Meal plans
Healthy Slimming Diets & Structured Meal Plans
A good slimming meal plan is balanced, filling and built from everyday UK supermarket ingredients. The sample week below is a set of meal ideas, not a calorie-counted diet: the calories depend on your ingredients, cooking method and portion sizes. Adjust portions to suit you; most men will need larger portions than most women.
Last reviewed:
How our meal plans work
- Three meals and one or two snacks a day, at regular times.
- Across each day, meals aim to include fruit and vegetables, higher-fibre starchy foods, protein foods, and dairy or alternatives, in line with the NHS Eatwell Guide.
- Dinners are designed to make extra portions, which become the next day's lunch.
- Calorie figures are approximate guides based on standard UK portion sizes.
Sample seven-day slimming plan
Mix and match days to suit your week. Drinks: water, tea and coffee with a splash of semi-skimmed milk.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Porridge (40g oats) with berries | Chicken, salad and reduced-fat hummus wrap | Turkey and lentil bolognese with wholewheat spaghetti | Apple |
| Tuesday | Greek yoghurt, oats and sliced pear | Leftover bolognese with side salad | Baked salmon, new potatoes and green beans | Carrot sticks and hummus |
| Wednesday | 2 scrambled eggs, spinach, wholemeal toast | Lentil and vegetable soup with a wholemeal roll | Chicken and vegetable stir-fry with brown rice | Low-fat yoghurt |
| Thursday | Overnight oats with raspberries | Leftover stir-fry | Jacket potato with chilli con carne and salad | Satsumas x2 |
| Friday | Wholegrain cereal with semi-skimmed milk | Tuna and sweetcorn jacket potato | Homemade chicken tikka with boiled rice and dal | Rice cakes x2 |
| Saturday | Poached eggs and grilled mushrooms on toast | Prawn and avocado salad | Homemade thin-crust vegetable pizza with salad | Popcorn (20g) |
| Sunday | Porridge with banana slices | Lighter roast chicken dinner | Vegetable soup and a slice of wholemeal bread | Square of dark chocolate |
Weekly shopping list
Fridge
- Skinless chicken breasts, lean turkey mince, salmon fillets, eggs
- Semi-skimmed milk, low-fat Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, reduced-fat hummus
- Spinach, salad leaves, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, green beans
Cupboard
- Porridge oats, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, red lentils
- Tinned tomatoes, kidney beans, tuna in spring water, sweetcorn
- Wholemeal bread, wraps, rice cakes, stock cubes, herbs and spices
Fruit bowl and freezer
- Apples, bananas, pears, satsumas
- Frozen berries, frozen mixed vegetables, frozen peas
Batch-cooking strategy
Spend an hour on Sunday making a large pot of bolognese or chilli and a tray of roasted vegetables. Portion into containers: two in the fridge for this week, the rest in the freezer for next week. Overnight oats can be made three days ahead.
For more ideas, see our kitchen hints and tips.
A new plan every week
A fresh seven-day plan and matching shopping list goes up on the site every Monday. See this week's meal plan and look back at previous weeks any time.
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Keep reading
A new free meal plan every Monday
Balanced UK menus with a matching shopping list, published here on the site. Look back at previous weeks any time.
See this week's plan