Here is a 7-day meal plan for weight loss you can cook at home. Every day has breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack, and the shopping list for the week is at the end. Portions use your plate and your hand instead of calorie counts, so you don't need an app. If you'd rather not cook, the Sanos Weight Loss Meal Plan brings portion-controlled meals to your door anywhere in Dubai.
How this plan works
You already know that losing weight means eating a bit less. This plan does it with three ideas that also help you stay full.
- A small calorie deficit. You eat a little less than you burn. NHS Better Health suggests about 600 calories a day less as a safe and sustainable way to lose weight. Find your own number with our TDEE calculator, and read how a calorie deficit works.
- Protein at every meal. A 2004 review of the research found that higher-protein diets make people feel fuller, and that high-protein meals lead people to eat less afterwards.
- Plenty of fibre. The NHS says adults should aim for 30 g of fibre a day, and most eat about 20 g. Oats, beans, wholegrains and vegetables close that gap.
Portion sizes, by hand
Your hand comes everywhere with you, and it is sized to you. These portions come from a Royal Papworth Hospital NHS guide.
| Food | One portion |
|---|---|
| Red meat | The size and thickness of your palm |
| Chicken or fish | The size of your whole hand |
| Rice, pasta, potato, bread | The size of your fist |
| Vegetables | A cupped handful, or as much salad as fits in both cupped hands |
| Fruit | A handful |
| Nuts | A small handful |
| Cheese | Two fingers |
| Oil | The tip of your finger, no more than two a day |
Build every lunch and dinner as half vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter carbs. That is the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate, and the NHS guide above uses the same split. In this plan, it means one portion of protein, one fist of carbs and at least two cupped handfuls of vegetables.
Day 1 to Day 7
The meals are home versions of dishes on the Sanos menu. Cook a little extra protein and quinoa at one meal and use it for the next day's lunch, so lunches are quick to put together.
Day 1
- Breakfast. Herb omelette made with two eggs, mint, parsley and dill, and rocket and cherry tomatoes on the side.
- Lunch. Chicken quinoa bowl with grilled chicken breast, a fist of quinoa, broccoli, tomato, carrot, a few slices of avocado and lemon.
- Dinner. Baked salmon with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and a fist of potato.
- Snack. Plain yoghurt with a handful of berries.
Day 2
- Breakfast. Oats cooked in skimmed milk, topped with banana, blueberries and a spoon each of chia and flax seeds.
- Lunch. Kale salad with quinoa, edamame, cherry tomato, avocado and asparagus, a lemon dressing, and a hand of chicken from yesterday's batch.
- Dinner. Chicken fajitas, with chicken strips, peppers, onion and Cajun spice, and a fist of rice.
- Snack. A bowl of steamed edamame.
Day 3
- Breakfast. Shakshuka, with two eggs baked in tomato, pepper and onion sauce, and one slice of wholemeal bread.
- Lunch. Berry chicken salad with lettuce, cucumber, strawberries, blueberries and a little feta, balsamic on the side.
- Dinner. A palm of grilled lean beef with steamed carrots, green beans and broccoli.
- Snack. An apple and a small handful of almonds.
Day 4
- Breakfast. Two poached eggs on multigrain toast with avocado and asparagus.
- Lunch. Steak salad with leftover beef, quinoa, spinach, mushrooms, cherry tomato and peas.
- Dinner. A hand of grilled sea bass or any white fish, a side salad of lettuce, beetroot and cherry tomato, and a fist of sweet potato.
- Snack. Plain yoghurt with a handful of berries.
Day 5
- Breakfast. Breakfast wrap with scrambled eggs, peppers, onion and a little avocado in a wholemeal tortilla.
- Lunch. Salmon rice bowl with salmon, cucumber, avocado, a fist of rice, and chia and flax seeds on top.
- Dinner. Chicken stir-fry with broccoli, peppers and mushrooms, a splash of soy sauce and a fist of rice.
- Snack. An orange.
Day 6
- Breakfast. Keep it light if brunch is coming. Plain yoghurt with berries and a spoon of chia.
- Lunch. If you go to brunch, start with eggs, grilled fish or chicken and salad, pick one or two treats you really want, and drink water between other drinks. At home, make a Niçoise salad with tuna, a boiled egg, green beans, cherry tomato, lettuce and a few small boiled potatoes.
- Dinner. Vegetable soup with carrot, zucchini, leek and beans, and a hand of grilled chicken.
- Snack. Carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus.
Day 7
- Breakfast. Spinach and feta omelette with one slice of wholemeal toast.
- Lunch. Chicken rice bowl with a fist of brown rice, broccoli, mushroom, tomato, olives and basil.
- Dinner. A palm of lean beef with kidney beans, tomato salsa, a big salad and a fist of sweet potato.
- Snack. A bowl of steamed edamame.
Keeping leftovers safe
The UK Food Standards Agency says to cool cooked food and put it in the fridge within one to two hours, and to eat leftovers within 48 hours or freeze them. Keep your fridge between 0 and 5°C. That is why this plan only carries leftovers to the next day. If your office has no fridge, take lunch in a cool bag, and never leave it in a hot car.
Shopping list for the week
- Protein. A dozen eggs, 7 hand-sized chicken breasts, 2 salmon fillets, 1 white fish fillet, 3 palm-sized pieces of lean beef, 1 tin of tuna in water, 1 bag of frozen edamame, 2 tins of kidney beans.
- Dairy. A large tub of plain yoghurt, a small pack of feta, a small carton of skimmed milk.
- Carbs. Rolled oats, quinoa, brown or basmati rice, small potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes, multigrain or wholemeal bread, wholemeal tortillas.
- Vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, rocket, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mixed peppers, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, carrots, cooked beetroot, frozen peas, zucchini, leek, 3 to 4 avocados, garlic.
- Fruit and herbs. Bananas, blueberries and strawberries (frozen is fine), apples, oranges, lemons, mint, parsley, dill, basil.
- Pantry. Chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Cajun spice, soy sauce, a tin of chopped tomatoes, black olives, hummus.
Adjusting it for women and men
The same week works for both. Only the portions change. The NHS uses about 2,000 calories a day for an average woman and 2,500 for an average man to stay at the same weight, so most men need more food than most women to lose weight at the same steady pace. Hand portions help here too, because bigger people tend to have bigger hands.
- For most women. Keep one fist of carbs at lunch and dinner and one portion of protein at every meal. If you are hungry, add vegetables first.
- For most men. Add a second fist of carbs at lunch, make the protein portion a bit bigger, or add a second snack such as yoghurt or edamame.
- If you train most days. Move your carbs closer to your workout and have protein soon after it. Our Dubai Fitness Challenge guide explains how.
- For everyone. Harvard Health advises not going below 1,200 calories a day for women or 1,500 for men without a health professional supervising you. If you lose more than 1 kg a week, add a little food back. If nothing moves after two weeks, check drinks, oil and portion sizes first.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, have a medical condition or take medication, check with your doctor before you change how you eat.
The Sanos Weight Loss plan, for weeks you can't cook
A week like this takes one big shop and some cooking most days. With long office days, late meetings and a brunch, that may not happen.
The Sanos Weight Loss Meal Plan uses lean protein, fibre-rich vegetables and low-GI carbs in controlled portions, so you get the same kind of plate without cooking or weighing anything.
- Our own chefs cook every meal in our kitchen at 228 Jumeirah Street, Jumeirah 1, and nutritionists approve the plans.
- You choose your meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks), your days (weekdays, weekdays plus Saturday, or the full week) and 1 to 8 weeks.
- We deliver anywhere in Dubai.
- Every dish on our menu lists its full ingredients, so you know exactly what you eat.
Build your plan, send it on WhatsApp, and we reply with your price. If you are not sure the weight loss plan is right for you, book a free nutrition consultation.
FAQ
Can you make me a 7 day meal plan?
This page is one, ready to use, with a shopping list. For a plan built around you, book a free nutrition consultation with Sanos, or follow this week and adjust the portions with the guide above.
What is the best meal plan to lose weight fast?
The best one is a plan you can keep up for months. The NHS advises losing 0.5 to 1 kg a week, and the CDC says people who lose weight at a steady pace are more likely to keep it off. The NHS also says very low calorie diets are not suitable or safe for everyone.
How much weight can I lose in 7 days?
At the pace the NHS recommends, about 0.5 to 1 kg. Treat that as a healthy upper limit, not a target to beat. Repeat the week, adjust portions, and check your progress every week or two.
Is this plan for women or for men?
Both. The meals stay the same and the portions change. Most men need a bit more food, such as a second fist of carbs at lunch or a bigger protein portion.
Can I repeat the week?
Yes. Swap the proteins and vegetables to keep it interesting. For more ideas, read our guides to healthy breakfast ideas, high-protein meals and meal prep vs meal delivery.
Sources
- NHS Better Health: Calories and weight loss
- NHS: Understanding calories
- NHS: Obesity treatment
- NHS: How to get more fibre into your diet
- CDC: Steps for losing weight
- Harvard Health Publishing: Calorie counting made easy
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Healthy Eating Plate
- Halton and Hu: The effects of high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2004
- Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Healthy eating and your weight (PDF)
- UK Food Standards Agency: How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely
- Sanos menu with ingredient lists