7-day cutting meal plan for men: complete menu

Looking for a concrete meal plan for your cut? Here are 7 days of detailed menus, calibrated at 2,200 kcal with optimized macros to lose fat while preserving muscle. Adjust quantities to your own calorie needs.

The basics of the program

Target profile

This program is designed for a 75-85 kg man, moderately active (3-5 lifting sessions per week), with a 300-500 kcal calorie deficit.

Daily macro targets

If your needs differ, scale proportionally. For 2,000 kcal, cut carbs by 50g. For 2,400 kcal, add 50g of carbs.

Program principles

• 4 meals per day: lunch, snack, dinner, evening snack
• Protein at every meal: minimum 30g per meal
• Vegetables at every main meal: volume and fiber
• Carbs concentrated around training
• Batch prep: 2-3 hours on Sunday for the week

Day 1: Monday (training day - Push)

Lunch (650 kcal)

• Grilled chicken breast 200g
• Basmati rice 200g (cooked)
• Steamed broccoli 200g
• 1 tbsp olive oil

P: 48g | C: 60g | F: 18g

Pre-workout snack (300 kcal)

• Oats 50g
• 1 banana
• 0% fat cottage cheese 100g

P: 15g | C: 55g | F: 4g

Dinner (700 kcal)

• Salmon 180g
• Sweet potato 250g
• Sauteed spinach 200g
• 1 tbsp olive oil

P: 42g | C: 60g | F: 28g

Evening snack (350 kcal)

• 0% fat cottage cheese 300g
• 25g almonds
• 1 apple

P: 28g | C: 25g | F: 15g

Day 1 total: 2,000 kcal | P: 133g | C: 200g | F: 65g

Day 2: Tuesday (training day - Pull)

Lunch (700 kcal)

• Canned tuna 200g (drained)
• Whole-grain pasta 200g (cooked)
• Cherry tomatoes 150g + arugula
• 1 tbsp olive oil

P: 50g | C: 55g | F: 22g

Snack (280 kcal)

• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 slice whole-grain bread
• 1 piece of fruit (apple or pear)

P: 18g | C: 30g | F: 12g

Dinner (650 kcal)

• Turkey cutlet 200g
• Quinoa 200g (cooked)
• Grilled zucchini 200g
• 1 tbsp olive oil

P: 50g | C: 50g | F: 18g

Evening snack (350 kcal)

• Plain Greek yogurt 200g
• 20g cashews
• 100g strawberries

P: 22g | C: 25g | F: 16g

Day 2 total: 1,980 kcal | P: 140g | C: 160g | F: 68g

Day 3: Wednesday (rest day)

Lunch (600 kcal)

• Omelette 3 eggs + 2 whites
• Sauteed bell peppers 150g + onions
• 2 slices whole-grain bread
• 1/2 avocado

P: 35g | C: 35g | F: 30g

Snack (250 kcal)

• 0% fat cottage cheese 250g
• 30g blueberries
• 10g honey

P: 20g | C: 22g | F: 1g

Dinner (700 kcal)

• Cod 200g
• Green lentils 200g (cooked)
• Green beans 200g
• 1 tbsp olive oil

P: 52g | C: 50g | F: 16g

Evening snack (300 kcal)

• Casein 30g (shaker)
• 1 banana
• 15g peanut butter

P: 28g | C: 30g | F: 10g

Day 3 total: 1,850 kcal | P: 135g | C: 137g | F: 57g

Day 4: Thursday (training day - Legs)

Lunch (750 kcal)

• Lean ground beef 5% fat 200g
• Brown rice 250g (cooked)
• Mixed salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

P: 48g | C: 70g | F: 20g

Pre-workout snack (300 kcal)

• 2 rice cakes
• 1 banana
• 20g peanut butter

P: 8g | C: 45g | F: 10g

Dinner (700 kcal)

• Chicken 200g
• Sweet potato 250g
• Broccoli 200g
• 1 tbsp olive oil

P: 48g | C: 60g | F: 18g

Evening snack (350 kcal)

• 0% fat cottage cheese 300g
• 20g almonds
• 100g raspberries

P: 28g | C: 20g | F: 13g

Day 4 total: 2,100 kcal | P: 132g | C: 195g | F: 61g

Day 5: Friday (training day - Upper)

Lunch (700 kcal)

• Shrimp 200g
• Soba noodles 200g (cooked)
• Stir-fried veggies (bell peppers, carrots, snow peas) 200g
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

P: 45g | C: 60g | F: 20g

Snack (280 kcal)

• Plain skyr 200g
• 30g granola
• 50g blueberries

P: 24g | C: 30g | F: 5g

Dinner (650 kcal)

• Trout fillet 180g
• Bulgur 200g (cooked)
• Homemade ratatouille 200g

P: 40g | C: 55g | F: 18g

Evening snack (350 kcal)

• 0% fat cottage cheese 250g
• 25g walnuts
• 1 pear

P: 22g | C: 28g | F: 17g

Day 5 total: 1,980 kcal | P: 131g | C: 173g | F: 60g

Day 6: Saturday (rest day - optional refeed)

Saturday is the ideal day for a refeed: bump carbs up by 50-80g to boost leptin and refill your stores.

Lunch (750 kcal)

• Chicken 200g
• Pasta 250g (cooked)
• Homemade tomato sauce + basil
• Parmesan 15g

P: 52g | C: 70g | F: 16g

Snack (300 kcal)

• 2 slices whole-grain bread
• 2 scrambled eggs
• 1 sliced tomato

P: 20g | C: 30g | F: 14g

Dinner (700 kcal)

• Lean beef 180g
• Rice 200g (cooked)
• Sauteed veggies (zucchini, eggplant, onion) 200g
• 1 tbsp olive oil

P: 42g | C: 60g | F: 22g

Evening snack (300 kcal)

• Greek yogurt 200g
• 30g muesli
• 1 banana

P: 20g | C: 45g | F: 6g

Day 6 total: 2,050 kcal | P: 134g | C: 205g | F: 58g

Day 7: Sunday (rest day + meal prep)

Brunch (700 kcal)

• Protein pancakes (2 eggs, 30g whey, 50g oats, 1 banana)
• 15g peanut butter
• 50g blueberries

P: 45g | C: 70g | F: 22g

Lunch (650 kcal)

• Salmon 150g
• Complete salad (100g cooked quinoa, 1/4 avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, 30g feta)
• Lemon juice

P: 38g | C: 40g | F: 28g

Dinner (600 kcal)

• Homemade chicken curry 200g
• Basmati rice 200g (cooked)
• Green beans 150g

P: 48g | C: 60g | F: 12g

Evening snack (300 kcal)

• 0% fat cottage cheese 300g
• 15g almonds

P: 28g | C: 14g | F: 10g

Day 7 total: 2,250 kcal | P: 159g | C: 184g | F: 72g

Weekly shopping list

Protein

• Chicken breasts 1.2 kg
• Salmon fillets 500g
• Lean ground beef 5% 200g
• Lean beef 180g
• Turkey cutlet 200g
• Cod 200g
• Trout 180g
• Shrimp 200g
• Canned tuna 200g
• Eggs x12
• 0% fat cottage cheese 2 kg
• Plain Greek yogurt 600g
• Whey protein
• Casein

Carbs

• Basmati rice 500g
• Brown rice 250g
• Whole-grain pasta 200g
• White pasta 250g
• Quinoa 100g
• Bulgur 200g
• Soba noodles 200g
• Sweet potatoes 750g
• Oats 200g
• Whole-grain bread 1 loaf
• Rice cakes

Veggies and fruits

• Broccoli 800g
• Spinach 200g
• Zucchini 400g
• Green beans 350g
• Bell peppers 300g
• Tomatoes 500g
• Cucumbers 2
• Lettuce/arugula
• Bananas 5
• Apples 3
• Pears 1
• Blueberries 200g
• Raspberries 100g
• Strawberries 100g
• Lemon

Other

• Olive oil
• Sesame oil
• Almonds 100g
• Walnuts 25g
• Cashews 20g
• Peanut butter
• Parmesan
• Feta
• Honey
• Tomato sauce

Meal prep tips

On Sunday afternoon, prepare:

1. Protein: cook 1kg of chicken + 400g of rice in one go
2. Veggies: wash and chop broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers
3. Carbs: cook a big batch of rice + quinoa + lentils
4. Snacks: portion 5 servings of cottage cheese + almonds into Tupperware

Total time: 2-3 hours for the whole week.

How to adapt this program to your needs

For 1,800 kcal

Reduce carb portions by 30% and skip the afternoon snack. Keep protein the same.

For 2,500 kcal

Increase carbs by 30% and add 1 extra snack (fruit + protein).

For daily tracking

Use Kalo to log meals day by day. Send your meals via WhatsApp and check that you're hitting your macro targets.

Conclusion

This 7-day plan gives you a solid base for your cut. What matters isn't following it to the letter, but understanding the principles: high protein, carbs around training, moderate deficit, and food variety.

Adapt it to your tastes, prep meals in advance, and track your macros with Kalo to stay on track.