Portion Control Plate: 7-Day Diet Plan for Weight Loss
Millions of people have been using a portion plate to get healthier or lose weight. This portion control plate healthy meal plan has meal ideas to help you use your plate to reach your health goals, without feeling deprived.
Eating a diet that can not only make you feel your best, but also something that can become a lifestyle that you enjoy, is the ultimate goal. I can say with certainty that THIS is that diet! Eating meals from all the food groups and controlling your portions is the smartest and easiest way to be healthy.
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Benefits of a Balanced Meal Plate
The difference between following a portion control plate diet and fad diets is that you can follow this new lifestyle the rest of your life, and not feel deprived.
When you start patterning your meals with a portion control plate, you’ll notice several benefits.
- That you will be less hungry. When you eat from all the food groups, in the proper portions, your body gets the signals that it’s satisfied.
- That you will have more energy. Eating from all the food groups ensures that you won’t be deficient in vital micronutrients. These micronutrients, such as Vitamin B, give our body the building blocks for energy production.
- That you will change your physique. Eating from all the food groups ensures optimal muscle growth and maintenance, as well as sufficient weight loss. You need carbs, protein, and fat for proper cell turnover and growth.
- That you will suffer from less chronic disease. Eating in excess is a top contributor to the development of chronic disease. Overeating leads to chronic inflammation, leading to disease.
- That you will be protected from certain cancers. Making half your meal fruits and veggies has been shown to prevent certain cancers. (Harvard School of Public Health)
- That you’re quality of sleep will improve (Advances in Nutrition pub.)
- That your digestion will improve. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain necessary fiber for digestion.
Rules of a Balanced Meal Plate
The rules are simple for adopting a diet based on a portion control plate.
- Eat three meals per day, with one snack or dessert. (read why 3 meals a day makes weight loss easier here!)
- Include a serving of each food group on your plate, including protein, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
- Control your portions to fill the plate, without over filling.
When you attempt any diet that forces you to eliminate entire food groups, it is hardly sustainable in the real world. But when you adopt a lifestyle that allows for balancing all the food groups, THIS is something you can live with. This is a meal plan that won’t leave you feeling deprived.
If you have one of my nutrition plates, or you can visually divide a standard plate, This 7 day healthy meal plan is for you!
Often, I’ll combine the fruit and veggie, but then I double up on the serving. For example, breakfast, I might have two servings of fruit and no veggie. But lunch and dinner, I’ll have two servings of veggies and no fruit.
Do what works for you, and will give you the best balance at the end of the day.
What is a Balanced Meal Plate?
- A balanced meal plate is a plate that includes items from most if not all of the food groups. (Dairy, protein, grains, fruits, and veggies)
- Here I have designed plates with visuals to help you think of all the elements needed to make a balanced meal. Having this visual helps me not just think about them, but actually get them on my plate!
- Regardless of whether you use a designed plate like this or not, you can create your own balanced meals by adding in foods from all of the food groups. Incorporating foods from each food group will help your body get a variety of nutrients and minerals it needs to keep you healthy!
Why Portion Control for Weight Loss is sustainable
- When our stomach is full, it sends a signal to our brain to stop eating. Sometimes, however, we eat so fast that we actually overeat before our body can process that it doesn’t need any more food. Even if you are eating healthy foods, overeating those healthy foods may prevent you from losing weight and even cause you to gain weight. This is why portion control is so important!
- When eating your food, not only do you want to slow down and savor the food, but you also want to be intentional about why you are eating and how much you eat.
- Over the years, I have discovered many reasons why I tend to overeat. Sometimes I eat because I am bored, zoned-out, avoiding work, and so many other things! (Read this list of 42 reasons to identify why you overeat!!)
- Portion control is a sustainable form of weight loss because it isn’t restricting what foods you can eat. Instead it just encourages you to eat smaller portions of the things you love. You can actually continue eating your favorite foods and lose weight. Can you believe that?!
- Portion control helps you give your body what it needs while also helping you save money (spending less on food), feel good (no bloating), and lose weight (consuming fewer calories makes it easier to reach a calorie deficit)!
7 Day Diet Plan for Weight Loss with a Balanced Meal Plate
Sunday:
- Breakfast: Protein; Greek yogurt. Fruit; strawberries and peaches. Grains; pancakes.
- Lunch: Turkey wraps: Protein; deli meat. Vegetables; cucumber, avocado, spinach. Grains; tortilla.(spread laughing cow cheese or low fat cream cheese on tortilla and fill with the deli meat and veggies.
- Dinner: Protein; grilled chicken breasts. Veggies; Roasted broccoli. Fruit; berries. Grains; rice.
Monday:
- Breakfast: Protein; Omelets. Fruit; mandarin oranges. Vegetables; mushrooms. Grains; cereal
- Lunch: Protein; teriyaki chicken. fruit; grapes. Veggies; zucchini with feta cheese. Grains; rice cakes.
- Dinner: Protein; ground beef with peas. Fruit; blueberries. Veggies; broccoli patties. Grains; pasta.
Tuesday:
- Breakfast: Protein; cottage cheese. Fruit; raspberries and bananas. Veggies; sweet potato. Grains; oatmeal.
- Lunch: Protein; chicken salad. Fruit; raspberries. Veggies; cucumbers and carrots. Grains; roll.
- Dinner: Protein; rotisserie chicken. Veggies; corn. Fruit; strawberries. Grains; rye bread.
Wednesday:
- Breakfast: Protein; eggs, Fruit; banana. Veggies; sautéed peppers. Grains; toast.
- Lunch: Spaghetti. Protein; ground beef in spaghetti sauce. Vegetables; spaghetti squash. Fruit; cherries. Grains; bread.
- Dinner: Steak fajitas; Protein; steak strips cooked in fajita seasoning. Veggies; bell peppers. Fruit; salsa. Grains; tortillas (flour or corn).
Thursday:
- Breakfast: Protein; fried egg. Fruit; peaches. Veggies zucchini and mushrooms. Grains; granola.
- Lunch: Asian Salad, Protein teriyaki chicken. Veggies; carrots and lettuce. Fruit; avocado. Grains; won ton crisps.
- Dinner: Spaghetti. Protein; chicken. Veggies; carrots and cucumbers. Fruit; berries and oranges. Grains; pasta.
Friday:
- Breakfast: Protein; eggs. Fruit; strawberries and bananas. Veggies; mushrooms. Grains; toast.
- Lunch: Protein; ham. Veggies; roasted zucchini and peppers. Fruit; apples. Grains; fettucine.
- Dinner: Protein; salmon. Veggies; green beans. Fruit; peaches. Grains; quinoa.
Saturday:
- Breakfast: Protein; pumpkin seeds. Fruit; grapes. Vegetables; sweet potatoes. Grains; waffles.
- Lunch: Protein; chicken. Veggies; carrots. Fruit; peaches. Grains; granola bar.
- Dinner: Protein; chicken. Veggies; frozen mix of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. Fruit; raspberries. Grains; pasta.
Plan your Diet Meal Plan with Portion Control for Weight Loss!
If you haven’t picked up your portion control plates yet. Check out my Amazon store here, or see my description of the plates here. That way you can put this portion control plate meal plan to use!
Need more ideas? I have some portion control plate meal planning resources for you to print below! Choose from:
Portion Printables
Pick and choose your own meal ideas:
This printable contains an idea for each food group, and each meal!
The blank meal planner! This printable lets you fill in the blanks for each food group, so you can plan for 1 week worth of portion controlled meals.
And finally, even more basic, is this food list, that can double as a grocery list so you’ll have something to fill your plate from each food group!
I only have the 3 section plate with protein carbs and veggies so, would I use the carb section for any grains or fruits?
Yes! I use the carb section for fruit OR grains, but not both.
I like each meal idea. I’m not sure how much to put on the control plate. I know you can have 4 oz. of protein. Please help.
Hi Robin, the great thing about following the portion plate, is you shouldn’t have to measure or weigh anything. If you cover the section (such as covering the protein section), it’s only big enough for approximately 4 ounces of protein. It’s not going to be 100% accurate, but it gets you very close! Also, the grains section should equal about 1/2 cup of grains (like rice or corn), and the veggie section: No need to measure at all!
I am a student and I don’t usually know what to cook so I end up snacking all the time, which results in weight gain. I would really love a meal plan like this one that is simple and tasty.
Of course Gloria! There is no reason to make it complicated. Especially when you are a student, eating the same basic meals every week is ideal. I’d use this 7 day plan over and over again!
Are there any portions or instructions for the youth meal plan, I’m really interested in it.
Did you see this one Gloria? https://healthbeet.org/healthy-meal-plan-young-adults/