A 7-Day Meal Plan For Weight Loss, Plus Grocery Shopping List - Women's Health

When you're trying to lose weight, being told to eat healthy is pretty much a guaranteed trigger for an eye roll. Like, yeah, you know healthy eating is one way to lose weight. The problem is figuring out exactly what to eat on any given day. And putting together meal plans for weight loss takes a lot of energy that you don't have.

After all, you have a life and plenty of things to do. It can be tricky to find time to sit down and plan out a menu that will help you hit the right balance of macros and lose weight. Still, all this prep work is kinda important here.

"For many individuals, planning ahead is key to successful weight loss since it may help decrease the guesswork and negative outside influences at meal time," says nutritionist Keri Gans, RD, the author of The Small Change Diet. "If not prepared, a person is more likely to make poor choices when confronted with them."

Basically, forgoing planning what your next meal—or meals—will be dramatically raises the odds that you'll be ordering less-than-healthy takeout at the last minute when you're starving. Again, we go back to the whole "what to eat" dilemma… .

Well, we've got you covered in that department—for a week, at least, to get you started. Gans has offered up nine different ideas you can enjoy over the course of a week (and beyond!), with a few leftovers in the mix to help you save on groceries. Every meal is a good mix of protein, fat, and carbs to help you fill up, stay satisfied, and hold your blood sugar steady—all key factors in losing weight. They're also easy to prepare and we front-load the week's menu with foods that tend to spoil faster than others, so you can get the most bang for your grocery shopping buck.

For dinners and lunches, consider this pro tip from Gans: "Always start your dinner and lunch with a large mixed green salad, light on the dressing of your choice. Salad are packed with fiber and help to fill you up." If you're craving something sweet after lunch or dinner, try a cup of berries or a single piece of fruit, like a small orange or apple.

Check out the seven-day meal plan for weight loss below, and then scroll down for a handy grocery list you can take with you to the store. Because eating healthy shouldn't be hard.

Meet the expert: Keri Gans, RD, is a New York City-based nutritionist and the author of The Small Change Diet.

Day 1

Breakfast: A piece of 100 percent whole wheat toast topped with half an avocado, two slices of tomato, and two poached eggs

Lunch: Mixed green salad with carrots, cucumbers, ½ avocado sliced, and 3 to 4 ounces broiled salmon, topped with a dash of olive oil and vinegar

Dinner: One cup of cooked pasta (whatever kind you prefer) tossed with 3 ounces of grilled shrimp, as much asparagus as you want, sautéed garlic, and a dash of olive oil

Day 2

Breakfast: One cup cooked oatmeal mixed with one tablespoon of peanut butter and a medium-sized banana sliced on top

Lunch: Fresh roasted turkey sandwich on 100 percent whole wheat bread with lettuce, sliced tomato, and 1 tablespoon of mayo (or drizzle of olive oil)

Dinner: Three to four ounces of broiled salmon with baked potato (you can add a pat of butter or dollop of sour cream), and as much broccoli as you want

Day 3

Breakfast: A piece of 100 percent whole wheat toast topped with half an avocado, two slices of tomato, and two poached eggs

Lunch: Mixed green salad with carrots, cucumbers, ½ avocado sliced, and 3 to 4 ounces broiled salmon, topped with a dash of olive oil and vinegar

Dinner: Four ounces of grilled chicken breast with one medium-sized sweet potato and sautéed spinach

Day 4

Breakfast: A cup of plain Greek or Icelandic yogurt topped with 1 cup of sliced strawberries and 1 ounce of sliced almonds

Lunch: One individual can of tuna mixed with 1 tablespoon of mayo (or dash of olive oil) on 100% whole grain bread, topped with lettuce, two slices of tomato, and a few slivers of red onion

Dinner: Four ounces of grilled chicken breast with one medium-sized sweet potato, steamed, and sautéed spinach

Day 5

Breakfast: One cup of cooked oatmeal mixed with one tablespoon of peanut butter and a medium-sized banana sliced on top

Lunch: One individual can of tuna mixed with 1 tablespoon of mayo (or dash of olive oil) on 100% whole grain bread, topped with lettuce, two slices of tomato, and a few slivers of red onion

Dinner: One cup of cooked pasta (whatever kind you prefer) tossed with 3 ounces of grilled shrimp, as much asparagus as you want, sautéed garlic, and dash of olive oil

Day 6

Breakfast: One piece of 100 percent whole wheat toast topped with half an avocado, two slices of tomato, and two poached eggs

Lunch: Fresh roasted turkey sandwich on 100% whole wheat bread with lettuce, sliced tomato, and 1 tablespoon of mayo (or drizzle of olive oil)

Dinner: Four ounces of grilled chicken breast with one medium-sized sweet potato, steamed, and sautéed spinach

Day 7

Breakfast: A cup of plain Greek or Icelandic yogurt topped with 1 cup of sliced strawberries and 1 ounce of sliced almonds

Lunch: Fresh roasted turkey sandwich on 100 percent whole wheat bread with lettuce, sliced tomato, and 1 tablespoon of mayo (or drizzle of olive oil)

Dinner: One cup of cooked pasta (whatever kind you prefer) tossed with 3 ounces of grilled shrimp, as much asparagus as you want, sautéed garlic, and dash of olive oil

Your Go-to Healthy Eating Grocery List

Consult this for what to buy (with the exact number of items you need!) for all the above meals when you're at the store.

Jewelyn Butron

• Greek yogurt (2 cups)
• Pint of strawberries
• Tomatoes (3)
• Asparagus
• Spinach
• Avocado (2)
• Sweet potatoes (3)
• Lettuce
• Mixed greens
• Bananas (2)
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Garlic clove
• Baked potato (2)
• Broccoli
• Red onion (1)
• Container of old-fashioned oats
• Sliced almonds (2 ounces)
• No sugar-added peanut butter
• Loaf of whole wheat bread
• Dried pasta of your choice (3 cups)
• Salmon (12 ounces)
• Chicken (12 ounces)
• Frozen shrimp (9 ounces)
• Individual can of tuna (2)
• Eggs (6)
• Boneless frozen turkey (or 1 pound of turkey lunchmeat)
• Small container of mayo or olive oil
• Vinegar

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men's Health, Women's Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master's degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.