2200 Calorie Meal Plan High Protein: Everything You Need to Know

The number of calories you eat daily will influence whether you gain, maintain, or lose some weight. When there is a calorie surplus, the body stores the excess energy, mainly in the form of fat, resulting in weight gain.

When there is a calorie deficit, the body uses stored energy to make up the shortfall. 

Now, what will a 2200 calorie meal plan high protein do? 

Does it help you gain, maintain, or lose? Let’s check it out. 

Even before we get more into that, it is essential to understand the basics of this diet and what your body needs. A high protein diet receives about 25-35% of its total calories from protein sources, or sometimes more depending on the diet and the person’s individual needs (9). The body distributes proteins throughout the day’s meals and snacks. 

In addition to that, a high protein diet is good for maintaining a healthy weight or shedding some pounds of it. Eating protein makes you feel fuller for longer, so you feel less need to snack and add more calories.

What Is A 2200 Calorie Meal Plan High Protein?

A 2200 meal plan high protein is a diet with 2200 calories and high protein content. About 25-35% of calories in this meal plan come from protein sources. So, in this case, you are aiming for about 550 to 770 calories from protein foods, which comes to about 138-193 grams of protein.

Let’s see an example of a meal plan for this number of calories. 

Breakfast

Aim for 450 calories for breakfast, containing about 30 – 40g of proteins. Here are some examples of foods you might include: 

• Greek yogurt with nuts and berries. 
• Avocado toast with scrambled eggs, tofu, or cottage cheese
• Veggie omelet or frittata. 
• Oatmeal with nut butter

Lunch 

Aim for 500 calories for lunch with 30 – 40g of proteins. An example of a lunch diet might include some of the following:

• Whole-wheat bread with side salad. 
• Lentil soup and grilled chicken. 
• Grilled salmon. 
• Stir fry veggies. 

Dinner 

You can do about 700 calories for dinner. This meal should have about 40 – 50g of proteins. An example of food options you can do for dinner include the following: 

• Steamed vegetables. 
• Grilled chicken breasts or salmon. 
• Tofu with mixed vegetables. 
• Pasta with green beans. 
• Pork chops and shrimp scampi. 

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Snacks

Aim for about 550 calories divided between a morning and afternoon snack. For example, you can do around 300 calories for the morning snack, then 250 calories for the afternoon snack. Your snacks should have about 15 – 20g of proteins each. 

Here is an example of the food options you can do for snacks:

• Hard-boiled eggs. 
• Greek yogurt and nuts. 
• Beef jerky or protein bar. 
• Steamed or roasted vegetables with cottage cheese. 
• Salmon or tuna salad.

For each course, whether breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks, you must adjust your portions and the type of food you choose to stick within the calories and protein recommendations. 

Is 2000 Calories A Day Realistic?

Yes, 2000 calories a day is realistic. It is a standard for many people but not necessarily ideal for everyone. 

While this is a standard reference point for most adults, various factors such as age, sex, activity level, weight and height, and personal health goals would determine whether eating 2000 calories a day is enough.

A simple 2000 calorie meal plan high protein could look like this: 

• Breakfast (500 calories) 

For breakfast, aim for a diet that will give you 500 calories. You can make scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and plain coffee. 

• Morning Snack (200 calories) 

For morning snacks, you can have nuts and Greek yogurt. Of course, you can do portions that would give you about 200 calories. 

• Lunch (600 calories)

You can do mixed greens, grilled chicken breast, and quinoa for lunch. Aim for portions that would give you about 600 calories. 

• Afternoon Snack (200 Calories) 

For the afternoon snack, you are also doing 200 calories. You can do a medium apple and a few almonds or nut butter. 

• Dinner (500 calories)

Your aim for dinner is to reach 500 calories. You can do roasted vegetables with grilled salmon and any whole grain. Also, adjust your portions to aim for this number of calories. 

The total calories you would have achieved with that simple meal plan would be about 2000. This meal plan gives you an idea of how 2000 calories a day is realistic. 

Read more: 1,900-Calorie Meal Plan High-Protein: Your Diet for Weight Loss

Is 2200 Calories Enough to Build Muscle?

There is no straight answer to this: whether you will build muscles while on 2200 calories depends on many factors, such as your body weight, composition, activity level, and nutrient balance. For example:

• Nutrient balance – you must ensure your diet is balanced to build muscles. You should consider high protein foods for muscle building with protein of around 1.6-2.2g per kilogram of body weight per day (5). 
• Body weight – the more body weight you have, the more calories you need to build muscle mass. That is the same case if you have more muscle mass already. 
• Activity level – if you are highly active or engaged in a workout program or routine, you may need more calories to have a surplus for building muscles. For some people, that means 2200 may not be enough. 

Therefore, to build muscles, you need to have a net surplus of calories and a good amount of that from protein sources. If you estimate that you typically burn fewer than 2200 calories per day, eating 2200 calories will result in a surplus that can help support muscle building. 

Can I Lose Weight Eating 2200 Calories A Day?

Yes, it is possible to lose weight by eating 2200 calories a day but it depends on the number of calories that your body burns. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. 

That means the number of calories your body burns should be more than the calories you consume. 

If 2200 calories will give you a calorie deficit, then it is possible to lose weight. Of course, whether or not you will have a calorie deficit is dependent on several factors, including the following:

Age 

When it comes to age, older adults usually have lower calorie needs than young adults. This lower need for calories is due to reduced metabolism, less physical activity, and loss of bone and muscle mass (6). 

They, however, have the same or even increased nutrient requirements. In that regard, a younger adult may burn more calories than 2200 and hence can quickly lose weight by maintaining the 2200 calories than an older adult who may just need the same to maintain. 

Sex 

Men generally burn more calories than women. On average, a woman needs about 2000 calories daily, while a man needs 2500 calories to maintain body weight. In addition, you might lose about 1 pound of weight per week on a deficit of about 500 calories per day (2). 

Based on these estimations, 2200 calories would create a deficit for the average man burning 2500 calories daily, and there is a possibility of losing weight. Of course, not everyone is average, so you’ll need to estimate your energy needs to decide if 2200 calories suits your goals.  

Activity Level 

Engaging in activities like strength training, running, or walking will lead to more calories burned than otherwise. Burning more calories than 2200 would create a deficit, an important factor in losing weight. 

Body Weight 

Your weight is also a factor that influences the number of calories you can burn. The more weight you put on, the more calories you will burn. The increased calorie burn happens because your body needs more fuel (calories) to support your weight. Your body also uses more energy for the same activity than a person who weighs less. 

The more weight you have, the more deficit you can have on a 2200 diet, making it possible to lose weight.

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Other Factors 

Of course, several other factors play a part in determining the number of calories that your body burns. Some of those factors include health conditions, sleep quality, diet, and hydration, among other factors. 

The bottom line is that if you burn more than 2200 calories a day, then eating 2200 calories will create a deficit and could lead to weight loss.

How Much Protein For 2200 Calories?

To understand how much protein for 2200 calories, you need to know that a healthy diet will get 10 – 35% of total calories from protein. You can aim for the higher side if you are looking for a high protein diet, depending on what is realistic. Our previous article covers everything you need to know about vegetables high in protein.

Aiming for 25-35% protein is 550-770 calories from protein or 138-193 grams. 

Start with a larger portion of protein with each meal or calculate a more specific target based on your body weight and goals. 

Read more: 7-Day High Protein Meal Plan for Weight Loss and Muscle Gain

How Do 220g Of Protein Look?

220g of proteins is quite substantial. To better understand what this amount of proteins would look like, many experts recommend eating a minimum of 0.8g of proteins per every kilogram of body weight. 

That means a person weighing 70 kg or 154 pounds should eat at least 56g of proteins daily (7). You may have a higher protein goal if you aim to lose weight, build muscle, or have specific health requirements.

Let’s consider cooked lentils for example. 

You would need over 12 cups to reach a protein amount of 220g (4). 

You would need about 710g of chicken breast to get 220g of proteins (1). Of course, that is quite a sizable amount to eat, but getting all your protein from one source is unnecessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can you lose fat in a calorie surplus?

It is challenging to lose fat while on a calorie surplus. The challenge comes from your body’s need for a calorie deficit to burn stored fat for energy. Therefore, you are more likely to gain than lose with a calorie surplus. 

• Is 40% protein too much?

Yes, 40% protein in a diet is considered high. According to the National Library of Medicine, a healthy adult needs proteins of about 10 – 35% of the total calories required (8). 

• Is 100g of protein too much?

Whether 100g of protein is too much depends on your body goals and weight among other factors. For instance, if your goal is to build muscles, you may need this or even more protein, depending on individual factors. In addition, adults need a minimum of 0.8g per pound of body weight of proteins per day, as mentioned above. 

• Will I lose muscle if I fast for 2 days?

Fasting for 2 days may not yield significant changes in your body muscles if it’s an isolated incident. If you are healthy and have some stored fats, the body should burn fat during fasting, but some muscle breakdown may also happen. If there is any change, it may be insignificant to notice, but it depends on the person. 

The Bottom Line 

With a 2200 calorie meal plan high protein, it may be possible to lose weight if that is your goal. Of course, you might also maintain weight if you burn the same number of calories, depending on individual factors. Therefore, whether you lose weight or not depends on the many factors discussed above. 

The idea of losing weight is to live on a calorie deficit. If it is maintained, you need the same number of calories as your body burns. 

In addition to that, if 2200 calories bring a surplus to you, then it is possible to build muscles on this high protein diet but also depending on several factors we have discussed. Therefore, you have all the details you need to understand what this diet means and the meal plan examples you might want to implement in your diet.