High Protein Diet for Muscle Gain – My Honest, Messy Journey

The Struggle in the Beginning

Man… I have to be honest. When I first started going to the gym, I thought I had it all figured out. Lift heavy, sweat like crazy, eat… well, something. I had this fantasy that muscles would just magically appear. Spoiler alert: they didn’t. Not even a little.

Weeks went by. My arms? Still skinny sticks. Chest? Flat. Every mirror check felt like a punch in the ego. I kept asking myself, “Am I broken? Why is this not working? Everyone else seems to get it, why can’t I?” I showed up, I lifted, I sweated — yet nothing changed. Frustration became my constant companion. Some days, I honestly wanted to quit.

Then, one day, my trainer casually asked, “Bro, how much protein are you eating?” And I froze. Protein? Umm… what even counts as protein? My diet was a total mess: rice, dal, Maggi, biscuits… whatever I could grab in five minutes. Eggs sometimes if I remembered. Zero planning. Zero strategy.

That night, I googled: “Protein for muscle gain.” And the number hit me like a brick wall. For my weight — around 70 kg — I needed 120–150 grams of protein a day (source: Harvard Health – Protein Needs). Meanwhile, I was barely touching 60–70 grams. No wonder nothing was happening. I was literally trying to build a house with no bricks.

Tiny Changes That Actually Made a Difference

I didn’t overhaul my diet overnight. That would’ve been impossible. I started with tiny, manageable changes.

One boiled egg became three.
Chips? Replaced with roasted chickpeas.
Breakfast? No more skipping — oats + milk + eggs became mandatory.

At first, it felt weird. Eating that much protein felt unnatural. And my friends? They laughed at my chickpea tiffin like I had lost my mind. But slowly… things started shifting.

Soreness after workouts reduced. I could lift a little more every week. And one day… my T-shirt didn’t hang like a curtain. Tiny win, but I grinned at myself like a total nerd. I even took a selfie — yes, I was that excited.

How I Actually Managed Protein

150 grams sounded impossible. But splitting it across meals made it manageable:

Breakfast: 3 eggs + oats (~25 g)
Snack: Curd + almonds (~20 g)
Lunch: Chicken + rice + veggies (~40 g)
Snack: Banana + whey shake (~30 g)
Dinner: Fish or paneer + rice (~45 g)
Late-night snack: Peanuts or cottage cheese (~15 g)

Do I hit this perfectly every day? Haha… no. Some days I binge on samosas. Some days I skip a meal. But as long as the weekly average is close, it works. That’s life.

Dumb Mistakes I Made

Man… I did some really dumb stuff:

Ate 10 boiled eggs in a single day thinking I’d magically grow. My stomach hated me for a week.
Lived on 3 protein shakes a day thinking that was enough. Spoiler: it wasn’t. All it did was make me run to the bathroom a lot.
Cut carbs completely thinking it would make me leaner faster. Big mistake — weak, cranky, workouts sucked.
Expected results in 2 months. Reality? Almost a year before people noticed real change.
Bought BCAAs because Instagram said so. Total waste of money.

At the time, each mistake felt like failure. Now I laugh at it — hard.

Snacks That Actually Saved Me

Snacking was my biggest weakness. I loved chips, biscuits, namkeen… basically everything fried or sweet. Slowly, I replaced them with better options:

Roasted chickpeas (honestly, my savior)
Greek yogurt + fruit
Peanut butter on whole-grain toast
Paneer cubes
Protein bars for lazy days

👉 Want more ideas? Check my list of Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss & Muscle Gain.

These small swaps didn’t make me perfect, but they kept me from demolishing everything in sight.

Supplements — My Real Take

I use whey sometimes, only when I can’t hit my protein target with food. Eggs, paneer, chicken, dal — that’s my main protein. Whey is just a backup. And BCAAs? Never again. Social media lied.

What I’d Tell My Younger Self

“Stop overthinking. Eat your protein. Don’t cut carbs. Don’t copy random workouts. Focus on consistency. One day, someone will look at you and say, ‘Bro, you’ve changed.’ That tiny sentence? It will make all the boring, frustrating days worth it.”

The Mental Game

Here’s something I wish someone told me: building muscle isn’t just physical, it’s mental. You’ll have days you hate the gym, days your diet feels impossible, days when nothing seems to work. That’s normal. I’ve had moments staring at my empty plate thinking, “Ugh, do I really have to eat this again?” — yes, you do. Slowly, you’ll get used to it. The progress might be invisible for weeks, but your body is still changing inside.

Small Wins Matter

I started noticing tiny things: my arms looked a little fuller, I could lift heavier than last week, I wasn’t gasping for breath after stairs. Little wins. Insignificant to most people, but to me? Everything. It kept me going.

Final Thoughts

Protein isn’t magic, but without it, all your gym efforts go to waste. Once I started hitting my protein numbers, I recovered faster, lifted heavier, and felt more confident.

Some days you’ll eat junk or skip meals — that’s normal. Building muscle isn’t about perfection; it’s about showing up and celebrating the small wins. One day, you’ll notice it yourself in the mirror and think, “Okay… I’m actually making progress.” And that feeling? Totally worth all the messy, frustrating days.