Effective Meal Plan for Overweight Women: Eat Smart, Lose Weight

Effective Meal Plan for Overweight Women: Eat Smart, Lose Weight

You’ve likely heard the saying — ‘You can’t outrun a bad diet’. This perfectly sums up the importance of nutrition.

More than just a tool for weight loss, a balanced diet provides our body with essential nutrients and vitamins to support our bones, muscles, heart, and everything in between.

This means that if we are to lose weight, we must reassess and adjust our nutrition. Not only to decrease body fat but to support our body and its many systems.

In this article, we share the best meal plan for overweight females. We cover the impact nutrition has on our bodies, foods to add, which ones to avoid, and a sample meal plan to help you start your diet.

Understanding the Nutritional Needs of Overweight Women

Navigating our nutrition can be incredibly challenging. From managing calorie and macronutrient intake to ensuring we consume the correct balance of vitamins, those initial steps toward a healthier lifestyle can feel like a struggle.

Below we discuss the key elements of weight loss including recommended calorie intakes, macronutrients, important nutrients, and hydration.

Understanding Calorie Deficits

Losing weight requires us to reduce our daily calorie intake to form a calorie deficit. This is when we consume fewer calories than we burn.

The recommended daily calorie intake for women is 2,000. This is approximately the amount of calories we burn at rest each day. When we consume less than this figure, we enter a calorie deficit, enabling us to lose weight.

While it may be tempting to undertake a major calorie deficit for rapid weight loss, it can lead to greater feelings of hunger and nutrient deficiencies, while decreasing adherence.

We recommend starting with a small deficit of 100-300 calories daily. This will give you time to adjust feelings of hunger, and low energy. Moreover, it enables us to decrease our calorie intake further if we encounter plateaus during weight loss.

The Role of Macronutrients in Weight Loss

Macronutrients play a vital role in weight loss. These are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. When diet plan it we need to balance our macronutrients to support different systems in the body.

When we enter a calorie deficit, we must hit our macronutrient targets. This is because each one plays a vital role in the function of our body.

For example, protein is used to build and maintain muscle mass and keeps us fuller for longer. Carbohydrates provide us with sustainable energy and also improve satiety. While fats help us absorb vitamins and are used as energy.

When we enter a calorie deficit, factors such as increasing fullness can make or break our diet ambitions.

Dietary guidelines for America recommend the following ratio:

Carbohydrates: 45%–65% of total calories
Fat: 25%–35% of total calories
Protein: 10%–30% of total calories

It’s important to note that these figures vary between individuals, and the more you understand your body, you can calibrate them to suit your needs.

We understand that looking at calorie and macronutrient intakes can seem either daunting or incredibly boring. However, we encourage you to track and monitor your intake as it will help you see patterns in your nutrition, and even give you the ability to manipulate your calorie intake to indulge without going over your daily limits.

Fortunately, there are many diet-tracking apps online. They offer goal setting, calorie and macronutrient tracking, and a large database containing popular foods to make logging meals easier.

Importance of Vitamins and Minerals for Women’s Health

When we begin our weight loss journey we need to pay close attention to our vitamin and mineral intake. Like our macronutrients, they are essential to maintain overall health and function.

For women, correct intake is crucial as our age and menopause alter our physiology.

Changes we can expect include:

Decreased muscle mass
Decreased Bone Density
Increased Risk of Chronic Illness
Increased Inflammation
Menopause Symptoms

Below we detail essential vitamins and minerals for women’s health, including the recommended daily intake (RDI), purpose, the best foods, and how deficiencies may present.

Essential Nutrients, Their Purpose, and Deficiency Symptoms
Nutrient	RDI	Purpose	Foods	Deficiency Symptoms
Protein	1.2–1.5 g/kg/bw (0.54–0.68 g/lb)	Maintains Muscle Mass, Improves Satiety	Poultry, Fish, Soy, Oats, Liver, Nuts, Seeds	Hunger, Fatigue, Slow Wound Healing, Immune Deficiency, Skin and Hair Changes
Omega-3	1.6 g (men), 1.1 g (women)	Anti-Inflammatory Properties, Reduces Night Sweats and Hot Flashes	Salmon, Mackerel, Sardines, Nuts, Seeds, Leafy Greens	Skin Issues, Joint Pain, Fatigue, Poor Concentration, Inflammation, Infection, Insomnia
Fiber	21 g–25 g	Increase Meal Volume, Improve Satiety	Fruit, Vegetables, Oats, Barley, Legumes	Hunger, Constipation, Bloating, High Cholesterol, Difficulty Losing Weight
Calcium	1,000 mg–1,200 mg (1,000–1,200 mg)	Maintains Bone & Muscle Health	Low-fat Dairy, Yogurt, Sardines, Soymilk, Tofu, Spinach	Muscle Aches, Cramps, Spasms, Numbness and Tingling in Extremities
Iron	8 mg–18 mg	Immune Support, Oxygen Transport, Connective Tissue Health	Meat, Poultry, Seafood, Beans, Lentils, Nuts, Seeds, Dried Fruit, Vegetables	Tiredness, Low Energy, Shortness of Breath, Headaches, Heart Palpitations
Vitamin B12	2.4 mcg	Regulates Hormones, Reduces Night Sweats and Hot Flashes	Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs, Dairy, Banana, Fortified Foods	Mood Changes, Vision Problems, Digestive Issues, Poor Cognitive Function
Vitamin D	15 mcg (600 IU)	Promotes Calcium Absorption, Assists with Bone Remodeling and Growth	Salmon, Mushrooms, Low-Fat Milk, Soy	Muscle Aches & Weakness, Fatigue, Bone Pain, Depression, Hair Loss, Loss of Appetite
Phytoestrogen	40 mg–70 mg	Helpful For Maintaining Estrogen Levels	Nuts, Seeds, Fruit, Vegetables	Mood Swings, Irregular Periods, Hot Flashes, Headaches, Dry Skin, Vaginal Dryness

kg = Kilograms, g = Grams, mg = Milligrams, Mcg = Micrograms, IU = International Units, BW = bodyweight

Hydration and Its Impact on Weight Management

Maintaining hydration plays a major role during the weight loss process. Water is essential for metabolism, cells, circulatory function, and temperature regulation.

When we enter a calorie deficit we will experience hunger. This feeling is natural as we adjust to the decrease in calorie intake and fatty foods which can be filling.

Regular drinking water can keep us full between meals and reduce hunger. Additionally, water can stop us from drinking calorie-dense drinks such as juices, sodas, and milk, enabling us to stay within a calorie deficit.

We recommend keeping a bottle of water on hand and taking sips regularly throughout the day. This will keep you full, and hydrated, and reduce cravings.

Sample Weekly Meal Plan for Overweight Females

Once you have identified your dietary requirements and the food that can be included, you can start putting together a meal plan. Below we present here is a sample weekly meal plan. Each day contains meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

Each meal contains a source of lean protein, and fiber to improve satiety. We have also used low-fat dairy to reduce calorie intake. Each meal is packed full of essential nutrients for maintaining health.

We recommend entering them into your nutrition tracking app. This will help you understand the calorie and macronutrient intake for each meal. Furthermore, monitor your portion sizes. Even though these meals are incredibly healthy, larger portions mean more calories. Tracking the portion sizes will help stick to your calorie deficit, allowing you to lose weight.

Weekly Meal Plan with Calories and Measures (U.S. & UK)
Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
Monday	2x Poached Eggs (140 kcal), Avocado (1/2, 120 kcal), Spinach (1 cup/30g/1oz, 7 kcal), Tomato (1 medium/123g/4.3oz, 25 kcal), Whole Grain Toast (1 slice, 70 kcal)	Wholemeal Grilled Chicken Wrap (350 kcal) with Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Avocado (1/4, 60 kcal), Light Mayo (1 tbsp, 45 kcal)	Baked Lemon & Turmeric Salad with Quinoa (1 cup/185g/6.5oz, 222 kcal) and Mixed Vegetables (200 kcal)	Banana (1 medium, 105 kcal), Berry (1/2 cup/75g/2.6oz, 35 kcal), Low-Fat Yogurt (1/2 cup/120g/4.2oz, 50 kcal), Low-Fat Milk or Almond Milk (100 kcal) Protein Smoothie
Tuesday	Overnight Oats (1/2 cup/40g/1.4oz, 150 kcal), Low-Fat Yogurt (100 kcal), Protein Powder (1 scoop, 100 kcal), Berries (1/2 cup, 35 kcal), Chia Seeds (1 tbsp, 60 kcal), Flaxseeds (1 tbsp, 55 kcal)	Air-Fried Chicken Salad (300 kcal) with Quinoa (1/2 cup, 111 kcal), Chia Seeds (1 tbsp, 60 kcal), Pumpkin Seeds (1 tbsp, 50 kcal), Tomato, Red Onion, Corn	Slow Cooked Quinoa Chilli (350 kcal) with Beans, Lentils, Corn, Chickpeas, Jalapenos, Avocado (60 kcal), Coriander	Protein Shake (150 kcal) & Banana (105 kcal)
Wednesday	Banana (105 kcal), Berry (1/2 cup, 35 kcal), Low-Fat Yogurt (50 kcal), Low-Fat Milk or Almond Milk (100 kcal) Protein Smoothie (150 kcal)	Slow Cooked Quinoa Chilli (350 kcal) with Beans, Lentils, Corn, Chickpeas, Jalapenos, Avocado (60 kcal), Coriander	Grilled Chicken Whole Grain Soft Shell Tacos (350 kcal)	Protein Yogurt (120 kcal), Mixed Nuts (1 oz/28g, 170 kcal)
Thursday	Chicken & Veggie Omelet (300 kcal) with Avocado (1/4, 60 kcal), Spinach, Onion, Red Pepper, Low-fat Cheese (50 kcal)	Sesame Tofu & Broccoli (350 kcal) with Spring Onions, Brown Rice (1 cup/185g/6.5oz, 215 kcal)	BBQ Bowl with Diced Chicken Breast (300 kcal), Brown Rice (215 kcal), Corn, Slaw	Fruit Salad (100 kcal), Mixed Nuts & Seeds (150 kcal)
Friday	2x Poached Eggs (140 kcal), Avocado (120 kcal), Spinach (7 kcal), Tomato (25 kcal), Whole Grain Toast (70 kcal)	BBQ Bowl with Diced Chicken Breast (300 kcal), Brown Rice (215 kcal), Corn, Slaw	Tuna Steak (200 kcal), Brown Rice (215 kcal), Asparagus, Mixed Vegetables (100 kcal)	Protein Bar (200 kcal) & Veggie Sticks (50 kcal)
Saturday	Protein Pancakes (300 kcal) with Mixed Berries (1/2 cup, 35 kcal), Banana (105 kcal), Light Maple Syrup (1 tbsp, 50 kcal)	Wholemeal Grilled Chicken Wrap (350 kcal) with Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Avocado (60 kcal), Light Mayo (45 kcal)	Chicken Pizza (350 kcal), Low-Fat Cheese (50 kcal), Leafy Greens	Banana (105 kcal), Berry (35 kcal), Low-Fat Yogurt Protein Smoothie (150 kcal)
Sunday	Overnight Oats (150 kcal), Low-Fat Yogurt (100 kcal), Protein Powder (100 kcal), Berries (35 kcal), Chia Seeds (60 kcal), Flaxseeds (55 kcal)	Turkey Gyro Bowl (350 kcal) with Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Tzatziki (50 kcal), Cauliflower Rice (100 kcal)	Air-Fried Chicken & Cauliflower Fritters with Garlic Yogurt (350 kcal)	Protein Shake (150 kcal) & Banana (105 kcal)

Adapting the Meal Plan for Different Dietary Preferences

The meal plan above indicates a balanced, nutrient-dense diet with no special dietary requirements. This can easily be modified for the low-carb, plant-based, vegan, and gluten-free requirements.

Below we detail how to modify for each requirement so you can start your weight loss plan.

Gluten-Free Meal Options

To adjust our sample meal plan to meet gluten-free needs. Fortunately, very few of these meals contain gluten as many meals contain rice or quinoa which doesn’t contain gluten. To make this meal plan gluten-free remove wholegrain breads, wraps, and flour, and substitute with gluten-free alternatives.

Vegan and Vegetarian Alternatives

The meal plan above can easily be altered to suit vegan and vegetarian dietary requirements. This is because many of the foods included are unprocessed, plant-based foods. To make these options remove animal foods and add plant-based or imitation meat alternative protein sources. Also, consider increasing food volume with high fiber to improve satiety.

‘If you are altering the above nutrition plan, and find it difficult to reach your protein macronutrient target, consider supplementing your diet with a vegan or plant-based protein shake.

Low-Carb or Keto-Friendly Meals

Modifying your diet to meet low-carb requirements can be done by reducing portions of carbohydrates. Low-carbohydrates can be characterized by less than 26% of 130 grams daily. This can be achieved by eliminating wholegrain toast or wraps from your morning and lunch meals or reducing carbohydrate portions across all meals.

To change these to keto-friendly meals, take these adjustments further and reduce total carbohydrate intake to 20–50 grams daily. You will also need to switch all low-fat dairy options to full-fat. The keto diet's main fuel source is fat in the absence of carbohydrates. By changing these to full-fat food sources, you will provide your body with greater fuel.

Weight Loss Tips for Long-Term Success

Much of our weight loss success comes from organization, meal preparation, and planning. Below are our top weight loss and meal prep times for long-term success.

Setting Realistic Calorie Goals

Setting realistic calorie goals is essential for a successful weight loss campaign. As mentioned, we want to reduce our calorie intake by around 100–300 daily. This means that if your daily intake is 2,000 calories, your daily intake will be 1,900–1,700.

For perspective, reducing your calorie intake by 200 each day would equate to 1,400 calories for the week. That is almost an entire day's worth of meals.

We suggest avoiding large deficits as many people drop their calorie intake below 1,500, only to feel the shock of hunger and restriction, leading to them abandoning their weight loss plan. Starting with a small deficit will allow you to ease into your calorie deficit, reducing hunger, while improving adherence.

Portion Control and Serving Sizes

Portion control is a major component of your meal preparation and planning. A Common mistake many make when undertaking a weight loss diet is switching out the calorie-dense foods without monitoring portion sizes. While this reduces the calorie intake, eating large portions will still contain more calories.

This can result in little to no weight loss, leading to feelings of discouragement and poor diet adherence. When we make our meals, it is important to monitor our meal portions, calorie, and macronutrient intake. When we stick to our targets, we can ensure that we are sticking to our calorie deficit, leading to weight loss.

Preparing Meals in Advance

One of the best ways to monitor portions, and manage our calorie and macronutrient intake is to prepare our meals in advance. When you prepare your meals you can measure and divide your ingredients to meet your calorie and macronutrient requirements.

While this won’t always be exact, it will be closer than just making a meal and hoping for the best.

Preparing your meals also helps you stick to your weight loss plan. This is especially helpful after long days when you don’t feel like cooking. Having your healthy meal ready can kill your hunger and keep your healthy eating streak alive.

Creating a Grocery Shopping List for Balanced Nutrition

Creating a grocery list of nutrient-dense foods is a great way to ensure you have everything for a balanced diet. When you create your list, identify foods containing the key nutrients listed above, while prioritizing a lean protein source and fiber. This will help you improve satiety, improve weight loss, and ensure the long-term success of your weight loss journey.

Healthy Alternatives to Common Cravings

Few things can derail a diet like cravings. From the moment you begin your diet to months into your weight loss journey, they can pop up at any given moment.

Fortunately, things such as proper planning, and nutrient-dense meals can help reduce their occurrence. But one way powerful way to curb your cravings is to kill them with healthy substitutes.

For example, say you have a sweet tooth and you typically boost your energy with a chocolate bar. Instead of this, why not replace it with dark chocolate and protein yogurt? Dark chocolate allows you to get your chocolate fix, which the protein yogurt will improve satiety, all for the same or fewer calories.

Or does your evening typically consist of watching the latest TV series with a packet of biscuits? Why not substitute this with protein ice cream and mixed nuts?

These are just some simple examples of healthier options that allow you to hit that sugar craving, without exceeding your calorie limit.

Incorporating Regular Physical Activity

Getting active is an incredible way to support your weight loss journey. While exercising more won’t have the same impact on your weight loss as controlling your calorie intake, it can help increase your calorie deficit and improve your overall health.

Exercise has been shown to increase muscle mass, and bone density, while improving mood, and cognitive function. Furthermore, it has also been shown to reduce chronic illness, with an 80% reduction in cardiovascular disease risk, a 90% reductions in type 2 diabetes risk, and a 33% reduction in cancer risk

Adding exercise will help improve your function, and energy levels, and further enhance your overall quality of life.

Monitoring Progress and Making Adjustments as Needed

Tracking and monitoring your progress is essential for sustainable weight loss. During that early stage of weight loss, we see great progress as our body responds to nutrition and physical activity changes.

However, as time passes, weight can plateau, diets can get boring, and we can simply lose interest. All these factors have the power to derail our weight loss campaign.

Tracking our progress in the form of photos, scale weight, measurements, workouts, and nutrition provides us with evidence of all our hard work. While tracking workouts and nutrition can show us patterns in our eating and training habits, and when those numbers seem to stall, we can make adjustments to keep progressing toward our weight loss goals.

We recommend recording scale weight, measurements, and photos each month to monitor your progress. This combined with records of your workouts, energy levels, and weight loss milestones will give you a clear picture of your achievements.

Conclusion: Achieving Healthy Weight Loss Through a Balanced Meal Plan

Weight loss programs are more than just cutting out calorie-dense, poor food choices, they are about listening and connecting to our body.

Before you begin we want you to set your expectations, and understand that this will take time. There is a lot to learn about the weight loss process. However, each step you take will teach you something new about nutrition, and how it effects your body.

If you are considering trying our weight loss meal plan remember to track your nutrition, eat plenty of protein, and add exercise and the results will come.

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FAQs

What should a meal plan for an overweight woman include?

A meal plan should focus on nutrient-dense foods like lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables. It should also emphasize portion control and reduce processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats.

How many calories should an overweight woman consume per day to lose weight?

An overweight woman typically needs to reduce her calorie intake by 500-1,000 calories per day. This generally equates to consuming 1,200-1,800 calories daily, depending on her activity level and metabolism.

What are some good snack options for an overweight woman?

Healthy snack options include fruits, vegetables with hummus, mixed nuts in moderation, Greek yogurt, and small protein shakes. These snacks can help manage hunger while maintaining a calorie deficit.

How important is protein in a meal plan for an overweight woman?

Protein is essential as it helps maintain muscle mass, increases satiety, and can boost metabolism. Incorporating lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, tofu, and legumes into each meal is highly recommended.

How can an overweight woman stay consistent with a meal plan?

Consistency can be achieved by meal prepping, planning ahead, and setting realistic goals. Incorporating variety in meals and allowing occasional treats can also help maintain motivation.

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Click here to get your sample 10-day meal plan

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Updated on:

September 27, 2024