What is Derek Lunsford's diet during his off-season?

American professional bodybuilder Derek Lunsford's diet during his off-season is a six-meal plan and two cheat meals per week. Lunsford competes in the men's open bodybuilding division in the IFBB Pro League. He won the 2023 Mr. Olympia and 212 Mr. Olympia in 2021.

Derek Lunsford's diet emphasizes maintaining and gaining more muscle mass while ensuring high calories before the cutting season. The off-season phase can be long and maintaining muscle mass is essential for bodybuilders in order to win recognition and awards.

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Derek Lunsford's diet plan during the off-season phase

Derek Lunsford eats a high-calorie diet when not competing (Image via Instagram)

On June 3, 2022, Lunsford posted a video on his YouTube channel showing his off-season eating pattern. He maintains a high-calorie diet whenever not competing. Let's have a look at his meals throughout the day.

Breakfast

Derek Lunsford's first meal of the day consists of the following:

• Egg Whites: 226 grams
• Steak: three ounces
• Mushrooms
• Air-fried potatoes: 14 ounces uncooked

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Meal two

In the video, Lunsford had the following foods after his trip to the church:

• Shredded Chicken: 8 ounces
• White Rice: 8 ounces
• Buffalo Wing Sauce
• Light Ranch Dressing
• Low-Sodium Seasoning

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Meal three

Derek Lunsford prefers a protein shake in his third meal. In the video, he used almond milk and cinnamon-flavored protein powder. He also uses just plain water with his protein powder.

Surprisingly, he uses cream of rice, which is known as a baby food. This gives him adequate calories from a safe and clean carb source. In the video, he used 72 grams of baby rice and made a nice shake.

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Meal four

He prefers chicken and rice dishes for this meal. Sometimes he takes ground chicken with taco seasoning and approximately nine ounces of white rice. On rest days, he typically eats a minimum of five meals a day. In case he feels hungry, he adds a sixth meal.

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Meals five and six

In case the fifth meal is the last one, he measures red meat to get approximately 50 grams of protein in that meal. He eats the meat with white rice and also takes a protein shake along with it.

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Cheat meals

During his off-season, he includes two cheat meals per week. He prefers to eat sushi or cheeseburgers. Since there is no restriction on the overall calorie intake, there is no harm in eating some of his favorite foods occasionally.

During the competitive season, Derek Lunsford follows a diet for cutting with fewer calories, just like any other bodybuilder. An ideal body composition is essential to reveal those cuts for the stage.

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Indranil Biswas is a nutritionist and personal trainer with a diploma in dietetics and personal training with a specialization in sports nutrition and strength training.

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