Training8 min read
A diet and exercise plan for your first month
Training and eating are usually written about separately, which is why so many beginners do one of them properly and the other by accident. This is general guidance for healthy adults aged 18 and over: one month, three sessions a week, and four food numbers that sit alongside them.
The short answer
For a first month, train three times a week with full-body sessions, eat around 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight a day, and set calories at roughly maintenance plus 10 per cent if you want to gain or maintenance if you want to recomposition. Keep the same plan for four weeks before changing anything.
- Change one thing at a time, and only after four weeks
Why the two halves belong in one plan
Training is the signal to build; food is the material to build with (NHS, 2022) (NHS, 2024a). Train hard on too little food and you get tired rather than bigger. Eat plenty without training and the extra mostly goes on as fat. The plan below runs both at once, which is why it works when either half alone does not.
| Half of the plan | What it does | What it cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Training | Tells the body which tissue to keep and build | Create the material to build with |
| Nutrition | Supplies protein and energy for the rebuild | Decide where the material goes |
The training month
Three full-body sessions with a day between them. Same six movements every session, two to three sets of eight to twelve reps, stopping each set with a few reps in reserve.
| Week | Sessions | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Find your starting weights. Record everything. |
| 2 | 3 | Add a rep wherever last week felt easy. |
| 3 | 3 | Add the smallest weight increment where you hit 12 reps. |
| 4 | 3 | Add a third set to the squat, push and pull. |
Four numbers to eat to
Four numbers cover everything a beginner needs. Work out protein first, because it is the one most people are short on, then energy, then let fat and carbohydrate fill the rest.
Work out your daily protein target
120g to 165g of protein a day
That is roughly 30g to 41g per meal across 4 meals. If you are new to training, start near the lower figure; if you have been lifting consistently for a while, work towards the higher one.
Based on the widely used 1.6 to 2.2g per kilogram of bodyweight range for people doing resistance training. It is a general estimate for healthy adults, not personal or medical advice. Nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.
- Protein: 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, spread across three or four meals.
- Energy: maintenance calories if you want to change shape at your current weight; maintenance plus about 10 per cent if you want to gain.
- Fat: a practical starting point is around a quarter to a third of your calories, which keeps meals palatable and leaves room for carbohydrate. There is no evidence that a specific gram-per-kilogram figure is needed "for hormones" in healthy adults eating enough overall (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, 2015).
- Fibre: UK dietary guidance sets 30g a day for adults as general health advice rather than a muscle-building target, and almost nobody hits it without trying (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, 2015).
What a day actually looks like
Numbers are easier to hit when they are attached to meals. This is one ordinary day for a 75kg beginner aiming at roughly 135g of protein — not a prescription, just a shape to copy.
| Meal | Example | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Greek yoghurt, oats, berries | ~30g |
| Lunch | Chicken, rice, vegetables | ~40g |
| Snack | Milk and a handful of nuts, or a shake | ~20g |
| Dinner | Salmon or mince, potatoes, salad | ~45g |
What to change after four weeks
At the end of week four, look at two things: the weights in your log and the trend in your bodyweight. Change one variable based on what you see, then run another four weeks.
| What you see | What to change |
|---|---|
| Weights up, bodyweight steady | Nothing. This is going well. |
| Weights up, bodyweight falling | Add around 200 calories a day. |
| Weights flat, bodyweight rising fast | Hold calories; check sleep and session effort. |
| Weights flat, protein under target | Fix protein first, before touching anything else. |
People also ask
Should a beginner start with diet or exercise first?
Start both in the same week, but only change one at a time afterwards. Trying to overhaul every meal and every habit at once is the most common reason a first month collapses.
How much should a beginner eat to build muscle and lose fat at the same time?
Around maintenance calories with protein at the top of the range (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, 2011). Beginners can sometimes build muscle and lose fat at the same time for a while, and eating around maintenance is a reasonable way to attempt both, though how well it works varies between people.
How long before a diet and exercise plan shows results?
Strength usually improves within two to three weeks. Visible changes typically take two to three months of consistent training and eating, and show up in photographs before they show on the scales.
Do I need to count calories as a beginner?
Not forever, but counting for two to four weeks is the fastest way to learn what your usual intake actually is. Most people are surprised in one direction or the other.
What if I miss a training session or a whole week?
Pick the plan back up where you left it and use the same weights as your last completed session. Nothing meaningful is lost in a week, and restarting from scratch is unnecessary.
References
- Morton, R.W., Murphy, K.T., McKellar, S.R., Schoenfeld, B.J., Henselmans, M., Helms, E., et al. (2018) 'A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults', British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6), pp. 376-384. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28698222/
- NHS (2022) The Eatwell Guide. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/the-eatwell-guide/ (Accessed: 23 August 2026).
- NHS (2024a) Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/ (Accessed: 23 August 2026).
- Schoenfeld, B.J. and Aragon, A.A. (2018) 'How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution', Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15, article 10. doi: 10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29497353/
- Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2011) Dietary reference values for energy. London: The Stationery Office. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-dietary-reference-values-for-energy (Accessed: 23 August 2026).
- Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2015) Carbohydrates and health. London: The Stationery Office. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-carbohydrates-and-health-report (Accessed: 23 August 2026).
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Educational information for adults aged 18 and over. It does not diagnose, treat or manage any medical condition. If you have a health condition, or symptoms that worry you, speak to your doctor or a health professional.