Eating at Five Guys When Bodybuilding (6 Meals)

Five Guys is not a common fast food restaurant that comes to mind when you are looking for a high protein meal when bodybuilding. 

However, after doing a deep dive on their menu, I’ve found plenty of high protein options that would be great for bodybuilders with a wide range of caloric requirements. 

I don’t necessarily recommend opting for one of these meals pre or post-workout. I’ll provide more information on why below, but if your meal timing doesn’t fall around your workout, there are still many great options at Five Guys to enjoy.

So what should you eat at Five Guys when bulking? If you are looking for a bulking meal option under 650 calories at Five Guys, a Little Burger is best.

For a meal higher than 800 calories, I recommend increasing your order to a full burger with bacon and cheese included depending on your caloric needs.

In this article, I will provide:

• 6 meal options for what to eat at Five Guys when bulking

• My top 3 tips for eating at Five Guys both before and after your workout

Check Out Our Complete Guide on Fast Food For Bodybuilding

What To Eat at Five Guys If You’re A Bodybuilder: 6 Meal Options  

Six meal options to order at Five Guys when bodybuilding are:

1. 500 Calorie Five Guys Bodybuilding Meal Plan

• Order a Little Hamburger
• Add your choice of any of the following toppings: green peppers, mushrooms, hot sauce, A1 sauce, jalapeno peppers, lettuce, mustard, onions, pickles, relish and tomatoes 
• Do not add french fries 

This meal has 490 calories, 25g protein (20%), 39g carbohydrates (32%) and 26g fat (48%).

At Five Guys, a hamburger patty is the best source of protein to include in your meals. While bacon and cheese both add some protein, both provide a significant more of their calories from fat vs. protein.

Given this, I always recommend opting for at least one patty in your meal. 

For a more moderate calorie meal like this, one patty is the best option. While fat is important to include in your meal, it’s low in volume meaning it can quickly add hundreds of calories to your meal.

Since hamburger patties also contain a significant amount of fat, no additional fat sources like cheese or bacon are recommended. 

All topping options provided are a great way to add additional flavour to your meal without adding any significant additional calories.

Vegetable toppings are also a great way to add some additional volume to your meal, this can help provide a more full and satisfied feeling after you eat. 

Customizations to adjust calories

• Adding a higher calorie topping will change the meal’s calories. To increase the calories, order with mayonnaise (110 calories), cheese (add 90 calories) or bacon (add 80 calories). 

• Adding a side of fries can also be used to increase the meal’s calories. French fries are high in carbs and fat but low in protein, therefore I recommend sticking to a little to ensure you are still getting sufficient protein in your meal. This will increase your meal’s calories by 530 calories. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

This meal is an adequate option to eat pre or post-workout. However, since all the options at Five Guys include a hamburger patty that is high in fat, it’s not the most optimal option. 

If you are eating this around a workout, ensure you don’t add any additional toppings or sides. This will help to reduce the fat in the meal, so our body can get energy primarily from carbs giving you a bigger burst of energy during your workout.

I also recommend bringing some fast-acting carbs that you can consume 45 minutes before your workout.

This will help give you some additional energy that may have been reduced from a higher fat meal. The best option, which is also easy to transport, would be a piece of fruit such as a banana.

2. 650 Calorie Five Guys Bodybuilding Meal Plan 

• Order a Little Bacon Cheeseburger 
• Add your choice of any of the following toppings: green peppers, mushrooms, hot sauce, A1 sauce, jalapeno peppers, lettuce, mustard, onions, pickles, relish and tomatoes 
• Do not add french fries 

This meal has 657 calories, 33g protein (20%), 39g carbohydrates (24%) and 41g fat (56%).

This burger is a higher protein meal option at Five Guys with over 30g. When bodybuilding, getting enough protein at each meal is important to ensure your body is getting sufficient protein to repair and grow muscle after a workout. 

I generally recommend aiming for closer to 25 – 30% of your meal’s calories from protein, however, this isn’t a significant difference that would prevent me from recommending this meal.

Simply try and increase your protein slightly at your other meals during the day to help balance it out. 

Adding bacon and cheese to your burger helps to boost the calories in the meal, in particular from fat. Fat is beneficial to include in meals when bodybuilding as it will keep you feeling full for longer after you eat.

This will make sticking to your diet generally easier, especially over the longer term. 

Customizations to adjust calories

• You can adjust your meal’s calories by switching up the toppings. To increase the calories, add mayonnaise (110 calories) or BBQ sauce (50 calories). To decrease the calories, remove the cheese (90 calories) and/ or bacon (80 calories). 

• Adding a side of fries will increase the meal’s calories. I recommend sticking to a little size as french fries are high in fat and carbs. This will help to ensure you are still getting sufficient protein in your meal. Adding fries will increase your meal’s calories by 530 calories. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

This meal is not recommended to be consumed pre or post-workout as it is too high in fat for what is optimal. Consuming a meal high in fat around a workout will not leave you with the energy you need to perform at your best or recover post-workout. 

For the best option in a pinch, check out the 500 calorie meal option or my tips later on in this article. 

3. 800 Calorie Five Guys Bodybuilding Meal Plan 

• Order a Bacon Burger, ask for only 2 strips of bacon 
• Add your choice of any of the following toppings: green peppers, mushrooms, hot sauce, A1 sauce, jalapeno peppers, lettuce, mustard, onions, pickles, relish and tomatoes 
• Do not add french fries 

This meal has 794 calories, 47g protein (24%), 39g carbohydrates (20%) and 50g fat (57%).

This burger comes with two patties, providing an additional 18g of protein to your meal. Additionally, the bacon and bun add 11g of protein to the burger, creating a high protein meal option.

Keeping protein high is important when bodybuilding as your body requires sufficient protein throughout the day to grow muscle. 

The other factor to consider about your meal when bodybuilding is ensuring your meal has sufficient fat to keep you feeling full for longer after you eat.

Experiencing a feeling of being full and satisfied after you eat generally makes sticking to your diet much easier. After all, you usually crave less nutritious treats when you are hungry and unsatisfied. 

The bacon burger meets both of these objectives as it provides fat from both the burger patties as well as from bacon. Sticking to two slices of bacon helps to keep the fat from getting too high and in turn keep the meal’s calories from also getting too high. 

Customizations to adjust calories

• Switch up the toppings to customize the meal’s calories. To increase the calories, add mayonnaise (110 calories), 2 more slices of bacon (80 calories) or cheese (90 calories). To decrease the calories, remove the bacon (80 calories). 

• Adding fries as a side will also increase the meal’s calories. If ordering, stick to a little size as french fries are high in fat and carbs. Opting for a smaller size will help to ensure you are still getting sufficient protein in your meal. This will increase your meal’s calories by 530. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

This is not an optimal meal option for before or after a workout as this meal is higher in fat than what is optimal. Eating a high-fat meal around a workout will not provide you with the energy you need to perform at your best or recover post-workout. 

If you’re in a pinch and need the best option, check out the 500 calorie meal plan or my tips later on in this article. 

4. 900 Calorie Five Guys Bodybuilding Meal Plan

• Order a Cheeseburger
• Add your choice of any of the following toppings: green peppers, mushrooms, hot sauce, A1 sauce, jalapeno peppers, lettuce, mustard, onions, pickles, relish and tomatoes 
• Do not add french fries 

This meal has 891 calories, 51g protein (23%), 39g carbohydrates (18%) and 59g fat (60%).

The cheeseburger comes with two patties, increasing the protein in your meal by 18g. Opting for a high protein meal, like this one, is important when bodybuilding as your body needs adequate protein throughout the day to grow muscle. 

I generally recommend 25 – 30% of your meal’s calories from protein. While this is slightly less, it’s nothing to be concerned about.

Instead, simply add a little extra protein to one of your other meals during the day to balance this out. The easiest method is to simply increase the meat you are eating by 1 – 2oz. 

The cheese provides some additional protein and fat. Including fat in your meals is important to keep you feeling full for longer after you eat.

Experiencing a feeling of being full and satisfied after you eat generally makes sticking to your diet much easier. After all, you usually crave less nutritious treats when you are hungry and unsatisfied. 

Customizations to adjust calories

• Toppings can be used to customize the meal’s calories. To increase the calories, add mayonnaise (110 calories) or bacon (160 calories). To decrease the calories, remove the cheese (180 calories). 

• Add fries to also increase the meal’s calories. I recommend sticking to a little size as french fries provide primarily carbs and fat but little protein. Opting for a smaller size will help to ensure you are still getting sufficient protein in your meal. This will increase your meal’s calories by 530. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

This is not an optimal meal option that I would recommend pre or post-workout due to the fat content. Eating a high-fat meal around a workout will leave you feeling lethargic and not able to perform at your best or recover post-workout. 

If you’re in a pinch and want to know the best option at Five Guys, check out the 500 calorie meal plan or my tips later on in this article. 

5. 1,050 Calorie Five Guys Bodybuilding Meal Plan 

• Order a Bacon Cheeseburger
• Add your choice of any of the following toppings: green peppers, mushrooms, hot sauce, A1 sauce, jalapeno peppers, lettuce, mustard, onions, pickles, relish and tomatoes 
• Do not add french fries 

This meal has 1,049 calories, 59g protein (22%), 39g carbohydrates (15%) and 73g fat (63%).

This burger is a high-fat meal option as there is fat in the patties, bacon and cheese. Fat can be beneficial when eating a higher calorie diet as the physical volume of the food is much lower compared to foods high in carbs and protein.

This can help to keep you from feeling too full when consuming a high-calorie meal.

Consuming a high-fat meal will also provide the feeling of being full and satiated for a longer period after you eat.

While this is helpful when consuming a lower calorie diet, it may make eating later in the day more challenging if you are consuming a higher calorie diet, for bodybuilding this is likely to be someone bulking. 

Given this, I recommend consuming this meal later in the day when you have eaten most of your calories for the day. 

Customizations for increased calories

• Adjust the toppings to customize the meal’s calories further. To increase the calories, add mayonnaise (110 calories). To decrease the calories, remove the bacon (160 calories) and/ or cheese (180 calories). 

• To further increase the meal’s calories, side fries can be added. If ordering, stick to a little size as french fries are high in fat and carbs. Opting for a smaller size will help to ensure you are still getting sufficient protein in your meal. This will increase your meal’s calories by 530. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

This meal is higher in calories than what I would recommend for both a pre and post-workout meal, I instead recommend selecting the 500 calorie meal plan.

You are likely to find eating this many calories leads to a lethargic feeling and digestive discomfort that will not result in a strong workout or recovery post-workout. 

6. 1,250 Calorie Five Guys Bodybuilding Meal Plan 

• Order a Little Bacon Cheeseburger 
• Order a Little Bacon Burger
• Add your choice of any of the following toppings: green peppers, mushrooms, hot sauce, A1 sauce, jalapeno peppers, lettuce, mustard, onions, pickles, relish and tomatoes 
• Do not add french fries 

This meal has 1,226 calories, 62g protein (20%), 78g carbohydrates (25%) and 74g fat (54%).

As you continue to increase calories in a meal when bodybuilding, it is important to do so in a way that keeps the ratio of macros (protein, carbs and fat) relatively even to ensure you get the benefits each provides.

Protein will allow your body to build muscle, carbs will provide energy and fat will keep you feeling full and satiated for longer after eating. 

By ordering two little burgers, you are getting two burger patties and two buns. This helps to increase the macros in a more even manner instead of primarily from high-fat toppings. 

Carbs are generally higher in volume compared to fat so you may find this meal has more physical volume than you can consume in one sitting. If this is the case, simply split this into two smaller meals.

Since carbs are faster to digest, you are likely to find yourself hungry again within 2 – 3 hours. 

Customizations for increased calories

• Customize your burger’s toppings to customize the meal’s calories. To increase the calories, add mayonnaise (110 calories per burger) or cheese to the bacon burger (90 calories). To decrease the calories, remove the bacon (80 calories per burger) or cheese (90 calories). 

• Adding a little side of fries will also increase the meal’s calories. Opting for a smaller size will help to ensure you are still getting sufficient protein in your meal as fries are primarily fat and carbs. Adding this side will increase your meal’s calories by 530. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

If you are eating this meal around a workout, I recommend instead going with the 500 calorie meal plan. Consuming a meal this high in calories will leave you feeling lethargic, similar to that post-Thanksgiving dinner sleepy feeling.

Tips for Eating at Five Guys Before a Workout

A meal that is high in carbs and low in fat will provide you with the energy that you need to perform at your best throughout your workout. 

Should you eat at Five Guys before a workout? If you are looking for an optimal pre-workout meal, you shouldn’t eat at Five Guys before a workout as the fat is too high.

If you are in a pinch, a Little Burger with a piece of fruit is the best option. Be sure to skip any cheese, mayonnaise or bacon.

• Read more in my article Can You Eat Fried Food Before And After Workouts?

3 Tips for How to Eat at Five Guys Before a Workout

My top 3 tips for how to eat at Five Guys before a workout are:

1. Order a Little Burger

Before a workout, you want to focus on consuming a meal high in carbs as that will provide your body with a quick energy source, keeping you energized and fueled throughout the entirety of your workout. 

I recommend aiming to consume at least two servings of carbohydrates, with a serving being about the size of a closed fist. At Five Guys, a burger bun is the best option. 

To allow your body to most efficiently and quickly utilize the carbs you are eating, it’s important to limit the fat you are consuming as well. Since a burger patty provides 17g of fat, it’s important to order a burger that has just one patty, like the Little Burger.

I recommend eating this meal 1 – 2 hours in advance of your workout. 

2. Do not add cheese, bacon or mayonnaise 

In addition to eating plenty of carbs before a workout, it is also important to limit the fat in this meal as well. Fat is slower for our body to digest, slowing down our entire digestive system in the process.

Slower digestion will increase the time our body takes to break down and use the carbs we just ate, leaving us with less energy for our workout. 

At Five Guys, burger patties already contain fat and therefore it’s important to exclude any additional fat sources from your meal. Cheese, bacon and mayonnaise are all high in fat and therefore the best to consume before a workout. 

3. Consider bringing a piece of fruit for with your meal

A Little Burger at Five Guys is the highest carb option, however, it only contains 32% of the calories from carbs.

To get enough carbs to feel energized and fueled throughout your workout, I recommend a meal with 50 – 60% of its calories from carbs. 

At Five Guys, there is not an option to order that will increase the carbs to this threshold without increasing the fat too significantly.

An easy and portable option that you can bring from home is a piece of fruit such as a banana or banana. If you’re really in a pinch, try coconut water which can be found at any gas station.

Tips for Eating at Five Guys After a Workout

The post workout meal kick starts the process of repairing the muscle damaged during your workout allowing you to recover and build strength, continuing to progress each workout.

Should you eat at Five Guys after a workout? I do not recommend eating at Five Guys post-workout because the fat content is too high compared to the carbs and protein to make it an ideal recovery meal.

However, if you have no other option, the best post-workout meal at Five Guys is a Little Burger.  

3 Tips for How to Eat at Five Guys After a Workout

My top 3 tips for how to eat at Five Guys after a workout are:

1. Order a Little Burger

Throughout your workout, you will burn through the fuel your body has stored as its primary energy source. By the end of your workout, you’ve likely depleted most of this stored fuel.

Eating a high carb meal will replenish these stores and kick start the process of repairing your muscles. 

The cycle of damaging muscles during a workout, then repairing them post-workout, is what will result in increased strength and muscle growth. Therefore we want to make it a priority for this recovery process to begin as soon as our workout is over.

A high carb meal that will kick-start this repair process, contains at least two servings of carbs, where a serving is the size of a closed fist. At Five Guys, a Little Burger is the best option.

I recommend aiming to eat this meal within 1 – 1.5 hours after finishing your workout. 

2. Skip the cheese, bacon and mayonnaise 

In addition to consuming a meal high in carbs, it is also just as important to consume protein after a workout. Protein is what our body will use to repair our muscles, resulting in increased strength and muscle growth, which is the primary goal for most of us.

For our body to use the carbs and protein we are eating, we also need to reduce the amount of fat during this meal. Fat will slow down digestion, delaying the start of the muscle repair process. 

At Five Guys, the burger patty already contains fat so it’s important to skip any additional fat sources. The highest fat sources that should be avoided are cheese, bacon and mayonnaise. 

3. Consider bringing a scoop of whey for with your meal

Little Burgers at Five Guys are the highest protein option that doesn’t have too much fat, however, they only have 20% of the calories coming from protein.

To get enough protein to repair and grow muscle, I recommend a meal with 30 – 35% of its calories from protein. 

At Five Guys, there is not an option to order that will increase the protein to this threshold without increasing the fat too significantly. An easy and portable option that you can bring at home is a scoop of whey protein. 

If you are not able to bring a scoop of protein, I still recommend eating at Five Guys. Simply focus on getting a little extra protein during your other meals to make up for the lower amount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions for eating at Five Guys if you workout. 

Will Eating at Five Guys Ruin My Gains?

No, eating at Five Guys will not ruin your gains. To maintain the muscle, or gains, it’s most important to eat enough protein throughout your day.

All burgers available at Five Guy’s have two patties making them high in protein and ensuring its possible to maintain your gains.

Can I Eat at Five Guys and Still Gain Muscle?

Yes, you can eat at Five Guys and still gain muscle. To gain muscle, you need to eat enough protein after your workout so your muscles can repair and grow.

All burgers at Five Guys have two patties and are therefore high in protein, ensuring you have enough to make it possible to gain muscle.

What Meal at Five Guys has the Most Protein?

The meal at Five Guys with the most protein is the Bacon Cheeseburger with regular fries. This meal has 2,002 calories, 74g of protein, 170g of carbohydrates and 114g of fat.  

What Meal at Five Guys has the Most Calories?

The meal at Five Guys with the most calories is the Bacon Cheeseburger with mayonnaise and regular fries. This meal has 2,101 calories, 74g of protein, 170g of carbohydrates and 125g of fat. 

Which Meal at Five Guys has the Least Calories

The meal at Five Guys that has the least calories is the Veggie Sandwich. This meal has 280 calories, 7g of protein, 43g of carbohydrates and 9g of fat.

More Fast Food Meal Plans

Check out our other bulking and cutting meal plans from popular fast-food restaurants:

• Eating At Wendy’s When Bulking & Cutting (6 Meals)
• Eating At Burger King When Bulking or Cutting (6 Meals)
• Eating At Jack In The Box When Bulking (6 Bodybuilder Meals)
• Eating At Dairy Queen When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)
• Eating At Carl’s Junior When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)
• Eating At McDonald’s For Bodybuilding (6 Meals)