Weekly meal plan for weight maintenance: 7 days and shopping list

Who is this meal plan for, and who is it not for?

It is designed for adults who have reached their target weight or who are stopping weight-management treatment under medical advice. It can also help if you want to organise your week around filling, balanced meals.

It has not been calculated for pregnancy or breastfeeding, anyone under 18, or people with chronic kidney disease. It is also not suitable for people with diabetes treated with insulin or medicines that may lower blood sugar too much. It is not intended for anyone who has or has had an eating disorder. If you have a condition that requires its own dietary plan (coeliac disease, a diagnosed allergy, heart or liver failure), follow that plan. In these cases, your doctor and dietitian should tailor your plan; if you have an eating disorder, involve a psychologist too.

There is no fixed calorie figure, deliberately. What you need depends on your muscle mass, height, sex and activity. Adjust portions to your appetite while keeping the proportions on the plate.

This week’s meal plan, day by day

The plan suggests three meals a day using the plate method: half vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter wholegrain cereal or starchy vegetable. You can have between three and five eating occasions, depending on your day and appetite. If you are hungry mid-morning or mid-afternoon, have a piece of fruit, a handful of unsalted nuts (about 25–30 g), carrot with hummus or plain yoghurt.

This week’s shopping list

This is a suggested shopping list for one adult for seven days. If you are cooking for more people at home, increase the fresh ingredients.

Vegetables

• 1.5 kg potatoes and 500 g sweet potatoes
• 3 medium courgettes and 2 aubergines
• 4 large leeks and 2 bulbs of garlic
• 1 kg carrots and 6 medium onions
• 3 red peppers and 3 green peppers
• 1.5 kg ripe tomatoes (for cooking and salads) and 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
• 1 bag of lamb’s lettuce and 1 bag of fresh baby spinach
• 2 cucumbers and 1 lettuce or bag of mixed leaves

Fruit

• 4 apples and 3 pears
• 4 oranges and 4 mandarins
• 3 bananas and 3 kiwis
• 1 punnet of blueberries or fresh berries
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 small pineapple or fresh seasonal fruit

Pulses, grains and bread

• 1 medium jar (400 g) of cooked chickpeas
• 2 medium jars of cooked white beans
• 250 g dried lentils (or 2 jars cooked)
• 500 g traditional wholegrain rolled oats
• 1 pack of muesli with no added sugars
• 500 g brown rice and 250 g wholemeal pasta
• 2 loaves or 1 large loaf of wholemeal bread (to slice and freeze)

Fish, meat and eggs

• 1 whole chicken, jointed and skin removed (or 600 g boneless chicken breast and thighs)
• 400 g turkey breast (sliced or minced for homemade burgers)
• 1 fresh salmon fillet (about 150 g)
• 1 fresh or frozen hake fillet (about 150 g)
• 200 g desalted flaked cod
• 1 medium cleaned cuttlefish (or chopped rabbit)
• 2 tins of tuna in spring water
• 1 dozen eggs
• 100 g lean cured ham, thinly sliced, with the fat removed

Dairy

• 1 litre semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, or unsweetened plant drink with at least 3% protein, preferably soya (soya is an allergen)
• 12 plain yoghurts with no added sugars (full-fat or skimmed)
• 1 tub of cottage cheese (200 g)
• 1 tub of fat-free or low-fat fresh cheese (250 g)

Store-cupboard ingredients and seasonings

• Extra virgin olive oil for cooking and dressing
• Apple cider or white wine vinegar
• 150 g shelled walnuts and 100 g unsalted raw almonds
• 50 g chia, linseed and pumpkin seeds
• Dijon mustard with no added sugars and reduced-salt soya sauce
• Spices: oregano, sweet pimentón de la Vera, black pepper, cinnamon and herbes de Provence
• 1 bunch of fresh mint and another of parsley

How to cook for the week in two hours

The hardest part of maintaining your weight is having something ready when you get home and do not feel like cooking. Dietitian Jessica Hierro makes it easier with four preparations to do at the weekend.

• Roast vegetables on one tray. Oven-baked courgette, aubergine, onion and potato provide sides for three days, with salmon, beans or egg.
• Two dinner bases. Ratatouille and courgette and leek soup made on Sunday only need reheating, then add tuna, omelette or hake.
• Chicken and vegetable stew. It keeps for several days in a sealed container in the fridge, or can be frozen in portions.
• Dressings in jars. With mint yoghurt sauce and mustard vinaigrette prepared, any salad is ready in two minutes.

Why can this meal plan help prevent weight regain?

Weight regain has little to do with willpower. After weight loss, levels of leptin, the hormone that signals fat stores and suppresses appetite, fall. Ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, rises, and the body uses slightly less energy [4]. Hunger may also return when medication is stopped.

The meal plan addresses this in three ways.

It includes protein at every meal. A consensus from four nutrition and obesity societies recommends paying attention to protein intake while losing weight with these medicines [1]. There is no consensus figure for maintenance; your dietitian will tailor it to your weight, age and activity. Protein is more filling than other nutrients and, together with strength training, helps preserve muscle.

It fills your plate with volume and fibre. Pulses, vegetables and wholegrains are filling and relatively low in calories. Cutting out carbohydrates altogether often leads to tiredness and more desire to snack.

Keep the risk of weight regain in mind. Some of the weight lost may return after stopping a medicine [5] [6]. That is why it helps to work on habits during treatment.

Read more in our guide to weight regain after Ozempic and Wegovy. If you are still losing weight, see the general advice in our weight-loss diet guide.

What common mistakes do we see when it is time to maintain weight?

• Going back to eating as before once you reach your weight. The habits that led you to your previous weight can take you back there, even gradually.
• Reducing protein when you stop the medicine. Hunger returns, and bread and snacks fill the gap.
• Stopping strength training as soon as weight loss stops. This is exactly when it matters most for preserving muscle.
• Compensating for eating more than planned with a day without food. You are hungrier the next day, and the cycle repeats.
• Treating every meal out as a test. A celebratory dinner does not need to be compensated for if the rest of the week carries on as usual.

Why continue check-ups once you have reached your weight?

Many people stop follow-up when they see the number they wanted on the scales. Weight can return afterwards, particularly after stopping a medicine [5].

That is why we suggest regular check-ups during weight maintenance. They can help you:

• Check that your body composition is stable and that you are preserving muscle, using bioimpedance or measurements.
• Adjust portions for holidays, seasonal changes or a new routine.
• Spot changes in portion sizes or ultra-processed food early, before they show up in your weight.
• Work on your relationship with food if stress, guilt or fear of regaining weight returns.