Let’s be honest, losing weight is not as easy as gaining weight. During the gaining period, it is always fun. Eating all you want, not caring about anything until one day you wake up and your tummy is almost the same size as the tummy of an expectant woman. This is where all the headache starts as you try to figure out how to lose weight. Working out and going on a diet are 2 of the most successful methods to lose weight. With that said, in this read, we shall not concentrate on the exercising part, instead, we will help you create a 5-day meal plan for weight loss.
5-Day Weight Loss Meal Plan
Before we get to the meal plan, there are certain things we need to point out. For a meal plan to be successful, it needs to be less restrictive. A highly restrictive food plan is hard to consistently follow, and, first of all, it is not practical. If we are being honest here, can you actually follow a 1000 calorie diet all your life? Secondly, highly restrictive diets are hard to follow because they may cause health issues like malnutrition.
When you are making a meal plan, make sure it is practical, sustainable, and effective. Your meal plan needs to contain all the nutrients that your body needs and in the quantities that it needs. You need to make sure you have the right amount of macros in your diet. The recommended quantity of carbohydrates is 45% to 65% of your calorie intake, for proteins, it is 10% to 35%, and for fats, it is 20 % to 35% (2).
Read More: 7-Day Clean Eating Meal Plan And Grocery List: A Quick Guide To Help You Get Started
5-Day Meal Plan For Weight Loss
Here, we have a 5-day, 2000 calorie meal plan that meets the criteria in terms of macros and all the required nutrients. The diet is practical, sustainable, and effective when it comes to promoting weight loss (1):
Day 1
Breakfast
1 serving of breakfast smoothie
Ingredients:
- 2 medium apples
- 1 medium long banana
- 1 cup of orange juice
Calories – 411.3, Carbs – 104.7 grams, Fat – 1.3 grams, Proteins – 3.9 grams
Lunch
1 serving of quick avocado tuna sandwich
Ingredients:
- 1 can of tuna
- 1 stalk of onions
- ½ avocado
- 1 hard roll
Calories – 425.7, Carbs – 36.6 grams, Fat – 14.6 grams, Proteins – 39.2 grams
Snack
2 ounces of cheddar cheese slices
Calories – 230.2, Carbs – 0.8 grams, Fat – 19.2 grams, Proteins – 13.6 grams
Dinner
2 pitas of fennel and chicken flatbreads
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- ½ cup of sliced red bell peppers
- 2 pita bread
- ½ cup of shredded provolone cheese
- half skinless and boneless chicken breast
- ½ bulb of fennel
Calories – 716.7, Carbs – 80.2 grams, Fat – 19.3 grams, Proteins – 53.3 grams
Snack
1 serving of tuna stuffed peppers
Ingredients:
- 1 medium red bell peppers
- one can of tuna
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 tablespoon of mustard
Calories – 211.9, Carbs – 12.4 grams, Fat – 2.8 grams, Proteins – 35.1 grams
Total calories for the day: 1996
Day 2
Breakfast
2 bowls of dairy-free strawberry oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of oatmeal
- 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
- 2 cups of strawberry halves
Calories – 388.8, Carbs – 87.7 grams, Fat – 3.1 grams, Proteins – 12.1 grams
Snack
1 banana
Calories – 105, Carbs – 27 grams, Fat – 0.4 grams, Proteins – 1.3 grams
Lunch
Low-carb keto sardine pickle boats
Ingredients:
- 3 medium pickles
- ½ a can of sardines
- 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- ½ tablespoon of dill
- half dash of salt
- ½ dash of pepper
Calories – 400.8, Carbs – 5 grams, Fat – 36.8 grams, Proteins – 12.7 grams
Snack
1 serving of corn tuna salad
Ingredients:
- 1 can of tuna
- 1 tablespoon of light mayonnaise
- ½ can of corn
Calories – 252.5, Carbs – 17.3 grams, Fat – 6.4 grams, Proteins – 34.6 grams
Dinner
2 servings of sautéed mushrooms with green peas
Ingredients:
- 7 minced garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable broth
- 6 ⅓ cups of sliced mushrooms
- 3 ⅓ cups of peas
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- A dash of salt
- A dash of pepper
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower seed kernels
Calories – 650.6, Carbs – 90 grams, Fat – 20.3 grams, Proteins – 38.2 grams
Snack
1 serving of cottage cheese with raspberries
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup of cottage cheese
- ⅓ tablespoon of coconut meat
- ¼ cup of raspberries
Calories – 161.3, Carbs – 12.6 grams, Fat – 4.5 grams, Proteins – 18.1 grams
Total calories for the day: 1959
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Day 3
Breakfast
1 serving of strawberry yogurt and strawberries
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of strawberry halves
- 8 ounces of fruit yogurt
- 1 ounce of cashews
Calories – 457, Carbs – 62.9 grams, Fat – 17.7 grams, Proteins – 17.1grams
Snack
1 ounce of cheddar cheese slices
Calories – 115.1, Carbs – 0.4 grams, Fat – 9.6 grams, Proteins – 6.8 grams
Lunch
1 big PB&J sandwich
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of whole-wheat bread
- 4 tablespoons of peanut butter
- 4 tablespoons of apricot jam
Calories – 614.9, Carbs – 63.5 grams, Fat – 34 grams, Proteins – 22.7 grams
Snack
1 serving of simple lemon pepper tuna
Ingredients
- one can of tuna
- ½ teaspoon of pepper
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Calories – 147.8, Carbs – 1.7 grams, Fat – 1.6 grams, Proteins – 32.2 grams
Dinner
2 servings of peanut butter and peach toast
Ingredients:
- 1 medium peach
- 2 slices of whole-wheat bread
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
Calories – 388.1, Carbs – 45.1 grams, Fat – 18.3 grams, Proteins – 16 grams
Snack
1 turkey sandwich
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of whole-wheat bread
- 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise-like dressing
- 3 ounces of deli cut turkey
- 1 leaf of lettuce
- 1 sliced medium tomato
Calories – 277.8, Carbs – 33.6 grams, Fat – 7.7 grams, Proteins – 18.8 grams
Total calories for the day: 2001
Day 4
Breakfast
2 bowls of corn flakes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of corn flakes
- 2 cups of reduced-fat milk
Calories – 443.4, Carbs – 70.6 grams, Fat – 9.9 grams, Proteins – 20.3 grams
Snack
Apples and almond butter
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of almond butter
- 1 medium apple
Calories – 291.1, Carbs – 31.1 grams, Fat – 18.1 grams, Proteins – 7.2 grams
Lunch
2 servings of deli beef and sharp cheddar roll-ups
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of oval roast beef
- 1 ounce of cheddar cheese
- 6 tablespoons of mustard
Calories – 140, Carbs – 2.2 grams, Fat – 10.8 grams, Proteins – 9.1 grams
1 serving of rice cakes with banana and almond butter
Ingredients:
- one small banana
- 1 tablespoon of almond butter
- 1 rice cake
Calories – 223, Carbs – 33.4 grams, Fat – 9.5 grams, Proteins – 5.2 grams
Snack
1 serving of banana pineapple “ice cream”
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas
- ⅓ cup of pineapple chunks
Calories – 236.3, Carbs – 60.7 grams, Fat – 0.8 grams, Proteins – 2.9 grams
Dinner
1 chicken and mayo bagel
Ingredients:
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 medium bagel
- 3 slices of tomatoes
- 2 leaves of lettuce
- 1 tablespoon of light mayonnaise
Calories – 622.7, Carbs – 60.7 grams, Fat – 11.4 grams, Proteins – 65 grams
Total calories for the day: 1957
Read More: 7-Day Weight Loss Meal Plan With Grocery List: What To Eat To Burn Fat And Get Your Dream Body?
Day 5
Breakfast
1 serving of pear banana smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- 1 large stalk of celery
- 2 cups of spinach
- 1 medium pear
- 1 medium-long banana
Calories – 230.5, Carbs – 58.1 grams, Fat – 1.1 grams, Proteins – 4.1 grams
1 serving of cottage cheese and applesauce
Ingredients:
- ½ a cup of applesauce
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
Calories – 214, Carbs – 19.9 grams, Fat – 2.4 grams, Proteins – 28.2 grams
Snack
1 serving of cheese slices
Calories – 115.1 , Carbs – 0.4 grams, Fat – 9.6 grams, Proteins – 6.8 grams
Lunch
1 serving of turkey and swiss sandwich
Ingredients:
- 2 slices medium tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise-like dressing
- 2 slices of whole-wheat bread
- 1 leaf of lettuce
- 2 slices of swiss cheese
- 3 slices of deli cut turkey
Calories – 435, Carbs – 33.7 grams, Fat – 21.7 grams, Proteins – 26.9 grams
Snack
2 servings of turkey lettuce roll-ups
Ingredients:
- 4 leaves of lettuce
- 4 slices of oval sliced turkey
- 2 dashes of salt
Calories – 118.9, Carbs – 5.3 grams, Fat – 2.6 grams, Proteins – 18.3 grams
Dinner
2 servings of chicken ranch wrap
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- ½ cup of diced chicken
- 2 tortillas
- ½ cup of chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups of shredded lettuce
- 2 servings of ranch dressing
- 4 stalks of celery
- ½ cup of sliced red bell peppers
Calories – 608.7, Carbs – 76 grams, Fat – 19.5 grams, Proteins – 32.6 grams
Snack
1 cup of grapes
Calories – 104.2, Carbs – 27.3 grams, Fat – 0.2 grams, Proteins – 1.1 grams
1 ounce of almonds
Calories – 164.1, Carbs – 6.1 grams, Fat – 14.2 grams, Proteins – 6 grams
Total calories for the day: 1991
The Bottom Line
The 5-day meal plan for weight loss highlighted above is simple, practical, sustainable, and effective. You can try it as it is or make changes to it. If there is any food that you are allergic to on the meal plan, make sure you replace it with something you are not allergic to.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- Put your diet on autopilot (n.d., eatthismuch.com)
- What Is the Macro Diet—And Can It Help Me Lose Weight? (2017, cookinglight.com)
