Bikini Contest Prep | The Meal Plan

A critical component for bikini contest prep is the food.  It’s a super strict diet, but it’s also a lot of food.  I’m never hungry, eating 5 meals a day, but of course I do get bored eating the same thing over and over.  I typically eat the same thing for a few days, then switch it up. 
This type of bikini meal plan is designed to help you lose fat while maintaining muscle.  My meal plan starts out a little higher in terms of portion sizes, and then we’ll cut it back but I’m not sure when yet.  My current meal plan equals to about 1,500 calories, 150g protein, 166g carbs, 11g fat.  That’s with my coffee creamer that I haven’t given up.  Bad on prep, I know. 
BIKINI PREP MEAL PLAN
Bikini Contest Prep Meal Plan

I put times on the Meal Plan because those are about the times I eat each day.  I usually wake up at 5:30 a.m. and have a cup of coffee and work at my computer until 7:00 a.m. when I eat and start getting my son ready for school.  
I workout from about 8:30-10 a.m. three days a week, so I eat my second meal after I get home and showered.  It’s time to eat again about 2:00 p.m. and I’m hungry again so that’s when I usually grab a salad and take it with me in the car if I have an errand to run before picking up my son from school.
We eat dinner about 6:00 p.m. together and then a couple hours later I drink a cup of Muscle Egg (flavored liquid egg whites).  
Staying on the meal plan and eating every few hours is important, so you have to make sure you pack your food if you won’t be at home.  You can buy insulated bags that are perfect for that purpose if you can’t keep your food in a fridge at home or work.  I know lots of people who are crazy for their Six Pack Bags, but I don’t have one since I can usually eat at home or just pack 1 or 2 meals in a little insulated bag with a frozen icepack. 
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Below is another example of a Bikini Prep Meal Plan from Kim Oddo, a popular fitness coach out of California.  Most of the Bikini Prep Meal Plans I’ve found online total about 1,500 calories. 
Bikini Contest Prep Meal Plan
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MEASURE YOUR FOOD 
Having a measuring cup and food scale is important for getting exactly the right measurements.  I use this food scale I bought on Amazon and it works great.  It’s small too, so it doesn’t take up too much room in our kitchen.  Even though I can pretty much “eyeball” the amounts by now, I still use the food scale because even a few ounces can make a big difference when you’re training to get to a specific goal in a short period of time.  My trainer always says, “Don’t eyeball your food,” so it’s stuck in my head. 
By the way, you measure your food AFTER it’s cooked.  Food weighs less after you cook it.  
Bikini Contest Prep Meal Plan - Food Scale for Measuring Food
Currently, my typical meals throughout the day look something like this:
Meal 1:  Protein Pancake
Bikini Contest Prep Meal Plan - Protein Pancake
Meal 2:  Mahi Mahi, Potato, Green Beans

Bikini Contest Prep Meal Plan
Bikini Contest Prep Meal Plan
Meal 3:  Chicken Salad w Cup Carrots 
My trainer told me carrots count as a carb, so I count my romaine as my veggie and carrots as my carb in this salad (carrots not pictured).
Bikini Contest Prep Meal Plan
Meal 4:  Chicken, Sweet Potato, Asparagus
Meal 5:  Muscle Egg
I have found buying the prepared Chocolate flavored Muscle Egg beats out making my own protein shakes at home for taste and convenience.  I can drink a quick cup of Muscle Egg that tastes just like a cup of chocolate milk instead of a bigger shake that I felt like I was choking down.  The only downside is that it’s expensive.  I buy the 4 – 1/2 gallons because they are smaller and keep the open one in the fridge and the other in the freezer until I ready to use it.  
I have tried making it from scratch with egg whites, skim milk and sugar free chocolate powder and it’s not that bad, but the Muscle Egg was smoother and more convenient than making my own. 
I will also do a post about how I save time by prepping my meals in advance.  This is a lifesaver and truly the only sane way to each so much food consistently throughout the day.  *Update: to read how I prep my meals, go here! 
For more like this, check out these posts: 
If you try out this meal plan and STICK TO IT, I’d love to hear your results!  I found the hardest part at first was eating so much.  But after a little while, I could tell when it was time to eat again because I was hungry for the next meal. 
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keep in touch! 


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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

47 Comments

    1. That's a great start! I know most people don't want or need to be so strict, but even implementing some of these meals and eliminating some of the bad stuff would do wonders!

  1. This meal plan looks great and simple. I plan to at least try the protein pancakes for breakfast and I need to meal plan better.
    Do you prep for the week at once, a few days at a time or daily?

    1. Thanks Jumi! Even my son eats the protein pancakes- but he likes them with peanut butter and syrup! We cook big batches of chicken and rice a couple times a week and I cook the potatoes in the microwave with frozen veggies so those heat right up.

  2. Just curious on your veggies or potatoes do you use any type of oil, butter, ghee, or salt free seasoning? Sorry if you already posted that and I overlooked it.

    1. Oh great question, I use a tad bit of salt and mrs. dash salt-free seasonings. I use Pam spray to cook, no oil, butter, or ghee.

  3. Ha! This was NOT the post to read as I scarf down guac and a Mexican beer for Cinco de Mayo…whoops! But I so admire your dedication…such an inspiration!!

  4. I love your protein pancakes! I'm hoping you'll be able to share specifics about your workouts also 🙂 I'm very interested in approx. how many calories you burn during your strength training, as well as your cardio. That would help me see the correlation between how much food I should be eating, compared to the number of calories I'm burning. Thanks so much for sharing!! Love it 🙂

    1. Great question! You'd be surprised at how long it takes to burn calories through exercise. I track it on my heart rate monitor and it takes and hour and a half for me to burn about 450 calories. That's an hour training hard and 30 min cardio at 75-80% heart rate.

  5. you should check out iifym diet/flexible dieting.. i used to eat super clean like this and be super lean and just got burnt out.. i have an 18 month old so eating 100 percent "clean" all the time isn't realistic, check it out on youtube or just google it.. tons of successful people that way you can have a "cheat" meal and still fit it in your alloted macros and get the same results =) i thought it was crazy but i've been doing it and its awesome. i love my junk food every now and then, xoxo love your blog

  6. Having recently had a baby and very athletic before pregnancy, I gained 50 pounds and still have 30 to go! I love you're meal plan. How do you determine how many calories and macros you need?

    1. So sorry I'm just responding to your comment. I bet you've come so far by now! Great question – I relied on my trainer for that and I'm not sure how he calculated it.

  7. OH MAH GAWD…I just found you from someone mentioning you on a body building forum..Im so enjoying your blog..from fitness to Decor…STOKED..Anyways back to fitness…Is this plan good for someone looking to drop about 60 lbs and wanting to compete in figure? Like would this be a good start or should it be more modified to fit my age weight etc? Thanks soso much..Ok let me go finish reading more of your stuff..TY

    1. So glad you found me! Thanks for stopping by! My meal plan was designed for me based on my condition and bikini goals. You could try it and see how it goes for you, but it if you really want to compete, I recommend hiring a trainer/nutritionist to design a meal plan that is made specifically for you. Keep in touch and let me know how it goes!

  8. Megan, great post!! Is muscle egg safe to drink while pregnant? Not sure whether you drank it before or during pregnancy of both? Look forward to hearing! Thanks so much!!

  9. I am trying to get motivated and your blog and information made it easy for me. I definitely have higher body fat than you but am motivated to see where this goes.

  10. I've never made Protein pancakes. Can you tell me how to make them. Do I make the oatmeal with water first, then add the egg whites, blend and cook or do you add the dry oatmeal, water and egg whites?

  11. Can you tell me how you make your protein pancakes. Do you mix the egg whites and dry oatmeal with water or dry oats and egg whites only? Or do you make the oatmeal first and then add the egg whites. I can't tell by the photo's and would love to try them.

  12. I mix it all 3 together and then pour it into the pan. BUT, I just found a premade pancake mix that I love and they sell it at Target/Amazon/Costco that I've been using- it's called Kodiac Power Cakes. With the mix, I use 1/2 cup mix, 1/2 cup All Whites and about 1/4 water, mix it all up and then cook it that way. It makes one big pancake and it tastes really good.

  13. Hi Megan,

    I love reading your posts and fitness amazing fitness accomplishments. Can you let me know what brand protein powder you used during your bikini competition training?

  14. Hi Megan,
    Is there anything you can snack on in between meals? Something that is a free food or similar?
    Thanks!

  15. Hi Megan,

    Did you use these meal plans for your prep and how did the meals change over the 12 week period? If you don’t mind me asking.

    Also, did you by any chance do a water cut?

    Thank you <3

    1. Hi!!

      The meal plan never really changed, because it continued to work the whole time. I would have done a water cut toward the end of prep, but I found out I was pregnant with Jordan right at the end so I didn’t want to change too much!!

  16. Is there any fruit during your bikini prep? I saw that you eat fruit and some nuts/seeds but do you when prepping for a competition?

    Thanks

  17. How does this meal plan change as you get closer to competition? I’m 4 weeks out so wondering about portions and carbs and if you keep at the same level through show date or cut own a couple weeks before?

  18. Hi there- I know this post of yours was almost 5 years ago but I stumbled upon it while browsing another fitness mentor. Your meal plan/prep has been the most simple that I feel I can follow. I, like you, dreamnt for years About doing a bikini competition…I’ve reached a point where I’ll regret it if I don’t.
    My question lies in your protein pancake….can you tell me your exact “recipe” please? Thank you for considering!

  19. Did you follow the same simple meal plan for the entire 12 weeks? Do you have a list of foods that you could quickly pick from to create your meals?
    Thanks so much!
    Julie

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