and holding protein steady so the work in the gym actually turns into muscle. Same breakfast, same lunch, dinner moves. The structure stays simple so the only thing you have to focus on is eating enough and training hard.

Non-Negotiables

The targets you hit every single day. This phase, hitting them is the work.

Calories

2,500

Protein

190g / day

Repetition

Same B & L

Read that calorie number as a floor, not a ceiling. In a fat loss phase undereating is a slip. Here, undereating is the thing that stalls you. The days you fall short on calories are the days the phase doesn't move. Protein stays the anchor at 190g, but the new discipline is making sure the total actually lands at 2,500.

Protein Per Meal Anchor This

Hit these and 190g builds itself. Lock protein in first at every meal, then layer the carbs on top.

Breakfast

45–55g

Lunch

55–65g

Dinner

45–50g

Evening Anchor

20–25g

You already run protein well, so this isn't the hard part for you. The hard part this phase is the carbs, which is the next section.

Good Carbs Around Training

You asked for clear guidance on good carbs and keeping digestion comfortable as calories go up. Here it is.

The Good Carbs List

Build your day from these:

White rice, potatoes, sweet potato, oats
Banana and other fruit, honey
Rice cakes, sourdough, bagels, pasta

The Timing Rule

Put the biggest chunk of your carbs around training, the meal before and the meal after. That's when your body uses them best and it's the easiest way to add calories without feeling heavy.

On Digestion

When you're pushing more food in, lean on the easy-to-digest stuff around your sessions specifically. White rice, banana, rice cakes and honey sit lighter than big piles of high-fibre veg or whole grains right before you lift. Save the heavier, higher-fibre carbs for meals away from training so they're not sitting in your gut mid-set.

Daily Structure

Same shape every day. Only dinner really changes.

Breakfast

Same every day. A proper breakfast, not just cereal. Pick your one go-to and run it daily:

3 eggs, a bowl of oats, a banana, a scoop of whey

Lunch

Repeat meal. Batch it so it's grab and go all week:

Chicken or lean beef, a big serving of rice, some veg

Around Training

The carbs that do the heavy lifting this phase:

Before: a banana or some rice cakes with honey
After: a shake plus fast carbs (fruit or rice cakes) to kick off recovery

Dinner

The flexible one. Build a plate, protein first, a generous carb portion, veg, fats measured. This is the meal that flexes around family and schedule:

Protein first
A generous carb portion
Veg
Fats measured

Evening Anchor

Your nightly Greek yogurt stays in:

Greek yogurt with berries or a drizzle of honey, whey stirred through if you're short on protein for the day

Travel & Social Days

You travel and golf a lot, and your overages have always come from a few Miller Lites on social and hosting days. Here's how to think about it this phase.

The Surplus Mindset

In a surplus, a few beers barely move the needle. This isn't a cut. A few drinks on a golf day or hosting night won't undo anything as long as the food and the 190g protein still land. Log them so the week stays honest, then move on.
Protein first, always, especially on the road. Get the protein in early in the day and keep a shake or two in the bag so a travel day never leaves you short.
The scale after a social weekend is water, not fat. When the number jumps after drinks and salty food, that is water and food in the system, not fat gained. It clears in a few days. Don't let it get in your head, the trend over weeks is what matters, not the Monday spike.
On big activity days (golf 36 holes, basketball), eat up. More output means more fuel. Lean into the carbs on those days rather than pulling back.

The Recovery Rule

One social weekend is not the phase.

A blown-out Saturday, a travel week, a golf trip, none of it is a write-off. The very next meal goes straight back to structure. No starting over Monday, just the next plate back on plan.

And remember what the scoreboard is this phase: training performance, not the scale. If the lifts are climbing and the sessions feel strong, the plan is working. The mirror and the numbers in the gym tell you more than a single morning weigh-in ever will.

Sample Days

The framework in action. Around 2,500 calories, around 190g protein, every day.

Day 1 · Training Day

~2,520 kcal · ~191g protein

Carbs pushed around the session.

Breakfast · Same Every Day ~735 kcal · 55g protein

3 whole eggs
80g oats (dry weight), cooked
1 banana
1 scoop whey

Lunch · Batched ~740 kcal · 63g protein

6oz chicken breast
2 cups cooked rice
Veg

Around The Workout · Before & After ~250 kcal · 4g protein

Before: a banana
After: rice cakes with honey

Dinner · Build A Plate ~615 kcal · 49g protein

6oz lean beef
250g potatoes
Veg, light on the added fats

Evening Anchor · Greek Yogurt ~180 kcal · 20g protein

200g Greek yogurt with berries and honey

Day total: ~2,520 kcal · ~191g protein

Day 2 · Rest / Lighter Day

~2,550 kcal · ~196g protein

Still a surplus, carbs eased back slightly with no session.

Breakfast · Same As Always ~735 kcal · 55g protein

3 whole eggs, 80g oats (dry), 1 banana, 1 scoop whey

Lunch · Batched ~630 kcal · 63g protein

6oz chicken breast
1.5 cups cooked rice
Veg

Snack · Mid-Day ~320 kcal · 12g protein

An apple with 2 tbsp peanut butter and a string cheese

Dinner · Build A Plate ~685 kcal · 46g protein

6oz salmon
250g sweet potato
Veg with a little olive oil

Evening Anchor · Greek Yogurt ~180 kcal · 20g protein

200g Greek yogurt with berries

Day total: ~2,550 kcal · ~196g protein

The Whole Thing In One Line

Same breakfast, same lunch, protein first on every plate, carbs stacked around your training, your nightly yogurt to finish, and a calorie floor you actually hit. Feed the work and let the lifts do the talking.